Limerick Junction Waterford Engineering Works

Alan French · 10-09-2010, 19:17

That's good news and bad news. It's good that there will be scope for running a 2-hourly clock-face service. The difficulty is that the trains on the Dublin-Cork line serve the Junction at different times: 30-34 minutes past the hour coming from Cork, and 44-52 the other way. A train could leave Clonmel at 40 past the previous hour and connect with both of these; then if it (or more properly, the train that has arrived from Limerick) left at 50, which is tight, it would get to Clonmel at 40 past the following hour. It's all very tight.

Every minute that this can be speeded up will be needed. The two main line trains need to be brought closer together in time; to do this properly will need a new platform at the Junction.

The bad news is that there is no space for anything else. When writing for the timetable consultation, I treated the 2-hourly service as the bottom line. We will need capacity, not just for freight, but for extra trains of all sorts. What if Tipperary sends a team to Croke Park? I've just read in another thread about extra trains on the Midleton line because of a local event. You couldn't do this on the Suir valley line without extra loops.

I understand Mark's point about not having infrastrucure that needs maintenance if it's rarely used. That would be fine if the management culture at IR were such that, on finding potential new business (passenger or freight), the response was to restore the missing trackwork instantly without no hesitation or complaint about cost. But over the years I have seen so much inflexibility built into the network, and it's always used as a reason not to introduce new traffic.

The closure of the old platform 3 at Limerick Junction is an example. The 2007 timetable didn't need it, so they took it away. This year we need it badly, but do they restore it without further ado?

I wouldn't call connecting with the mainline trains being "slaved" to them. It's about sensible connections. In the timetable consultation I described how each line should have a 2-hourly clock-face service, but that exceptions may have to be made at commuting times. There's another reason for having more than the minimum number of crossing loops.

Jamie2k9 · 10-09-2010, 22:59

I was arriving into Waterford tonight and there is track works taking place. It seems the track and points are been moved and relaid just past the bridge on the Dublin side of the station. Its all to do with the second track beside the main platform from what I saw.

Train services not affected.

dowlingm · 10-09-2010, 23:54

At present the Waterford Limerick Junction rotation seems to be

W 0630 LJ 0812
LJ 0850 W 1032
W 1230 LJ 1412
LJ 1510 (Carrick on Suir 1640) W 1705
W 1615 (Carrick on Suir 1641) LJ 1758
LJ 1845 W 2027

I presume 1,2,5,6 are a Waterford 2700 and the 3,4 the Rosslare 2700.

Two questions:
1. If this is the case, what does the Waterford 2700 do 1032 > 1615?
2. Is the new timetable pending the resignalling likely to just work the Waterford set harder?

W 0630 LJ 0812
LJ 0850 W 1032
W 1130 LJ 1312
LJ 1350 W 1532
W 1615 LJ 1758
LJ 1845 W 2027

10-09-2010, 22:59	#2
Jamie2k9 Really Really Regluar Poster Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 2,146	I was arriving into Waterford tonight and there is track works taking place. It seems the track and points are been moved and relaid just past the bridge on the Dublin side of the station. Its all to do with the second track beside the main platform from what I saw. Train services not affected. Last edited by Jamie2k9 : 10-09-2010 at 23:02.

10-09-2010, 23:54	#3
dowlingm Really Really Regluar Poster Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,371	At present the Waterford Limerick Junction rotation seems to be W 0630 LJ 0812 LJ 0850 W 1032 W 1230 LJ 1412 LJ 1510 (Carrick on Suir 1640) W 1705 W 1615 (Carrick on Suir 1641) LJ 1758 LJ 1845 W 2027 I presume 1,2,5,6 are a Waterford 2700 and the 3,4 the Rosslare 2700. Two questions: 1. If this is the case, what does the Waterford 2700 do 1032 > 1615? 2. Is the new timetable pending the resignalling likely to just work the Waterford set harder? W 0630 LJ 0812 LJ 0850 W 1032 W 1130 LJ 1312 LJ 1350 W 1532 W 1615 LJ 1758 LJ 1845 W 2027 Last edited by dowlingm : 10-09-2010 at 23:59.

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10-09-2010, 19:17	#1
Alan French Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 89	That's good news and bad news. It's good that there will be scope for running a 2-hourly clock-face service. The difficulty is that the trains on the Dublin-Cork line serve the Junction at different times: 30-34 minutes past the hour coming from Cork, and 44-52 the other way. A train could leave Clonmel at 40 past the previous hour and connect with both of these; then if it (or more properly, the train that has arrived from Limerick) left at 50, which is tight, it would get to Clonmel at 40 past the following hour. It's all very tight. Every minute that this can be speeded up will be needed. The two main line trains need to be brought closer together in time; to do this properly will need a new platform at the Junction. The bad news is that there is no space for anything else. When writing for the timetable consultation, I treated the 2-hourly service as the bottom line. We will need capacity, not just for freight, but for extra trains of all sorts. What if Tipperary sends a team to Croke Park? I've just read in another thread about extra trains on the Midleton line because of a local event. You couldn't do this on the Suir valley line without extra loops. I understand Mark's point about not having infrastrucure that needs maintenance if it's rarely used. That would be fine if the management culture at IR were such that, on finding potential new business (passenger or freight), the response was to restore the missing trackwork instantly without no hesitation or complaint about cost. But over the years I have seen so much inflexibility built into the network, and it's always used as a reason not to introduce new traffic. The closure of the old platform 3 at Limerick Junction is an example. The 2007 timetable didn't need it, so they took it away. This year we need it badly, but do they restore it without further ado? I wouldn't call connecting with the mainline trains being "slaved" to them. It's about sensible connections. In the timetable consultation I described how each line should have a 2-hourly clock-face service, but that exceptions may have to be made at commuting times. There's another reason for having more than the minimum number of crossing loops.