double tracking in Ireland

veryangryman

Is there anywhere I can check the parts of our rail network that are double tracked

I think portarlington to heuston plus all of dart network is but not sure of the rest.

Cookie_Monster

cork suburban is double track

The entire route from Larne-Belfast-Dublin Connolly-Dublin Heuston-Cork-Cobh is double track with the exception of the Boyne viaduct in Drogheda. Other double track includes Connolly-Bray, Connolly-Maynooth and Docklands-Glasnevin Junction.

LXFlyer

Add to that Killonan Junction-Limerick and Waterford-Waterford West.

Go to the Irish Rail Network Statement for more info.
http://www.irishrail.ie/media/IE2014NetworkStatement_PublishedVersion21.pdf

CaptainFreedom

Belfast-Bangor is double track too

Jamie2k9

Add to that Killonan Junction-Limerick and Waterford-Waterford West.

You can say Waterford-Newrath, Waterford West just covers the station yard.

M3 Parkway line is also double tracked.

bikeman1

The double track on the Larne line only goes as far as Kilroot, which is after Downshire station near Carrickfergus. Single track after that.

The Waterford to Newrath one is double track, but it is two separate routes (Waterford - Limerick Junction / Waterford - Dublin) that run alongside each other before diverging.

corktina

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

cork suburban is double track

except the Midleton line I imagine?

roundymac

Midleton is single track from Glountaune.

LXFlyer

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

You can say Waterford-Newrath, Waterford West just covers the station yard.

M3 Parkway line is also double tracked.

Waterford-Waterford West is double track, after that they are two separate single lines running alongside one another, diverging at Newrath with no crossover west of Waterford West.

LXFlyer

To summarise - the following are all double track:

Bangor-Belfast Central-Great Victoria Street-Boyne Viaduct (north end)
Boyne Viaduct (south end)-Connolly-Bray

Heuston-Cork-Cobh

Connolly-Drumcondra-Islandbridge Junction
Docklands-Maynooth (including crossover at Glasnevin Junction)
Clonsilla-M3 Parkway

Limerick-Killonan Junction

Waterford-Waterford West

Yorkgate - Kilroot (Larne Line)
Bleach Green - Monkstown Junction (Coleraine line)

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

LXFlyer

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

It was singled in the 1990s.

CaptainFreedom

lxflyer wrote: »

It was singled in the 1990s.

Correct, walked on it several years ago and there are points at each end. Installed during the major repair work undertaken on the bridge in 1993

Losty Dublin

lxflyer wrote: »

Waterford-Waterford West is double track, after that they are two separate single lines running alongside one another, diverging at Newrath with no crossover west of Waterford West.

If it hasn't happened by now, Absolute Block and associated double track working was to have been dispensed with in Waterford. Certainly, the 2014 Network Statement shows that it has gone.

Jamie2k9

Losty Dublin wrote: »

If it hasn't happened by now, Absolute Block and associated double track working was to have been dispensed with in Waterford. Certainly, the 2014 Network Statement shows that it has gone.

Think its sort of work in progress, they did some works over the last while but nothing else has happened. Can't see the double tracking being stopped, as 4 tracks coming out of the platforms (all used by services currently) and new signalling installed on the line the freight traffic to Belview uses.

They did disconnect one or possibly two sidings in the freight yard which has very limited room now at times until the Mark'3 go.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Hungerford

lxflyer wrote: »

To summarise - the following are all double track:

If you want to be pedantic, there is also double-track on the Larne line from Lagan Junction to Queen's Quay. The single-tracking only begins where the cross-harbour bridge starts.

corktina

Can someone add the existing lines that used to be double track?

LXFlyer

I'd suggest that you go through the website below that lists each route:
http://www.industrialheritageireland.info/TikiWiki/tiki-index.php?page=Open+Lines

eejoynt

corktina wrote: »

Can someone add the existing lines that used to be double track?

