Limerick to Foynes Railway @ Patrickswell – Looking towards Foynes

The progress being made on the clearing of the old Foynes railway is being showcased in a video.

There are plans to restore the 42km line from the city to Foynes for freight services and phase one of the project began last year.

Phase one involves clearing vegetation and replacing existing tracks, renewing bridges and crossings, and installing new sleepers and infrastructure to support the next phase of the project.

Freight services on the line ended in 2001 and the line was then declared inactive.

When phase one is completed, phase two will begin which will involve the provision of a signalling system and a communications system and will take around 18 months.

If funding is allocated on time, the project could be completed by 2025.

You can see how much work has been done in this video:

Earlier this month, there was some criticism of the project as Cllr Daniel Butler said homeowners in Limerick had their home’s privacy and security stripped away by Irish Rail contractors.

The Fine Gael Councillor said that removing the trees, hedges and other vegetation had compromised the privacy and security of a number of Limerick homeowners and there had been a lack of consultation.

Irish Rail responded:

In response, Irish Rail says: “We did advise at the outset of works last month that vegetation clearance works will be an essential element of preparation for the reopening of the Limerick to Foynes line for freight traffic.

We have advised residents along the route in advance of these works, but regret that due to a contractor issue, this did not happen in this particular location.

Work on the track is expected to start next month. From 95FM.

https://youtu.be/rGAXlL8Epfc

« »