Foynes reinstatement on target for completion in 2025

The Limerick to Foynes reinstatement project in the west of Ireland is now 40% complete, with several significant milestones delivered by Iarnród Éireann (IE) contractors.

IE is restoring the 42km (26-mile) disused line to provide a freight link between Limerick and the port of Foynes.

By the beginning of July, all major structures had been installed except for the Maigue bridge at Adare. Tracklaying had reached the Limerick side of the Deel bridge between Askeaton and Ballingrane.

The new single-span bridge spanning the Robertstown river near Foynes weighs 170 tonnes and is 46 metres long and seven metres wide. Manufactured by Jamestown in Portarlington on behalf of Mack engineering, it was delivered by road in four sections and assembled on site.

The two 45-metre steel trusses (weighing 55 tonnes) and the two steel deck segments (weighing 20 tonnes) were lifted in by crane on June 14.

The bridge replaces a life-expired 1893 structure that was dismantled over the summer of 2023 and previously limited the size of trains that could access Foynes.

When RAIL visited the structure on July 1, work was ongoing to prepare for installation of the concrete deck with an embedded rail system, requiring 55m3 of concrete.

Just over 7km (4.3 miles) of track has been installed, reaching the Deel viaduct. July 2 marked the first rail movement to cross the Deel on the refurbished structure since January 2003, when a Unimog road-rail vehicle (RRV) propelled a delivery of rail for laying.

Work started on July 1 on the installation of STRAIL level crossings with galvanised rail at the three Ballingrane crossings. Askeaton station crossing was installed on May 21.

The Resident Engineer for IÉ contractor Sisk told RAIL that the current programme should see tracklaying contractor Stenconfer complete installation of the 42km of track and 66,000 concrete sleepers by the end of November. All ducting work has been completed with 50% of the bottom ballast and 25% of the sleepers laid.

IÉ’s Containerised Mobile Flash Welder and support RRV has been delivered to the rail loading compound at Glenbane (near Foynes), with the first welding and stressing of continuous welded rail taking place on June 28. It is expected that a tamper will be delivered on site by the end of August and will work from Glenbane towards Limerick as tracklaying progresses.

The go-ahead has also been given for replacement of three farmers’ crossings with two underbridge and one overbridge, and the project is looking to remove as many of these crossings as practicable to deliver a final line speed of 120kph (75mph).

It is hoped that the lifting of the refurbished Maigue bridge will now take place later in the summer.

Work also continues on installation of the foundations for the signals and the train communications system (GSMR) at seven locations on the route. The project is on target for having the line operational by December of next year.