SUBURBAN rail transport “will be built and will be delivered” for Limerick, the Transport Minister has confirmed.
Speaking last week at the launch of fully-electric bus services for Limerick City, Transport Minister and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said that the government was committed to delivering a suburban rail project for Limerick.
Areas such as Moyross, Ballysimon, and Raheen are among those projected to have new train stations built with access to the city centre, with plans afoot for a rail link to Shanon Airport as well.
Speaking to the Limerick Post at Colbert Station, Minister Ryan said that projects such as these “are progressing”.
“We are progressing, we’re building, we’re going to build the Moyross station,” Deputy Ryan said.
“I think Ballysimon station would make particular benefit because that would be a further transport-orientated development project,” the Minister added.
Raheen could also be in line to get a rail connection to the city, with the Minister citing the Raheen Industrial Estate as a particular concern.
“Everyone knows Raheen roundabout every morning, everyone’s stuck in traffic,” the Green Party leader said.
“If we put a station into Raheen, you start to make that industrial estate work much better for everyone. Same with Patrickwell, same with Adare, same with all the stations along that route. This is real, this is happening, will be built and will be delivered,” he said.
Among the immediate concerns of the Transport Minister is the flooding on the Ennis to Limerick rail line, with the rail line currently closed indefinitely due to flooding issues at Ballycar.
A bus transfer is currently operating on the route to replace trains that can’t use the flooded tracks. The line is set to reopen tomorrow (Saturday, April 20).
