Iarnród Éireann, along with project partners Sisk, confirmed last weekend the completion and the removal of all original rail-line infrastructure, and added that the complete renewal and relaying of 42km of track, sleepers and track bed on the Foynes-Limerick Railway Line is now finished.
Other key elements undertaken by this €150 million project to date include the removal, restor-ation and reinstatement of the River Maigue and River Deel bridges, the construction of a new 46m span bridge to replace Robertstown Viaduct and the upgrading and reinstatement of several public road level crossings.
Additionally, the instal-lation of duct and drainage routes, the renewal of user work level crossings and boundary fencing works as required along the length of the line have been implemented.
Paul Brown, CEO of Sisk said: “Track laying com-pletion marks another major project milestone for our infrastructure team, who have made significant progress to date including the removal, restoration and reinstatement of the River Maigue and River Deel bridges.
“We would like to thank all our team and track laying partner, Steconfer who have installed 66,000 sleepers, and look forward to supporting Iarnród Éireann to deliver the final phase of the project.”
Added Jim Meade, CEO of Iarnród Éireann: “This milestone completion of the track laying on the line means we are a step closer to delivering a reliable, frequent and, most import-antly, sustainable logistics option for many companies that currently use, and will in the future, use the Port of Foynes.”
The line is planned to come into operation in 2026.
The project now enters its next phase with works to be undertaken over the next 18 months.
This will involve special-ists delivering the signal-ling and telecom-munications infrastructure to enable trains to operate, as well as the closure of user-worked level crossings by structures, the refurbishment of Foynes Station building and the installation and testing of CCTV at road level crossings.