Limerick Transport
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This is a proposed light rail line, that i made up back in 2007 for a thread on another forum, the red line is existing track, whereas the blue is a proposed line made up by my good self. The pic does highlight the amount of rail lines in the city.
@foinse wrote:
This is a proposed light rail line, that i made up back in 2007 for a thread on another forum, the red line is existing track, whereas the blue is a proposed line made up by my good self. The pic does highlight the amount of rail lines in the city.
Well I would like to see the dart type system put onto the those railines. Population expansion into Caherdavin. Also if Ennis and Shannon are to keep expanding and the North line continues to grow, We need to start investing into this now. Many people from Dublin are now using the Ennis line frequently.
The light rail plan is a good idea, but right now I don’t think it’s feasilble. If the city centre holds at least another 1000 units, and Caherdavin and Castletroy manage to rezone population twice what they currently have, then it will work. Right now, focus needs to be on the inner orbital, Bus routes, pedestrian bridge (over Shannon) Caherdavin distrubuter road. and Childers road widening.
@dave123 wrote:
Many people from Dublin are now using the Ennis line frequently.
They would want to take their รขโฌลwelliesรขโฌย with them! ๐ก
Flood may close Ennis to Limerick rail line for months
PAT FLYNN
THE ENNIS to Limerick railway line is likely to remain closed until February after a large section of track became submerged in flood water. The situation has again highlighted a dispute over who is responsible for carrying out flood-relief works.
The line has been closed since December 1st. However, while flood water has receded in most parts of Co Clare, levels at Ballycar near Newmarket-on-Fergus continue to rise and are not expected to abate for up to eight weeks.
Services were suspended for 50 days in February and March 2008 after the same section of the line became submerged. During that closure it cost Iarnrรยณd รโฐireann over รขโยฌ300,000 to provide bus transfers between Ennis and Limerick.
Recurring flooding in the area is resulting from a blockage at a point where water from a nearby lake passes underground into a local river.
Iarnrรยณd รโฐireann has stated that because the railway line is not the cause of the flooding the OPW will need to develop a flood-relief scheme for the area. Iarnrรยณd รโฐireann has already twice raised the line since 1995.
However, the OPW has said: รขโฌลIn view of the fact that the railway line is the only significant beneficiary, the OPW will not be managing or commissioning a study or any proposed works for the area.
รขโฌลOur financial allocation for such works has been further eroded as a result of cutbacks and savings in public expenditure.รขโฌย
Clare Fine Gael deputy Pat Breen believes confidence in the reliability of the rail service is being eroded even before the expansion of the Western Rail Corridor.
รขโฌลThis same section of the rail line was flooded previously in February of 2008, and at that stage commuter rail services between Ennis and Limerick were disrupted for 50 days.
This track was lifted in 2004, and when this flooding occurred in 2008 I was advised by Iarnrรยณd รโฐireann that a further substantial lift would require major civil engineering works and they were to investigate the feasibility of having this work done.
รขโฌลThe OPW at the time was also to undertake a feasibility study to look at the whole catchment area and to include hydro-geological studies so that a future plan could be developed. I have seen little evidence of any action being undertaken in the meantime.รขโฌย
รยฉ 2009 The Irish Times
@CologneMike wrote:
Flood may close Ennis to Limerick rail line for months
Hmmmmmm, the provision of new infrastructure in the Limerick area over the last while has been dogged by incompetence it seems!
The above embarrassment comes on the back of the madness at Rosbrien and the recent confirmation that it could be as late as next April before the M7 Limerick – Nenagh scheme is fully open to traffic! ๐ฎ
To give a bit of background, construction started on the Limerick – Nenagh stretch back in December 2006. After numerous reports of funding problems, disputes with sub contractors over payment and more worryingly, construction problems at Drominboy bog in Lisnagry, May 2009 was belatedly announced as the opening date!
However it became clear early this year that the deadline would not be met and the completion date was subsequently put back until December. The contractors finally came clean recently and admitted that the on-going issues at Drominboy would further delay the opening until “early in the new year”. I emailed the NRA last week and got a reply today which stated that the road will open “no later than April”
So lets get this straight, it will have taken three and a quarter years to build 28 kms of motorway and widen 10kms of the Nenagh bypass! What an utter disgrace!
The Portuguese contractors overseeing this shambles must be the most incompetent shower ever to attempt a road project here!:mad:
@Tuborg wrote:
Hmmmmmm, the provision of new infrastructure in the Limerick area over the last while has been dogged by incompetence it seems!
