How to improve the Limerick - Nenagh - Ballybrophy line?

[Jamie2k9]

The Ballybrophy/Limerick line is afficted by level crossings, particularly between Birdhill and Killonan. There are a very large number of accommodation crossings as well but oddly enough they seem to have more of an impact on this line than any other line. For instance there are plenty of accommodation crossings between Limerick and Limerick Junction as well and although the general speed limit on this line has been reduced from 80 to 60 mph it is still well above the 30/40 mph deemed necessary on long lengths of upgraded track on the Nenagh line.

The whole accommodation crossings treatment on the notwork is completely different. Between Cherryville-Carlow they have a 100 mph sign out for a short section before dropping an 80 mph to pass a crossings before another 100 mph. It's ridiculous on two fronts, one been signs are located so close to crossings and two I don't think a few miles less will change the outcome of any potential incident.

One section is 80 (1/4 mile), 100 (1 1/4 mile), 80 (1/2 mile), 100 (1 1/2 mile), 80 (1/2 mile), 100 (3/4 mile). That is over around 6 miles.....there is one section of about 5 miles (no crossing) and you can do 100, that's about the only time most drivers even bother.

It will never be possible to get rid of such crossings so are we going be left with a network capped at max of 80 on all routes (outside Cork, no such crossings) because of such crossings.

I get the safety aspect but surly procedure review with owners could minimize risks of higher speeds for the most part.

[Thomas J Stamp]

Originally Posted by Eddie

Why is it not possible to book Dublin to Limerick via this line? I know it's slower and requires a change, but there are plenty of other examples where longer journey times via non-direct routes are offered eg Dublin to Waterford via Limerick Junction or Dublin to Ennis via Athenry. Looks like there are 2 daily trains from Dublin that connect at Ballybrophy.

You can only book Dublin to Castleconnell (the last stop before Limerick), so presumably you'd need to pay extra on board to go to Limerick.

When visiting towns across Ireland it's more interesting to go a different route in each direction if you have the time.

Even assuming only a small take up, it should reduce the reported per passenger sudsidy quite a bit.

that would be a very small demographic to build an economic case for keeping the line - and make no mistake, it is a beatiful line to travel on, if only it would allow you to go on times which make sense to the public and not the drivers schedule.

Just remember that the 630 ex limerick splits in two at nenagh, one car trundles along to Ballybrophy to arrive at around twenty to nine (one crew) the other (with another crew) trundles back to limerick to get in at 8.45 - a time which is perfectly useless to many people as Colbert station is not exactly in the city centre for commuters - not that this matters one jot because the return train leaves before 5pm!!!!

it is a terrible joke of a timetable - one which is made for the convinence of Irish Rail not you and I.

What do the crew from that 8.40 arrival do in Ballybrophy for the hour and a half the train sits around waiting for the passengers coming off the Dublin train at 10.05? Are there beds in the station for them?

the evening train leaves colbert at five to five to connect with the 6pm ex Heuston - no other reason. I've done that connection. Myself and usually three others. So, how many potential customers are they ignoring by having that train leave at 530 instead for example and going for the 7pm ex Heuston instead (or, shock horror, ignoring the bloody connection altogether?)

We have long believed at this line exists solely to be closed - it is the classic low hanging fruit scenario. Given that we have presented the alternative running (as outlined in a previous post of mine above) to IE and the DoT which would actually bring passengers (maybe not many but more than there is now) onto the line and nothing has happened you can make your own conclusions.

[Eddie]

A few weeks ago (just after my last post on this thread in fact) I did a Dublin to Ennis (via Athenry) to Dublin (via Limerick Junction) loop because the booking engine allowed me to. I would have preferred to have come back via the Nenagh line, but the booking engine did not allow this, because presumably it assumed my travel motivation was speed. It wasn't.

The WRC was busier than I expected - I accept they were only 2 carriage trains, but some were full. I would be very surprised if they closed this line.

