Limerick–Foynes railway line

Former railway line in Ireland

Limerick–Foynes line

Disused section of the Limerick–Foynes line, near Ballybronogue, in 2017

Overview

Other name(s)

Foynes branch

Status

Under construction

Owner

Irish Rail

Locale

County Limerick

Termini

Stations

7 (1 open)

Service

Operator(s)

Irish Rail

History

Opened

29 April 1858 (1858-04-29)

Closed to passengers

4 February 1963 (1963-02-04)

Closed

November 2000 (2000-11)

Technical

Line length

42 km (26 mi)

Number of tracks

Track gauge

5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) Irish gauge

Route map

Limerick–Foynes

Legend

					Limerick Colbert To Limerick Junction
					Castlemungret Cement Factory
					Patrickswell
					to Cork
					Kilgobbin
					Adare
					Ballingrane Junction
					to Tralee
					Askeaton
					Foynes

The Limerick to Foynes Railway is a 42 kilometres (26 mi) mothballed line in County Limerick, Ireland that connected the city of Limerick with the port of Foynes. A tender was published, for the works to reopen the line, in mid-2022. These works, starting with the clearing of vegetation, had begun by late 2022.

History

The railway was opened in April 1858 by the Limerick and Foynes Railway, which was taken over by the Waterford and Limerick Railway in 1873. Initially there was no direct access to the line from Limerick station, with the line branching off at Limerick Check signal cabin. As part of the Cork and Limerick Direct Railway, operated by the Great Southern and Western Railway, a direct line was built in 1862. Construction of a 3 miles (4.8 km) branch to the cement factory at Castlemungret begun in September 1956, with the line opening on 1 October 1957. No passengers were carried on the Castlemungret branch, and the line to Foynes closed to passengers on 2 February 1963. Goods trains continued to run, and increased traffic to Castlemungret resulted in a second track being built between Limerick Check and the junction to the factory. The direct curve into Limerick Colbert was closed and lifted in September 1975, while ground frames connecting the Castlemungret and Foynes lines were removed in the 1980s, leaving the lines operationally separate. Goods trains to Foynes ceased in November 2000, and in May 2002 the last train, a weed sprayer, moved on the line. The line was disconnected from the broader Irish Rail network at Limerick Check in November 2007. Goods trains to Castlemungret continued until 2009, with the branch finally being disconnected in 2013.

Proposed reopening

Since the line's closure in 2000, a number of proposals were made to reopen the line. In December 2018, Irish Rail sought permission to replace the unsafe Robertstown viaduct for the potential reintroduction of freight traffic with a new, single-span structure, removing the viaduct in 2023. The railway line is part of the EU Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) infrastructure, and in 2015 the Shannon Foynes Port Company received €800,000 to study the feasibility of reinstating the line.

In July 2022, Irish Rail published a tender to contract for the rebuilding of the line. These works had reportedly commenced by mid-November 2022. In early 2023, it was announced that the tender contract had been agreed, with works on reopening the line due to commence in February 2023. In September 2023, the River Maigue bridge at Adare was removed for restoration and repair.

By May 2024, the old jointed track on wooden sleepers had been removed, and laying of new concrete sleepers and rails had commenced on the route. The new track will be welded to form continuous welded rail. It is expected that all new track will be laid by the end of 2024.

References

^ "Etender 8067 - Limerick to Foynes Line Track & Civils Construction". irl.eu-supply.com. 29 July 2022.
^ Halloran, Cathy (14 November 2022). "Work to begin on reopening Foynes-Limerick rail line". rte.ie. RTÉ News.
^ Coleman, Joe (October 2013). "Limerick as a Railway Centre". Irish Railway Record Society. 182. Archived from the original on 30 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
^ "Limerick to Foynes Rail Reinstatement". SFPC.ie. Shannon Foynes Port. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
"Irish Railway News". Irish Railway Record Society. 165. February 2008. Archived from the original on 4 December 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
Griffin, Jasmin (22 September 2023). "Strides made in reopening Foynes to Limerick rail line for freight". LimerickLeader.ie.
"Irish Railway Developments - Railfreight from Foynes again". irishrailwaydevelopments.wordpress.com. 9 December 2013.
"Rail Network Expansion Question - Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018". Oireachtas.ie. 24 July 2018.
Walsh, Emer (9 January 2023). "Work to start on reinstating Limerick to Foynes rail line". IrishExaminer.com. Irish Examiner. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
O'Donovan, Katie (23 September 2023). "River Maigue bridge gets a lift as Foynes-Limerick rail line works continue". Limerick Post.
Johnson, Thomas (20 May 2024). "Sisk begins track laying for reinstatement of abandoned 42km Irish freight line". NewCivilEngineer.com.

v t e Railway lines in the Republic of Ireland
Main lines	Belfast–Dublin line Dublin–Cork line
Regional lines	Dublin–Rosslare line Dublin–Sligo line Dublin–Waterford line Dublin–Westport/Galway line Limerick–Galway line Limerick–Waterford line Mallow–Tralee line
Commuter lines	Clonsilla–Dunboyne Cork–Mallow Cork–Cobh Cork–Midleton DART Line Northern Commuter South-Eastern Commuter South-Western Commuter Western Commuter
Other lines	Ballina–Manulla line Drogheda–Navan line (freight only) Harcourt Street line (closed) Galway–Claremorris line (closed) Limerick–Ballybrophy line Limerick–Foynes line (closed - under reconstruction) Mullingar–Athlone line (closed) Waterford–Rosslare line (closed)
Lines in italics are proposed routes - Railway lines in Northern Ireland

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