Revised Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy consultation opened

THE National Transport Authority (NTA) opened a consultation following the publication of the revised draft Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (LSMATS) on April 26. It includes further options developed by consultants Jacobs and Systra to deliver commuter rail in the Limerick area, after criticism by stakeholders of the failure of the initial strategy to consider the development of existing rail corridors. Four options are assessed in the revised strategy. Option 1 evaluates the existing routes into an upgraded Limerick Colbert station, with the provision of a station at Moyross on the Limerick to Ennis line and Ballysimon on a redoubled Limerick to Limerick Junction line, with more frequent services on the Ennis (3tph), Limerick Junction (2tph) and Ballybrophy (2tph) lines. Option 2 includes a rail link to Shannon Airport from the Ennis line at Cratloe via Bunratty and a new station on the Ballybrophy line at Newport Road. Option 3 includes the return of passenger services, with new stations, to Mungret and Adare on the existing mothballed lines, in addition to Shannon Airport. Option 4 includes all the proposals with all lines being double track and extra stations and journey time improvements. The strategy acknowledges that the Limerick to Foynes line is to reopen for freight but noted that the freight section from Adare to Foynes is not included within the modelling.

HASSARD STACPOOLE The revised strategy, the consultation for which closes on June 10, proposes more frequent services including two trains per hour on the Limerick-Ballybrophy line as far as Nenagh, which currently only has two return services a day. Nos. 2806+2805 wait to depart with the 16.55 LimerickBallybrophy service on July 30, 2021.