Cherryville junction to Carlow
, lifted 1917 to provide rails for the wolf hill and castle comer branches

Maynooth to ballinasloe via moate, I think the double tracking extended out the Sligo line a short distance but I am not sure
Galway to athenry

Colloney to Sligo had two tracks up to the closure of the Sligo Leitrim, they may have been two parallel single lines however

Limerick junction to killonan

I think on the NCC double tracking went from bleach green to ballymena

On the GNR, there was some double track on the Derry road I think, and from portadown to rich hill. There was also a third road from great Victoria street to finaghy

Hungerford

corktina wrote: »

Can someone add the existing lines that used to be double track?

Northern Ireland:
Larne Line: Kilroot - Whitehead
NCC Derry: Monkstown Junction - Ballymena

Republic of Ireland:
Westport line: Athlone - Roscommon
Rosslare line: Newcastle - Wicklow Junction
Sligo line: Maynooth - Longford; Collooney - Collooney Junction; Ballysodare -Sligo
Waterford line: Cherryville Junction - Carlow
Limerick to Waterford: Limerick - Limerick Junction; Waterford - Fiddown
Galway line: Mullingar - Ballinasloe; Attymon - Athenry; Galway - Oranmore
GNR Navan line: Navan Junction - Tara Junction

Losty Dublin

Just for fun, can anybody identity the section of railway which is now double track but which was single track for all of it's existence until about maybe 40 years ago.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Jamie2k9

Slightly off topic but since when has Athlone to Portarlington being Track Circuit Block with CAWS. Was certain that it was only Cork, Limerick and Belfast and the rest of the newtwork just Circuit Blocks.

Edit - the 2011 statement has it as Track Circuit Blocks and I'm sure it was the same in the 2014 statement but it has being updated to reflect CAWS. Has it changed recently or going to change in 2014 to try and improve the timetabling of Galway/Westport routes mainly from Dublin in the evenings as delays of up to 30 minutes are still happening even after the new timetable.

GTE

I am guessing the singling of tracks was to cut costs?

Would anyone in the know feel that having more substantial double tracking would have lead to rail being more popular?

On the face of it, more trains each way is what I am thinking. 141s and 071s zipping mark 3s all over the place. . . he daydreams.

Temp101

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

Slightly off topic but since when has Athlone to Portarlington being Track Circuit Block with CAWS. Was certain that it was only Cork, Limerick and Belfast and the rest of the newtwork just Circuit Blocks.

As far as I am aware, CAWS has been in place on the Athlone branch since resignalling Geashill to Athlone in 1985.

There is also CAWS in the DART area. I also think it is in place as far as Maynooth (possibly also the M3 branch)?

Temp101

Losty Dublin wrote: »

Just for fun, can anybody identity the section of railway which is now double track but which was single track for all of it's existence until about maybe 40 years ago.

If you mean Dun Laoghaire, I think that's closer to 60 years! Reconstructed 1956/7?

Temp101

Hungerford wrote: »

Northern Ireland:
Larne Line: Kilroot - Whitehead
NCC Derry: Monkstown Junction - Ballymena

Republic of Ireland:
Westport line: Athlone - Roscommon
Rosslare line: Newcastle - Wicklow Junction
Sligo line: Maynooth - Longford; Collooney - Collooney Junction; Ballysodare -Sligo
Waterford line: Cherryville Junction - Carlow
Limerick to Waterford: Limerick - Limerick Junction; Waterford - Fiddown
Galway line: Mullingar - Ballinasloe; Attymon - Athenry; Galway - Oranmore
GNR Navan line: Navan Junction - Tara Junction

Probably also add
East Wall Junction - Church Road Junction - Warehouse Siding - Sherriff Street (now classed as sidings),
Newcomen Junction - Amien's St. DSER,
Newcomen Junction - West Road Junction - Church Road Junction (partly overlaps with current Newcomen Junction - Docklands, other parts also now sidings).
Waterford Central - Waterford East - Abbey Junction.

