I have huge doubts about the cost-effectiveness of a new down road main platform at Limerick Junction. It will mean that Dublin-Limerick and Limerick-Cork connections will involve going up and down stairs or lifts (sometimes with heavy luggage), whereas these connections are all cross-platform at present.
In theory, having up and down mainline trains serve the Junction more or less simultaneously will mean that Limerick-Cork and Cork-Limerick connections can be a little faster. However re-instating a facing crossover from Down to Up main just where there used to be one North of the square crossing would enable a tighter fit between up and down main trains, and maintain cross-platform connectivity, all for a comparatively trivial expense. Of course this would mean admitting that the track simplification done for the recent CTC scheme was overkill.
As for a Waterford bay on the down side, the track geometry (i.e. the acute angle of the crossing between the Waterford and Cork lines), make this virtually impossible. A second bay platform alongside the existing one would be relatively simple and would enable greater flexibility of operation of Waterford trains and would make through Waterford-Limerick operations much easier.
At present one can load and dispatch a train within 2 minutes of the arrival of a connecting train, something an operation which will take at least 5 minutes if people have to haul themselves and their luggage up and down stairs/lifts/escalators.
I can think of better ways to spend the money involved in this proposal.
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