Though in this particular case, the incompetence is going on for the last 145 years!
Irish Examiner: Is this Irelandรขโฌโขs oldest infrastructural problem?
Flooding remedy: Five-and-a-half tonnes of spuds ๐
See previous post
Is this Irelandรขโฌโขs oldest infrastructural problem?
Irish Examiner 25 February 2008
Last week Irish Rail said it hoped the OPW can find a long-term solution as it is reopening the old Galway to Limerick line shortly.
OPW spokesman George Moir said engineers were working on the problem: รขโฌลOur engineer said it is caused by a swallow hole and after heavy rain this year the water is not running off as normal. He will be back with recommendations.รขโฌย
Yeah right! :rolleyes:
@Tuborg wrote:
So lets get this straight, it will have taken three and a quarter years to build 28 kms of motorway and widen 10kms of the Nenagh bypass! What an utter disgrace!
I was thinking about this the other day, I’ve drove past Nenagh every weekend from limerick for the last 6 years and I could swear the construction has been there since I started down here!
@slinky2000 wrote:
I was thinking about this the other day, I’ve drove past Nenagh every weekend from limerick for the last 6 years and I could swear the construction has been there since I started down here!
Yeah its getting fairly depressing at this stage alright! I had to drive to Dublin early Sunday morning and incredibly the N7 between Limerick and Nenagh looked like it had not been gritted or if it had, it was done abysmally!
I witnessed a couple of drivers coming dangerously close to losing control, while others were braking abruptly on the treacherous surface for no apparent reason! It certainly wasn’t the happiest motoring experience I’ve ever had! ๐
How I wished that the M7 had been open, which of course it should have been. The annoying thing is that the new motorway passes tantalisingly over the current road on 3 occasions between Annacotty and Nenagh! So frustrating!! :rolleyes:
Pictures below of the situation at Drominboy bog on Christmas Eve, taken by Berty
Bridge south of Dalys Cross towards bog of doom
Standing on the Bog looking East
Just to clarify because it’s hard to tell with the covering of snow. Those are not earthworks in the 2nd photo above. They are heaps of aggregate (stone) that will be used as a base upon which the other layers of road material will sit!
In this case it will be laid on top of the re-inforced concrete structure that was built across the boggy section to provide stability for the roadway. That’s how they are hoping the plan will work anyhow! ๐ฎ
Below: the concrete slab under construction last summer, also from Berty
Not sure if this article from the Leader has already been posted – sorry for double up if it has..If there was one project that I would love to see every politician in the region get behind it would be this one….hand in hand with the boundary extension of course.
Actually a 3rd item on my 2010 wish list would be to give every encouragement needed to get M&S into the Opera centre… the rest will follow – its not that I like them – its just they are the type of heavy weight brand that would drag in the others…UK company launches plan for Limerick Luas
รขโยฌ200m system would link county villages with city centre
December 2009
By Anne SheridanPLANS are being developed for a possible Luas line running through Limerick city and county, if รขโยฌ200m in funding can be raised from private enterprises.
A Liverpool company, Trampower, which tendered for the Luas line in Dublin, is behind the venture and has already pitched their plans to City Hall for consideration.
Labour’s Deputy Jan O’Sullivan has also been made aware of the plans, and she has urged local authorities in the Mid-West to ensure rail formed part of their city and county development plans.The plans will be put to private investors and decision makers at a business meeting in the new year, by which time a feasibility study, business plan and an economic appraisal will be carried out.
Prof Lewis Lesley, technical director with Trampower, which carries the motto “Getting People Back on Track”, believes the plans could have huge benefits for the future of Limerick’s ailing city centre, which has been hit by the rise of suburban development.
“The tram would be at no cost to the taxpayers and could turn O’Connell Street into a European-style shopping mall, a bit like Grafton Street in Dublin,” said Prof Lewis.
In terms of completion รขโฌโ pending the acquisition of funding รขโฌโ he said the “best case scenario” could be the construction of the Luas in two to three years.
In preliminary studies, it has been predicted that the service could carry 50,000 people per day, and potentially five million to 12 million per year.A similar proposal for a “Gluas” or environmentally-friendly line in Galway city has a target of carrying between four million and 10 million passengers per year.
Brendan Holland, chairman of the Gluas, said the system they were hoping to develop in Galway would be capable of using the existing line between Galway and Limerick.
