- Iarnród Éireann has signed a contract with Jacobs and AECOM to advance plans for the Limerick Colbert to Limerick Junction railway upgrade
- The project includes 26km of double tracking and signalling upgrades
- A planning application is targeted for 2027
- Increased services are expected from 2032
- Ground investigation surveys are underway
- Iarnród Éireann has signed a contract to double-track the Limerick Junction to Limerick line
- The project is part of a €4bn pipeline of investment across the State
- The double-track line could be operational by 2032
- The line will enable up to five trains per hour in each direction
- Other projects include reopening the line to Foynes and expanding Galway’s Ceannt Station
Iarnród Éireann has signed a contract with engineering firms Jacobs and AECOM to advance plans for a major upgrade of the railway between Limerick Colbert and Limerick Junction. The project will see preliminary designs developed and a planning application prepared for improvements along the approximately 34km route. The proposed works include 26km of double tracking, upgrades to signalling infrastructure, bridges and drainage, and improvements to level crossings.
Iarnród Éireann reported the additional infrastructure would allow more frequent services and improve journey times. The company is working towards submitting a planning application in 2027 with construction to follow. Increased services on the line are expected to begin operating from 2032.
Jacobs and AECOM have been appointed as the design team building on feasibility and options-selection work already completed. Ground investigation surveys are under way to inform the next phase of design work. Iarnród Éireann chief executive Mary Considine signed the contract in Limerick with representatives of the joint venture.
The company reported the move can transform economic investment and housing in the west of Ireland. The project will occur in tandem with the reopening of the line to Foynes, platform improvements on the Limerick to Galway line, the expansion of Galway’s Ceannt Station and the reopening of the line from Athenry to Claremorris.
Irish Rail chief executive Mary Considine reported the projects form part of a pipeline of investment of some €4bn across the State over the coming four years. The aim in tandem with the National Development Plan and Project Ireland 2040 is to triple the State’s rail capacity to provide for some 180m passenger journeys a year. The double-track line from Limerick Junction to Colbert station would be at planning permission stage by 2028 or 2029 and could be operational by 2032.
The double-track line would enable up to five trains per hour in each direction. The reopened line to Foynes is being tested and is expected to open early in 2027. A €70m project to increase capacity at Galway’s Ceannt station from two platforms to five is near completion. The reopening of part of the former Western Rail Corridor from Athenry to Claremorris is at preliminary works stage with main construction scheduled for 2028.
Mary Considine shared “Today we’ve signed a contract with Aecom and Jacobs to bring us through to the planning stage on the Limerick Colbert to Limerick Junction capacity enhancement project. The plans, taken together, would balance industrial and housing development across the State. The project would help provide more services and improve journey times for rail passengers in the Limerick area.”
