TIM O’BRIEN

THE FIRST tracks of phase one of the reopening of the Dublin-Navan railway line were laid yesterday.

The 7.5-km double-track line begins at Clonsilla where it will branch off from the Maynooth-Dublin line and ends at a park and ride facility at Pace near Dunboyne, Co Meath. The line is due to open next year.

The service will offer through trains from Pace, located beside the M3 motorway, via Clonsilla to the Docklands station in Dublin.

Trains will initially run half-hourly at peak times but this is expected to build to 15-minute intervals as demand increases. Offpeak services are initially to be hourly but this too may increase as demand rises.

Trains will comprise commuter rolling stock.

The reopening of the line will also facilitate the development of the Hansfield Strategic Development zone, which will feature a new railway station.

According to Iarnród Éireann design work has also commenced on phase two of the project, the section from Pace to Navan.

An application for a railway order for phase two is due to to be lodged in mid-2011, following public consultation with residents, landowners and interested parties along the route.

A preferred route that is mostly on the alignment of the old Navan rail line has been chosen.

The Clonsilla to Navan line was closed in 1963 and Dunboyne has not been been served by rail since 1947.

Under phase one a new Dunboyne station is to have a park and ride facility for up to 300 cars.

The re-opening of the line to Navan, as an electric railway, was initially due to have been completed by 2015, but it is expected there will be some slippage with this timing.

Speaking as he inspected the work yesterday, chairman of CIÉ Dr John Lynch said the company was “delighted at how well this key project is progressing and the laying of the first track is a significant milestone to rebuild and reopen the line . . . which will be enormous benefit to commuters in the wider Meath area and west Dublin”.

Separately the Railway Procurement Agency confirmed yesterday that the Luas extension to the Point will open in the first two weeks of December.

The extension from Connolly Station to the point will have stops at George’s Dock, Mayor Square, Spencer Dock and the Point.

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THE FINAL stage of work to replace one of Iarnród Éireann’s three railway crossings of the Shannon, a bridge near Lough Tap, between Dromod and Carrick-on-Shannon in Co Leitrim, gets under way today.

Over the next 12 days the line will be closed as the new steel bridge and concrete deck is lifted into place in four sections by the largest crane ever used in Ireland.

The crane, imported from Texas, has a lift capacity of 1,350 tonnes. The work was to have taken place from October 5th to 16th, but it was delayed. The replacement of the existing bridge,which dates from 1862, is expected to allow for considerable improvement in the speed of trains across the bridge, which had slowed to about walking pace in recent years.

In addition to the work on the bridge, the approach routes and embankments have been realigned and the entire structure is being raised by one metre to allow for larger vessels on the Shannon to pass underneath.

Iarnród Éireann said bus transfers will be in operation between Sligo town and all stations to Dromod. Passengers should note that buses will depart from Sligo and Collooney 30 minutes in advance of the scheduled train times to Dublin.

Costing €5.5 million, the bridge replacement brings to €150 million the total investment in the Dublin to Sligo line since 1999.

According to Iarnród Éireann, improvements have included renewal of track, resignalling and the upgrading of level crossings, platform lengthening and safety enhancements. The Sligo-Dublin route was the first to benefit from the new intercity railcars fleet. There will be eight daily services in each direction compared to three in 2003.

Iarnród Éireann said the increase in services has resulted in the Sligo-Dublin line becoming the network’s fastest growing route, with more than 1.34 million passenger journeys in 2008 – representing a jump of more than 30 per cent in three years.

Rail services to Sligo opened on December 3rd, 1862. The town was later connected by rail to Enniskillen, by the Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway in 1879, and to Limerick in 1895.

The line to Enniskillen closed in 1957 and passenger services to Limerick closed in 1963. The Sligo to Limerick route is known as the Western Rail Corridor, part of which – the Ennis, Co Clare to Athenry Co Galway section – is due to reopen later this year.

Iarnród Éireann’s other rail crossings of the Shannon are at Athlone and between Limerick and Ennis.

Source: IrishTimes Link

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