“It’s not rocket science to see the benefits, it’s just common sense
“It has been proven that a light rail system would be physically possible and financially viable in Galway and seeing as Limerick is a bigger city, it would stand to reason that it would make equal sense to also have one there”, said Mr Holland.Prof Lewis added that students in the University of Limerick could then potentially travel directly from their doorsteps in Castletroy, continuing on to Galway, if the plans come to fruition.
The Luas line could stretch from four or five locations in County Limerick, including Cratloe, Castleconnell and Patrickswell, with a possible three or four stops along O’Connell Street in the city, leading on towards Thomond Park and Moyross.City-based architects Elliott Maguire Landers (EML) are also taking a keen interest in the plans.
Dee Maguire of EML said the development of a line in Limerick “is not outside the imagination. It would reinvigorate the city and ease traffic congestion.”Griff – Thanks for the heads up, no idea how I let that info slip past me ๐
It is very obvious that this would be a great deal of help for the city and after the labour party emphasized the importance of existing unused lines in limerick and how they could be utilized for tram use it does not surprise me that a private entity can see the potential.
I think Limerick city council need to help these guys out as much as possible.
Its fun to imagine what a pedestrianized O’Connell street along with tram service might look like, and further down the line how a pedestrianized redeveloped arthurs quay might compliment it.@tretle wrote:
Griff – Thanks for the heads up, no idea how I let that info slip past me ๐
It is very obvious that this would be a great deal of help for the city and after the labour party emphasized the importance of existing unused lines in limerick and how they could be utilized for tram use it does not surprise me that a private entity can see the potential.
I think Limerick city council need to help these guys out as much as possible.
Its fun to imagine what a pedestrianized O’Connell street along with tram service might look like, and further down the line how a pedestrianized redeveloped arthurs quay might compliment it.Another fact that I didnt know about is that there used to be a direct railway line from Cork to Limerick. There was a junction at Charleville with a line from there directly to Patrickswell where it joined with the line from Kerry and led into Limerick. Presume this line is totally gone now. Also there was a small link from the Station at Birldhill to Ballina/Killaloe. Good map here..http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e4/Map_Rail_Ireland_Viceregal_Commission_1906.jpg
@Tuborg wrote:
How I wished that the M7 had been open . . . . .
McNamara firm must pay cost of bog road remedial works (M7 Limerick-Nenagh)
M7 runs through ‘bottomless’ bog in Co Limerick ๐
McNamara can’t pay รขโยฌ62.5m judgement (Irish Glass Bottle site)
So we take it that he is now more or less bust? When will this M7 stretch eventually open?
@CologneMike wrote:
So we take it that he is now more or less bust? When will this M7 stretch eventually open?
The news on this just gets worse and worse. If the report in todays Irish Independent is accurate, it will be the end of the year before the road is fully open! The contractors really are taking the piss at this stage!
Unfortunately the article isnt particularly well researched with very little new information on the exact details of the problem. I must say I find it incredible that the media in general have taken such little interest in this on-going saga. The NRA and Bothar Hibernian have been fobbing everyone off, repeatedly offering the same soundbites and excuses over the last year or so. Those who have to endure the N7 on a regular basis really do deserve a proper explanation at this stage!
‘Bottomless’ bog delays road plan
By Barry Duggan
Monday January 11 2010
A MAJOR road will not be opened until the end of this year — more than 15 months behind schedule — because of a ‘bottomless’ bog.
The Limerick-Nenagh N7 dual carriageway was due to have been completed in May of last year, but the National Roads Authority (NRA) said it would not be finished until the end of this year because of unforeseen delays.
The 38km route will cost the taxpayer รขโยฌ424m, but the cost of having to construct the route over a seemingly endless bog near the Limerick-Tipperary border will have to be borne by the contractors Bothar Hibernian.
It is understood that tens of thousands of steel-reinforced concrete piles have been driven into Drominboy Bog at Lisnagry to support the road at a cost of millions of euro.
Only a small section of the route traverses the bog, which locals claim is “bottomless”.
Local tales include heavy machinery being swallowed by the bog, which is able to absorb huge amounts of rain.
As a result, Sean O’Neill of the NRA said the final 15km of the road would not be completed until the end of the year. He said the problems presented by the rural bog were “the major engineering challenge”.
Challenge
“The contractor has to deal with that implication,” Mr O’Neill said.
“There is a challenge in the bog area, but that is a known condition. It’s not like the bog showed up yesterday. We defer to the contractor as it’s their responsibility to get the job done.”
Mr O’Neill said that the NRA anticipated that major sections of the route would be open by March.
