Waterford - Limerick

OisinCooke

Not sure if a thread already exists for this line (if so I’m really sorry Mods and could you please move this post to that thread…?) but I thought seeing as how the Limerick - Galway line and Nenagh line have one, no harm in having a Waterford - Limerick one!

I’m just thinking out loud about what can potentially be done to increase line capacity and usage. Ideally services would be extended to Limerick Colbert rather than just the junction and a service would leave both Waterford and Limerick with a pre-09:00 arrival at each end and a similar post-17:30 departure in the evening. This, in my opinion, should be the bare minimum standard timetable template for all lines in Ireland, branch and intercity included. However how achievable is this on the W&L?

I did a mock timetable and it seems that merely with the addition of a passing loop and second platform at Cahir (or even just a loop outside of Cahir if it came to it), the following can be achieved:

A train would leave both Waterford and Limerick Colbert respectively at around 06:00 and the two trains can pass each other in Cahir. The trains would provide the following connections at Limerick Junction:

• Passengers from Waterford for Cork would join 07:00 Dublin to Cork (which calls at Limerick Jnct at 08:32)
• Passengers from Tipperary, Clonmel (etc) for Dublin would join the 07:00 Cork to Dublin (which calls at Limerick Junction at 08:01).  
• Passengers from Limerick for Cork would join the 06:00 Dublin to Cork (which calls at Limerick Junction at 07:26) or would simply get the 06:55 Limerick - Limerick Jnct for a better connection time. 
• Passengers from Cork for Limerick would join from the 07:00 Cork to Dublin (which calls at Limerick Junction at 08:01).

These trains will arrive into the two cities respectively at around 8:30 each morning, before the beginning of the working day.

In the evening, the story is much the same with trains leaving both cities at around 18:00 and once again passing one another at Cahir. Each train would again, provide the following connections at Limerick Jnct:

• Passengers from Cork for Waterford would join the Waterford train from the 17:25 Cork to Dublin (which calls at Limerick Junction at 18:23)
• Passengers from Dublin for Tipperary, Clonmel (etc) would join the Waterford train from the 17:00 Dublin to Cork (which calls at Limerick Junction at 18:27).  
• Passengers from Cork for Limerick would join the Limerick train from the 18:25 Cork to Dublin (which calls at Limerick Junction at 19:26)
• Passengers from Limerick to Cork would join the 17:00 Dublin to Cork (which calls at Limerick Junction at 18:27). 

Both services would then reach Limerick and Waterford at around 20:20 or so each evening.

This plan is also only taking the current line speeds and station stop timings into account, with a line speed upgrade and removal of manual level crossings, much greater speeds could be achieved. It also only shows the critical morning and evening peak services however ideally there would be more middle-of-the-day service (same as for the Nenagh branch) but they would follow essentially the same timings, with a Limerick Junction connection not being as necessary.

The Waterford - Limerick Jnct Line is one of my own local lines and is very close to my heart and I really think it is (as all of IÉs branch lines unfortunately are) a much much underutilised and misused asset! Because of that I just said I’d post up this plan in case anyone is interested or has any pointers or (constructive!) criticism… Let me know what you all think! :))

bikeman1

I would also add that a service of some sort on a Sunday is critical. Even the Ballybrophy line has one return service.

One can't head home for the weekend by rail as there is no return service on a Sunday. Crazy stuff.

cml387

Does it not have a better prospect as a freight line?

Thirty years ago Bell Lines used the line regularly, but after their failure nothing replaced it.

OisinCooke

I’d say once Athenry - Claremorris is opened, they’ll bring the freight from Ballina to Waterford via Claremorris, Athenry, Limerick (reversal in the Roxborough sidings) Limerick Jnct and out to Waterford there because with hourly services coming in on the Galway and Waterford lines it’ll be increasingly hard to find paths for slower moving freight trains

cml387

Somewhere on these pages I thought I read of a loading gauge restriction on Waterford Limerick?

OisinCooke

There very well could be for certain locos/wagons but I know that whenever the Timber wagons are being taken for regular maintenance, an 071 takes them 3 at a time from Waterford to the wagon works in Limerick via the Limerick Jnct Line - empty mind you… not sure if that makes a difference, but that’s one potential flow that could be transferred and obviously containers used to run rampant on the line back in the 80s and 90s so surely thy could also go that way…?

dowlingm

the different with the 80s is that containers were likely smaller then, rather than the 9’6 stuff that came along more recently.

Finding a funding source to automate the signalling and level crossings between Tipperary (fringe to Limerick Junction CTC) and Waterford West would seem to be the critical factor given the impact that has on staffing costs. The absence of Sunday services means no college traffic in either direction (not to mention GAA travel). The other problem is the layout of the Junction, specifically the crossover of the mainline, which makes Waterford line traffic low priority in order to ensure on time passage of Cork Dublin traffic. The direct curve suggested in AISRR would help there.