Sligo had double line to Carrignagat Junction originally, when the cabin was closed there, the two single lines were extended (using the two tracks) to Ballysodare.

Temp101

bbk wrote: »

I am guessing the singling of tracks was to cut costs?

Would anyone in the know feel that having more substantial double tracking would have lead to rail being more popular?

Apart from the singlings during the WW I period - which seem to have been to release materials for colliery branches or maintenance, most singling was done in the late 1920's and early 1930's to save money on track maintenance, although the newly installed additional signalling equipment can't have been too cheap.

There is an interesting debate to be had on double versus single track. People more knowledgeable than myself have suggested to me that you can can get a fair bit of plain track when one considers the cost of modern turnouts and crossovers and associated signalling.

Losty Dublin

Temp101 wrote: »

If you mean Dun Laoghaire, I think that's closer to 60 years! Reconstructed 1956/7?

Good man Single track working as far as Shanganagh junction, which was considered to be the mainline.

Hungerford

Temp101 wrote: »

most singling was done in the late 1920's and early 1930's to save money on track maintenance, although the newly installed additional signalling equipment can't have been too cheap.

A lot of the Northern Irish singling was done more recently. Antrim to Ballymena was double track until around 1990 and Monkstown Junction to Antrim was double track until c.2001. Kilroot to Whitehead was 'temporary' singled in the 1990s but never reinstated.

The increase in rail travel in the region means, however, that redoubling is now proposed for the Derry line sections.

Hungerford

Losty Dublin wrote: »

Good man Single track working as far as Shanganagh junction, which was considered to be the mainline.

Actually, the entire line was doubled by 1915 but they left single track through Dun Laoghaire station for reasons which I cannot remember.

Temp101

Hungerford wrote: »

Actually, the entire line was doubled by 1915 but they left single track through Dun Laoghaire station for reasons which I cannot remember.

Indeed, the terminus, with its fine train shed, seems to have been perceived as the important part of the station at Dun Laoghaire (or should I say Kingstown)? The line on to Dalkey seems to have been relatively poorly provided for. The single through track started at the Dublin end of the station, and ended just beyond the "Hole In The Wall" - the junction for the Pier branch. I would suggest that breaking the rock, with the attendant impact on adjacent roads etc., was a good reason for putting the doubling work on the long finger, especially as it was next door to the Corporation offices and Town Hall. To judge from "Irish Railway News" (good work RPSI putting these up!) one reason the bottleneck was finally done was because it was perceived to be impeding tourist traffic via the Pier.

Your point on NI singling being later is well made also. The Monkstown - Antrim re-opening was done in such a fashion as to make it expensive to re-instate double track. Cost saving also unfortunately applied to the Cross-Harbour project, but I suppose we should be grateful the lines are open at all, given the circumstances.

Rawr

I remember years ago that the Maynooth Commuter Line was only double as far as Clonsilla, and then became single past both Leixlip stations and on to Maynooth.

It may have been double in the past as I remember seeing the remains of an old city-bound platform at Leixlip Lousia Bridge back when the current Maynooth-bound platform was the only platform in use.

It was doubled again about 15 years ago or there abouts. I remember in particular that Leixlip Confey had to be re-built as the result of it, due to the 1980's platform sitting under Confey bridge and taking up the space needed for a second track.

Leixlip Lousia Bridge was mostly rebuilt too. A new city-bound platform was built, and a new station building was placed over the tracks as a bridge-type thing. The old 80's station building is still present on the Maynooth-bound platform, right beside the original Leixlip station building (now a private house I think).

Cool Mo D

Here's a map that shows the state of double tracking accross Ireland (and Britain). It's a bit optimistic about the chances of Navan-Dunboyne and Athenry-Claremorris reopening.

corktina

excellent (can't see Downpatrick...)