PLANS are being advanced to provide a shuttle service to link Shannon Airport to Colbert railway station in Limerick.
Irish Rail will also construct a second line at Limerick Junction to slash travel time between Limerick City and Dublin.
The airport shuttle link would be an enormous boost for getting people attending Ryder Cup in Adare to fly into Shannon instead of Dublin, according to Oireachtas Transport Committee Chairman and Limerick Fine Gael TD Kieran O’Donnell.
Speaking about the advantages in attracting visitors to the prestigious golfing event, Deputy O’Donnell told the Limerick Post, “having a shuttle service to link up with existing rail stations would be a major advantage.
“Passengers flying into Shannon would have a direct link to get them to Adare from the airport instead of flying into Dublin. The shuttle link would also facilitate tourists flying through Shannon to visit Limerick city.”
Deputy O’Donnell was commenting after a meeting last week between Irish Rail representatives, including chief executive Jim Meade and members of the Oireachtas Transport Committee.
Thousands of visitors are expected to descend on Adare Manor for the prestigious event, bringing a massive tourism spend to Limerick.
The last time Ireland hosted the Ryder Cup in 2006 at the K Club in Kildare, the event was worth €143 million to the local economy.
The Oireachtas committee heard that plans to have a second rail line to link Limerick Junction and the city are advancing, with funding in place for the design stage of the project.
The Dail committee was told that between design and construction, the second rail spur should be up and running in four years.
“This would cut twenty minutes off the journey between Dublin and Limerick. Passengers using the service would have their journey reduced to one hour and forty minutes,” Deputy O’Donnell said.
