Limerick Junction-Waterford Reopening

KC61

Tomorrow morning sees the official re-opening of the Limerick Junction to Waterford railway line and on Friday morning the first step forward in services on the line since the 1960s when three return services will start operating each weekday.

Certainly a good day for Irish railways and let's hope that it continues and develops.

Interestingly I see that Irish Railway News have been doing some lobbying of their own with a suggested timetable to operate from December 2004. Hopefully this and other media coverage will raise the profile of the railway.

P11 Comms

There will be no major chages to this line until the rebuilding of Limerick Junction. The only certainty is that Waterford to Rosslare element of the passenger service is to become history.

The Minister today is using the reopening event to essentially relaunch and rebrand the line as the "Limerick-Clonmel-Waterford" line and this is how it will always be viewed and promoted from this point forward. The two new services are not going to serve the Waterford-Rosslare section as this is essentially stage one in the closing of the line to passenger services unless Waterford and Wexford Co Councils can implement a strategic transport corridor ala Midleton on that section, which would be a great idea.

Clonmel is to be the focal point of the line from now on and this makes perfect sense. The only changes to any future timetables will be to make Clonmel more accessable to Dublin as well as the removal of all locomotive hauled stock as the Irish public want railcars and not 1960's fossils chuggin along the line for another few years.

Today is a good day for rail transport in Ireland alright.

Victor

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0923/rail.html

Brennan reopens Waterford-Limerick line
23 September 2004 15:53

The Waterford-Limerick rail line reopened today after being out of service for nearly a year following the dramatic collapse of the railway bridge at Cahir last October.

The viaduct collapsed as a freight train was travelling over it, sending a number of the goods carriages into the river below.

There were fears that Iarnród Éireann was not going to reopen the line, however, more than €2.5m has been spent on reconstructing the bridge to a higher specification.

The rail line was officially opened by the Minister for Transport, Séamus Brennan, when he also announced two new daily services between Waterford and Limerick.

P11 Comms

Looked good on the TV last night I thought.

P11 Comms

trainuser wrote:

Interestingly I see that Irish Railway News have been doing some lobbying of their own with a suggested timetable to operate from December 2004. Hopefully this and other media coverage will raise the profile of the railway.

Platform11 on the other hand will continue to lobby for an upgrade of the track instead. Look what happened on the Limerick to Waterford line today:

Iarnrod Eireann launched its enhanced timetable with modern railcars linking Limerick and Waterford today (Friday) – but had to cancel two services due to a track problem.

The 12.40 pm Limerick to Waterford train was suspended after the discovery of a broken rail just outside Clonmel. The defective track was spotted by one of the ganger crews that regularly patrol the line, and was remedial work was undertaken immediately. Meanwhile, the 14.15 service ex Waterford ran only as far as Clonmel. In both cases a substitute bus service was laid on to accommodate passengers.

The track on that line is knackerd and dangerous. Forget any new timetables and get this sorted out first.

enterprise

Again Platform 11 the supposed "National Rail Lobby group" gets its facts wrong!

I tell you exactly what happened as I travelled over the line that day.

12.40 Limerick - Waterford: operated throughout and to time. Approx 15 people on board.

14.15 Waterford - Limerick Jct: operated to Clonmel with a bus transfer to Limerick Jct and a taxi for a woman to Thurles to make the 14.00 Tralee - Heuston. Well done to the IE staff on the ground for ensuring this woman made her appointment in Dublin. 16 people on board.

16.20 Limerick Jct - Rosslare Europort: Operated from Clonmel. 32 people from Clonmel on board. 1 off at Carrick. Good number off at Waterford. About 50 people on the train from Waterford.

jlang

enterprise- You travelled from Limerick to Waterford, back up to Limerick Junction and then back down to Rosslare!! May I be permitted to ask why (unless you're the train driver)? Or else P11 will start abusing you as a trainspotter.

enterprise

I was in Waterford for the weekend so I decided to try out the improved service on the line.

I travelled on the 1415 Waterford - Limerick Jct (terminated at Clonmel) & 1620 Limerick Jct - Rosslare Europort (started at Clonmel) to Waterford.

And if P11 want to label me a trainspotter thats their business - I dont respect them at all.

For some rational and constructive thinking check out irish railway news submission to IE at:

http://groups.msn.com/IrishRailwayNews

A Dub in Glasgo

So there was a broken rail on the newly opened stretch of line

Enterprise: are you affiliated with the Irish Railway News?

enterprise

No, im not affiliated with IRN, I just look at the site.

Enterprise.

Deise Tom

KC61 wrote: »

Tomorrow morning sees the official re-opening of the Limerick Junction to Waterford railway line and on Friday morning the first step forward in services on the line since the 1960s when three return services will start operating each weekday.

Certainly a good day for Irish railways and let's hope that it continues and develops.

Interestingly I see that Irish Railway News have been doing some lobbying of their own with a suggested timetable to operate from December 2004. Hopefully this and other media coverage will raise the profile of the railway.

I dont know how many people use this line or parts of it, But the government now want to close it. What a bloody mistake.

FlameoftheWest

P11 Comms wrote: »

Clonmel is to be the focal point of the line from now on and this makes perfect sense. The only changes to any future timetables will be to make Clonmel more accessable to Dublin

Yes I have often wondered why this logical step of making Clonmel more directly connected to Dublin is never really considered? That is the one town down there which could save the entire route. Why can't they run a direct Clonmel Dublin serivce via Waterford. Clonmel is much bigger than Sligo.

Would not have to worry about Waterford-Rosslare closing then.

mysterious

FlameoftheWest wrote: »

Yes I have often wondered why this logical step of making Clonmel more directly connected to Dublin is never really considered? That is the one town down there which could save the entire route. Why can't they run a direct Clonmel Dublin serivce via Waterford. Clonmel is much bigger than Sligo.

Would not have to worry about Waterford-Rosslare closing then.

Sligo is actually bigger than Clonmel.

dowlingm

FoTW - That was 5 years ago P11Comms posted that. A lot of water under the Cahir Viaduct since then.

lord lucan

Holy Zombie thread Batman!!!

Judgement Day

lord lucan wrote: »

Holy Zombie thread Batman!!!

And again. :rolleyes:

Victor

Thread split and closed.