226 Abhann na Suire

Leaving Colbert the other day there was 6 cement bogie tankers lying on the side of the line, perpendicular to the tracks, being cut up with angle grinders. (Apologies for the low quality of the pictures) The wagons are the same as the ones line up in the Colbert ‘sound barrier’ in the sidings to the north of the station approach, and also in that stationary convoy are some Taras, a few of the old unrefurbished CPWs and some 42ft flats, so presumably these are destined for the cutters torch also…? Surely the CPWs might be saved? And does anyone know how the wagons were brought across the running lines and then lifted off the tracks to actually be cut up?

A 9 carriage ICR (6ICR + 3ICR) tore past me through Kildare the other day, looked to be on an ECS to Heuston. Longest I’ve seen in person

It’s always a mystery to me why when it was being built in the 90s, no one had the foresight to double the Dargan Bridge, it seems like an awful waste of resources. Does anyone know is the passing loop above Corporation Street actatlly used in daily service? Or does the block just run between the junction with the Bangor Line and York Street station? Seems like an obvious capacity hinderance which should be thought about being fixed… Excellent and unbelievably comprehensive list though @Darrman, I really could not agree more! IÉ definitely need to get a move on with Limerick-Limerick Jnct, Galway-Athenry, Athlone-Portarlington, and Bray Head Tunnel 4-Greystones Station (the only solution here is to double the whole 2km section between the tunnel and the station, it would make a hell of a difference

https://irishcycle.com/2024/11/13/images-an-in-depth-look-at-first-new-dart-train/ Unreal article here on IrishCycles about the first full new DART+ set that was unveiled in Inchicore today, a load of really good pics. I’m particularly impressed by the new PIS, wayyyy more informative than the current waste of money they’ve added to the 8600’s that only show the time and destination; these ones show next station, relative distance into the journey, which side the doors will open on, and even where in the train is least busy!! They will be nothing short of groundbreaking!

Very interesting… Was it operated by an NIR unit? And was it advertised as a Derry-Dublin service?? The first one in a very long time I should think!!

Here’s the full list :))

I do like the idea of Galway-Limerick-Waterford services however I feel that morning services should not be linked this way necessarily. Maybe a Galway-Waterford and vice versa morning route for a pre-9am arrival if feasible (although unfortunately I can’t see that it would be…) but in addition to individual Limerick-Galway and Waterford-Limerick (and vice versa respectively) pre-9am arrival services. Having the morning Waterford-Limerick services extend to a pre-9am Galway arrival allows passengers from Waterford to access Galway (a small number I’d imagine) and Limerick-Galway passengers too but would leave Waterford passengers for Limerick stranded in Limerick at 7am… and the same with Galway-Limerick passengers on a Galway-Waterford service… Maybe an idea would be simultaneous Waterford to Limerick and Limerick to Galway trains in the morning with pre-9am arrivals, (and the same in reverse for the evening rush) but then have the middle of the day trains, through run between Waterford and Galway…? I do agree wholeheartedly though about the need for throughout-the-day services, it is something which is not too common on the 3 branches (there is none on the Waterford Limerick line and barely any on the Nenagh branch) and something which is very needed. The draft timetable I included at the start of this thread was specifically for pre-9am arrivals at both ends but obviously throughout-the-day services are needed, otherwise communities are not linked and people outside of 9-5 workers are completely uncatered for. As a Waterford native with a beloved grandmother of whom I see far too little, living in Galway, I love the idea of direct Waterford and Galway services but I feel that the amount of day commuters between the two cities would be way too low to warrant a specific pre-9am arrival service to both. However I believe that a Waterford-Galway and a Galway-Waterford service should operate on Sundays and Friday evenings for getting college students between the 3 very large universities on the line and home. This would be a very useful opportunity for such a service I think

On a train out of Heuston just now and spotted the unmistakable shape of one of the new DART+ carriages being loaded onto the tracks in Inchicore depot!! Exciting times ahead! Does anyone know are they being currently placed on accommodation bogies for the time being, or have their special articulated bogies arrived yet?

I think the max operating speed of the 99s is only 120kmh so I think it’s safe to see that once the 201s and 071s have gracefully bowed out, Irish Rail see that being the end to loco hauled services on the island. EMU/BMU’s seem like the likely future for the Belfast and Cork services especially if 200kmh speeds are the plan! A sad end but really an inevitable move with the times. Any word on the new Enterprise tender by the way? Last I heard, they’d narrowed it down to 2 bidders…!

