Additional funding for Dublin-Cork and Limerick -Waterford

THE Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD, allocated an additional €94.5 million for the heavy rail network on December 14.

€91.5m was allocated to the Cork Line Rehabilitation Project (CLRP) to improve the Dublin-Cork line, which has some of the oldest track infrastructure on the IE network, and to allow the cutting of journey times by 8-10 minutes and futureproofing it to accommodate 200kph (125mph) speeds at a later stage.

The project will bring the line speed up to 100mph and over the three-year period, 2022-2024 see 50.5km of track renewed, 44km of ballast cleaned, and 25.6km of drainage works. Works have already delivered 160kph (100mph) running from outside Heuston to Ballybrophy.

The €3m balance has been allocated to the Limerick to Waterford line for the elimination of one to two level crossings per annum and minor geometry improvements at two to three locations per annum.