The project consists of 28km motorway standard and the widening of the Nenagh bypass to dual carriageway standard.
The route, which is hoped will ease traffic congestions in the Mid-West region, has been hindered in recent years over payments to local contractors, staff lay-offs and engineering challenges.
Irish Independent
@Tuborg wrote:
I must say I find it incredible that the media in general have taken such little interest in this on-going saga.
It’s happening at the wrong side of the country for the national media to care about it, If this was happening in Meath, Kildare, Wicklow on a road leading into Dublin then it would be all over the nationals, but it’s about 200KM too far to the SW for them to care.
@foinse wrote:
It’s happening at the wrong side of the country for the national media to care about it, If this was happening in Meath, Kildare, Wicklow on a road leading into Dublin then it would be all over the nationals, but it’s about 200KM too far to the SW for them to care.
Well that’s one aspect of it. But you also have to ask what exactly are the regional correspondents of the broadcast and print media playing at? The on-going issues at that bog are widely known and you would think that any journalist worth his/her salt would have been on top of this story from the very outset! Bothair Hibernian and the NRA have repeatedly been let off the hook by the inability to properly scrutinise this shambles!
Although, in fairness the media in general are so clueless as regards transport/infrastructure matters that Im not surprised they’re staying well clear of it! :rolleyes:
Of course another question is, why has there been no political intervention in this saga? Not that Im surprised or anything!
LIMERICK TUNNEL TO OPEN AHEAD OF SCHEDULE (live95fm)
The Limerick Tunnel will be ready to open in May ๐ – four months ahead of schedule.
Originally due to open in September it’s expected to take up to 40,000 vehicles off the streets of Limerick City.
The 675 metre tunnel under the River Shannon completes the final phase of the Southern Ring Road linking the Dublin Road to the Ennis Road.
Construction work on the 500 million euro river-crossing began in 2006 and is one of the largest engineering projects ever in Limerick.
Traffic Engineer with Limerick City Council is Rory McDermott.
I wonder if Rory McDermott could us give a monthly date for the Limerick-Nenagh M7 too?
New Traffic Plan to Assist Motorists in Uptown Limerick (Limerick Post)
According to their digital edition, phase one of the orbital route around Mulgrave Street is now finished and will be opened on Friday January 22nd.
There are new one-way changes for Upper William Street / Lower Roxboro Road!
The screen shot below is poor, anybody know of links to better quality maps for the orbital route?
@CologneMike wrote:
LIMERICK TUNNEL TO OPEN AHEAD OF SCHEDULE
I wonder if Rory McDermott could us give a monthly date for the Limerick-Nenagh M7 too?
September 2010 was always an extremely conservative estimate so it’s no surprise that the project is opening earlier!
The mainline between Rosbrien and the tunnel has been ready for it’s wearing course since last August/September. The tunnel is all but complete, extensive testing of the equipment and procedures is now the main focus of attention. Reconfiguration of the Dock Road roundabout, to tie-in the new slip roads is planned for early February.
From what I can see anyhow, most of the work now seems to be concentrated on finishing the large bridge that forms part of the N18 tie-in. According to the last newsletter, it’ll be finished in “early 2010”.
Clearly there have been some glaring mistakes in the design of this project (notably the Rosbrien & Dock Road Interchanges) that will have to be re-visited in the not too distant future. But in terms of the construction of the scheme, they really have done an excellent job. This was without doubt a much more challenging build than the M7 yet barring a miracle it will be open before the Limerick – Nenagh stretch!
All we need now are some blue signs! ๐
@CologneMike wrote:
New Traffic Plan to Assist Motorists in Uptown Limerick (Limerick Post)
According to their digital edition, phase one of the orbital route around Mulgrave Street is now finished and will be opened on Friday January 22nd.
There are new one-way changes for Upper William Street / Lower Roxboro Road!
The screen shot below is poor, anybody know of links to better quality maps for the orbital route?
I’ve been trying to gather some information on this project for ages, all to no avail!
You would think that Limerick City Council would have a dedicated project page on their website, but you’d be wrong! They must definitely run the most uninformative local authority website in the entire country! ๐ฎ
The fun and games continue on the M7….
Last week a section of completed roadway around Annaholty bog simply fell away. This area is located a couple of miles north of the now infamous Drominboy bog in Lisnagry.
How they must rue the day they decided to route this motorway through 2 bogs!! ๐
The article below is taken from the online version of the Nenagh Guardian.
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