Waterford - Limerick

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! :))