Trains have begun running on the Limerick-Foynes Freight Line for the first time in 25 years

by · TheJournal.ie

TRAINS HAVE BEGUN running on the Limerick to Foynes Freight Line for the first time since the railway was decommissioned 25 years ago, and the public has been warned to expect more in the coming weeks. 

Live testing along the route began last weekend, when Irish Rail successfully ran a two-car passenger train to test the track’s signalling and level crossings.

Irish Rail said the test had been a success despite difficult weather conditions brought about by Storm Austen. 

It was the first time a train had run along the 42km line between Limerick city and the port of Foynes since it was decommissioned in 2001. The railway first opened in 1858 and originally carried passengers until that service ended in 1963.

A photo of the overgron signal box at Foynes Station taken in 2019 Alamy Stock PhotoAlamy Stock Photo

Irish Rail urged the public to be aware that test trains are now running regularly along the line and will continue to do so over the coming weeks.

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The rail company advised all level crossing users, pedestrians and drivers to “always expect a train, never assume the way is clear and obey level crossing safety signals”.

The €151.5 million upgrade project took four years to complete. 

Irish Rail workers during testing at a level crossing Irish RailIrish Rail

The works included a full refurbishment of the Foynes Station building and train shed, the installation of signalling infrastructure and the reinstatement of 13 level crossings. 

The project is part of a wider effort to “position rail at the centre of Ireland’s freight transport system”, Irish Rail said, with the intention to give businesses more opportunities “to switch from road freight to more sustainable rail freight”.

“Reopening of the line, working with Shannon Foynes Port Company, will deliver a reliable, frequent, and sustainable logistics option for many companies that currently or in the future will use the port of Foynes,” the company said. 

Ireland transports the lowest volume of goods by rail freight of any country in the European Union relative to its population, moving just 0.03 tonnes per capita by train in 2025.