All systems go for Foynes
Work commences on Limerick route reopening as funding approved.
THE Irish Government signed off €104m funding to allow the reconstruction of the mothballed 42km Limerick to Foynes line to start on November 9. Work will be delivered in two phases, with phase one anticipated to take two years. It will see the existing track removed, the ballast bed rebuilt to modern standards to allow the installation of new rail track and sleepers, upgrading road infrastructure at level crossings, rehabilitating bridges and culverts and the renewal of lineside fencing.
Project
Phase two includes the provision of a signalling system, CCTV level crossings, train communications system and track connections and upgrades at Limerick and in Foynes Yard. Subject to funding allocation, this element is expected to take 18 months to complete, with the route reopening for freight services in 2025. The line speed will be 70mph and will not preclude the possibility of passenger services being reintroduced in the future, but this would require further infrastructure upgrades and funding, according to IÉ. Contractors McCormack Brothers started vegetation clearance on the route in early September, in advance of the tender being let in mid-November to rebuild the line. Major construction work is expected to start immediately. Launching the work after the arrival of the first of two shipments of rail at Foynes from ArcelorMittal in Spain on November 14, Iarnród Éireann chief executive Jim Meade said: “Seeing the work commence is a proud day for us. “Our Rail Freight Strategy is all about creating connections and giving greater opportunity for businesses to switch from road freight to more sustainable rail freight. “I am certain that upon reopening of the line, working with our colleagues at the Shannon Foynes Port Company we will deliver a reliable, frequent and most importantly sustainable logistics option for many companies that currently and in the future will use the port of Foynes.”