WORKS on the Limerick-Foynes rail line have taken a step forward this past week with the next stage of construction commencing. This comes as Iarnród Éireann has hinted that the re-established rail line could be used for passenger travel at some time down the tracks.
Final positioning works on the track have begun, Iarnród Éireann confirmed, ensuring the new tracks are positioned correctly and ready for future freight services.
In an update this past week, Iarnród Éirerann said that while the Limerick to Foynes line will initially be used for freight rail services, the transport company has not ruled out the possibility of the line being used for passenger rail at some point down the tracks.
“The line regeneration, while initially for rail freight services, will not preclude the possibility of passenger services being reintroduced on this line in the future subject to further infrastructure upgrades and funding,” the statement from Iarnród Éireann said.
To date, 24 kilometres of track on the rail have been laid, with line works continuing in the Limerick City direction. As track positioning works are underway, the fit out of the signalling and telecommunications equipment for the line is also ongoing.
This stage of the rail line reinstatement follows the reinstallation of the refurbished railway bridge over the River Maigue in Adare, almost a year to the day from when it was removed.
Track laying is expected to be largely completed on the line by the end of 2024, with the first freight services on the line are hoped to begin in the first half of 2026.
The 42km stretch of track between Limerick and Adare first opened in 1858, but closed to passenger traffic in 1963, with freight services continuing until the line was closed in 2001.
Funded by the National Transport Authority (NTA), the Limerick to Foynes Freight Line Project supports Iarnród Éireann’s Rail Freight 2040 strategy and the Shannon Foynes Port Company Masterplan, as well as satisfying local and regional development objectives.