You do get the feeling that some lines are being driven into the ground (like the Nenagh line) and pulling back Rosslare Europort station away from the port, yet ironically the port is owned by CIE (and it's not the most inspiring of ports).

There's nothing wrong with charging less for a longer service, like Dublin to Limerick via Nenagh - some people will want to use it because of the price, and some people will want to use it because they want to use the line. But if you don't offer it, no-one can use it.

There's something to be said for a bit of private sector involvement here to innovate.

It is a shame your attempts to share ways to improve the Nenagh line fell on deaf ears. They probably hadn't paid you enough to value your suggestions.

[Thomas J Stamp]

i have heard a rumour of an odd event on the nenagh line this morning - that the train to brophy was severely overcrowded (and that 80 got on at cloughjordan...)

apparently the 16.55 ex limerick will be a 3car ICR to cater for the return.

this is all lovely, if true, but you need more than a one off stunt to get things going.

[comcor]

Or at least you need to time your stunt to coincide with the rail census...

[Deedsie]

I noticed the price has gone up since the new Irish rail website was rolled out.

[Traincustomer]

Nenagh railway station has been added as a GoCar (rental) location.

[Deedsie]

Limerick - Nenagh - Ballybrophy Level Crossings

KILONAN SIGNAL BOX

XN184 Scart Public Rd (CX)
XN177 Annacotty Public Rd (CX)
XN174 Clyduff Public Rd. (CX)
XN170 Richill Public Rd. (CCTV)
XN168 Lisnagry (CX)
XN167 Reilly Mrs./Kiely E./Enright D
XN166 Quinn S.
XN165 Lisnagry Automatic (HB4-1995)
XN164 Sallymount Public Rd (CX)
XN163 Stradbally Public Rd. (CX)

CASTLECONNELL Station

XN160 Castleconnell Public Rd (CX)
XN159 Spa Public Rd. (CX)
XN152 Coolready (U) (CCTV monitored)
XN141 Birdhill (U)
XN139 Francis Ryan

BIRDHILL Station

XN131 Cappanakeady (U)
XN125 Cappadine (U)
XN122 Ballinteenoe (U)
XZ003 Silvermines
XN095 Quill D.

NENAGH Station

XN072 Flaherty T.

CLOUGHJORDAN Station

XN057 Cavanagh T.
XN052 Cooraclaven Public Rd (A)
XN044 Cleary J.
XN043 Clonlisk No1 (U)
XN036 Bergin J./Brochick J./Kennedy N
XN035 Bergin S./Bergin J. Clonbrennan

ROSCREA Station

XN022 Ashberry Public Rd (A)
XN012 Quakers Rd Public Rd (A)
XN006 Bergin K./Kelly J./Fitzpatrick (U)

BALLYBROPHY Station

[Deedsie]

I think that list of level crossings listed between the stations really illuminates the extent of the problem on the Western half of the line.

What I would love to see considered is that the section between Nenagh and Limerick be closed temporarily while those level crossings are upgraded. The Nenagh to Ballybrophy section isnt that bad. The speeds could be increased on that section relatively easily.

8 CX level crossings. Obviously it would have to be reviewed on a gate by gate basis but automating some of them and bridging some of them would be the major works this line needs to become a viable line.

Close the section from Nenagh to Limerick while those works are being carried out. Would be great if it could be considered.

Any green party members reading this pass on the suggestion to Eamon Ryan :-)

[Deedsie]

Originally Posted by Thomas J Stamp

this is a bizzare topic and no mistake, its like we're all gone back in time.

Lest anyone mistake marko of RUI as being pale rail here, I am as far as i know the only person on this forum who actually uses this line and was defintitly the only one who used the early morning commuter train to Dublin. In fact one glorious day I was the only passenger on board and had an entire express train to myself in morning rush hour from Portlaoise into Dublin. Many thanks to Alan Kelly.

