Local welcome for new rail report

North Tipperary Community Rail Partnership has welcomed a new draft report that contains a number of encouraging recommendations for the Nenagh rail line.

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan last week brought to Cabinet a draft report of the first All-Island Strategic Rail Review. Among its 30 recommendations is an hourly train service between key cities and at least one train every two hours between other urban centres.

As well as improved frequency, the review seeks faster train speeds and even the reopening of closed rail routes, as well as creating new routes for both people and freight.

The review augurs well for the Limerick-Nenagh-Ballybrophy line rail line, which had until recent years been threatened with closure. North Tipperary Community Rail Partnership, which has long campaigned for the upgrading of the line, met with the Oireachtas Transport and Communications Committee and made a submission specific to the Nenagh line on the All-Island Ireland Rail Review.

“North Tipperary Community Rail Partnership welcomes the Rail Review and we will be pushing for the delivery of the recommendations, as they meet many of our own aims,” the local group stated this week. “There are many recommendations in the review but three in particular would impact on the Limerick-Ballybrophy line.

“One of the recommendations is to ensure regional and rural lines have at least one train every two hours. We strongly support this recommendation and have been in talks with Irish Rail to deliver on this. This would open up the possibility to link with more frequent services at Ballybrophy or Limerick.

“Another recommendation is to increase line speed to at last 120km/h. While we have had an increase in our line speed, we need the automation of level crossings and upgrading of signalling to increase our speed further. We have had meetings with the NTA on this and will be campaigning further on it.”

"Their final recommendation is to integrate bus service and rail service timetables to connect communities where direct rail access proves to be unviable. We see the need for this integration right along our line.

"There are increases in Local Link services coming on stream next year that could link with current and any increase in services. This would be particularly attractive for stations such as Cloughjordan, Birdhill and Nenagh, where this integration is not happening.

"The partnership is calling for an integrated transport hub at Nenagh railway station where rail, bus and Local Link services can work out of, with clear signage and timetables displayed. This would make the public transport experience more attractive and easier to use."

The all-island review recommends reopening the Claremorris-Athenry rail line. It seeks to start the South Wexford Railway between Waterford and Rosslare Europort. It furthermore envisages airport rail links, the development of a rail line around Dublin Port, and extending the railway from Portadown to Dungannon, Omagh, Strabane, Derry, and on to Donegal. Reducing carbon emissions by taking more trucks off the road, the electric rail journey times between Ireland's major cities would be reduced by as much as 50% in some cases.

The recommendations span a period of over 25 years, though a number of proposals could be implemented before 2030.

A public consultation has opened for the review's Strategic Environmental Assessment with submissions invited up to September 29.