Credit where credit’s due for the dynamic passing loop though, really will help to slicken service passings at the station. Does anyone know what side the double track will be extending? My grandfather was the chief civil engineer in charge of the N67 Dual Carriageway bridge over the railway east of the current station and demanded that the bridge be built with space for a second track in the future, so I’m just curious if his efforts will be fruitful in this project!! Station plans look stunning, can’t wait to see this finally happen.

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 no harm in having one! I’m just thinking out loud about what can be done to increase line capacity and usage. Ideally services would be expanded 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 standard for all lines in Ireland, branch and intercity included…) However how achievable is this? I did a mock timetable and it seems that with the addition of a passing loop and second platform at Cahir (or even just a loop outside of Cahir), 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 a connection at Limerick Junction for: 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 provide connections in 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 Let me know if anyone has any thoughts on this, if it seems feasible, etc. Opinions and criticism (constructive please…!) would also be much appreciated. Thanks all, Oisín :))

According to the video sent by @Der Rechtsanwalt that’s what the clearance work on the old collapsed roof was for…!

Great video! Didn’t know they were bothering to rebuild the roof… Hardly as a preemptive station project…? Overnight loco storage maybe? Will there be a run around facility built at Foynes from the outset or are they waiting until they can bring the railhead to the dock itselfv

The extra 5’3 rail in the compound to accommodate the Irish gauge locos is very interesting here…! You’d wonder is it still present!!

Anyone know what the scéal is about Kishogue opening on Monday…? Is there and official ceremony and first train…? (Obviously the first train will be the first train at 5 in the morning, but is there a ceremonial ‘first train’ happening…? Thinking of heading up and wondering if there’s something happening at the station over the course of the day

Still any word yet on what traffic will go over the line…? Or is it moreso being built in line with TEN-T recommendations and the Foynes port masterplan with no immediate use pencilled in but with big use planned in the future with the port’s explanation?

I actually think (again only from looking at Google Earth) that Strabane will be the easiest to reconnect, due to it being such a dense and contained town. A new alignment approaching from the south could travel north-northwest after Sion Mills before bending due north-northeast to follow the River Finn and have a train station after the Mourne river crossing slightly to the east of the service station on the Lifford Road. This would be very on the very edge of the town of Strabane while also being very close to Lifford (750 metres to both town centres from the proposed station site). The line could subsequently follow the A5 all the way to Waterside station with minimal interruption to any existing property save for a small housing estate on the outside of Derry and of course the old quay buildings… Could this work…? I am very much of the opinion that a largely new alignment will be required for all of the reasons mentioned above like electrification, need for double track, and suitability for new trains, plus of course meaning a more direct and faster route than the car. Finally would there be any benefit to a triangle junction at Portadown to allow express services form Dublin…?

You’d wonder would somewhere beyond Hazelhatch be viable…? Between there and Naas? Or even just north of Rush and Lusk? Although that latter location may face the same flooding risks of the Maynooth depot…

When you say the depot will not happen, does that mean at all…??? Are they looking into relocating it…? Surely the depot is a must for the whole project…

Been looking at it for the last 10 minutes, put us out of our misery @Niles!!

The recent Cork line level crossing project (the replacement of a mere 7 or so level crossings between Charleville and Mallow) took over 3 years to make its way through ABP and that was a simple infrastructure project compared to DART+ so I can only hope they’ve gotten their act together…

Would love a full body livery like this on the 201 or even a Hydrogen inspired full body livery on whichever 071 gets the go-ahead for that project (is that still happening…?)

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2024/07/02/irish-rail-says-catering-service-to-return-to-intercity-lines-by-end-of-year/ Bit of light at the end of the proverbial tunnel at last! I wonder what the offerings will be… hot food would be a wonder for services, even just hot panini’s and sandwiches would be a huge step in the right direction maybe with actual meals available on peak hour intercity services that have a galley coach…? Overall though a positive piece of news!

Well interestingly all 4 platforms run beneath the first building (the top one in both of those screenshots) which is the one in use, but only the centre two run beneath the lower building, which appears to be completely abandoned. Just odd that they’d build two identical station buildings, seems like an awful waste of money…

I was on Google Earth yesterday and came across something very odd… Clondalkin Fonthill Station has 2 station buildings… both of which are completely identical on the outside… Does anyone have any idea why this is I have absolutely no clue myself