Irish Rail are at the moment replacing the wooden sleeper track with concrete between Ballybrophy and Roscrea. This tells you all you need to know about the line. It operates for two reasons - firstly, so that it can be closed if Gov demands for cutbacks get very fierce. Secondly, to keep some lads in Irish Rail in Limerick with something to do. We have long said that the trains on the branch are going in the other direction to the rush hour traffic. To be fair IR did start doing the splits so that one car goes back to limerick and the other to Ballybrophy, but in reality they need to move the crews to portlaoise and start the service at Brophy to get to Limerick for working hours and then come back in the evening. Hell, you can even have it shuttling up and down all day long causing nobody and harm or offence.

The commuter thing to dublin was heavily advertised, it was in the local papers, the radio, there were posters in many shops in the towns along the route. There was no uptake simply because the numbers heading east do not exist in any great quantity. Even Templemore/Ballybrophy has small numbers - there comes a point when the commuting day is simply too long to make Dublin as a destination desirable. By contrast Limerick is nearer, and accordingly gets a lot of commuter traffic.

I think that this is the cheapest and easiest way of making the most of the line which means it wont be done.

As for building new lines..... there just isn't the potential customer base to justify it. Even at the height of the madness Roscrea was not going to be a dormer town, Templemore was next on that map, and Borris in Ossory is just down the road from Ballybrophy station. That money will be needed to make what already exists more attractive.

Sorry just reading over this thread, are the current CWR line works likely to improve that situation? I have a recollection that replacing with concrete sleepers was not a good thing.

I see a lot of comments about the dreadful state of the line. Will CWR relaying have helped at all?

I know the major issues still exist but making any positive changes is surely a good thing and could lead to more good news for the line.

[Deedsie]

Originally Posted by Colm Moore

On this map: http://www.irishrail.ie/timetables/live-map-intercity zoom in to Tipperary and click 'Level Crossings'.

This is a work in progress: http://product.itoworld.com/map/258?...ullscreen=true vehicle crossings (automatic, manual or accommodation) in green, pedestrian crossings in blue.

ITO World is based on OpenStreetMap, which is a work in progress. The Irish Rail data is generally more complete, but is variable in quality.

ITO world seems to have ceased operation. Dont think the Kilonan junction to Ballybrophy line was ever done on openstreetmap.

[Deedsie]

https://tippfm.com/news/transport/ba...-matter-weeks/

Irish Rail has confirmed that daily services on the Ballybrophy-Limerick rail line will resume on June 21st.

The service, which stops in Roscrea, Cloughjordan, Nenagh and Birdhill, has been off the rails for much of the last 15 months due to the pandemic.

Despite the closure of the Ballybrophy-Limerick rail line, extensive works are continuing to upgrade large portions of the track.

Irish Rail says this currently involves five miles of track renewal, extensive fibre cable works, and bridge works at Ballycahill Bridge near Nenagh.

Calls are continuing for greater services and higher speeds on the route, but Irish Rail spokesperson Barry Kenny has urged caution on such a prospect.

He says that the extensive track renewal will not be the sole determining factor for line speeds, as there are also 126 level crossings on less than 53 miles of track.

He goes on to say that Irish Rail is engaging with the Department of Transport on possible funding to address level crossings and other improvement works which would allow for journey time improvements.

[Deedsie]

Dear Friends, I just created the petition: Upgrade and Invest in the Limerick – Nenagh – Ballybrophy Railway Line. It would mean a lot to me if you took a moment to add your name because: The Limerick - Nenagh - Ballybrophy Railway is a vital piece of national rail infrastructure but it is in desperate need of upgrade and investment. Public transport throughout the Midwest region is not good enough. I would hope people throughout the Midwest and supporters of the rail network throughout Ireland would support our campaign. Our requests are not unreasonable, they are modest practical requests that would massively improve the services available on the line. Your support would be greatly appreciated. https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/upgra...y-railway-line Real change happens when everyday people like you and I come together and stand up for what we believe in. Together we can reach lots of people and help create change around this important issue. After you've signed the petition, could you also take a moment to share it with others? It's really easy – all you need to do is forward this email. Thank you!