Bright future for Midlands railway line in strategic Review

Major upgrades to the Ballybrophy Railway Line, which transects Tipperary, have been recommended by the All-Island Strategic Rail Review which was published on Tuesday. 

The Ballybrophy Line, which transects Tipperary as it takes passengers and in the past some light freight between Dublin and Limerick, could play a critical role in the new green-motivated transport system of the future as Ireland moves towards zero carbon emissions.

The railway, which serves Roscrea, Cloughjordan, Nenagh and Birdhill, could be upgraded to create a major heavy freight corridor between Foynes Port on the Shannon Estuary near Limerick and the midlands region as well as receive a rejuvenated passenger service.

Currently, the line has two return services a day between Limerick and Ballybrophy and one morning commuter service from Nenagh to Limerick. The line currently has no scheduled rail freight services. 

The North Tipperary Community Rail Partnership (NTCRP) welcomed the Review's recommendations, with Chair of the rail partnership, Virginia O’Dowd, saying it lays a foundation for their group to campaign for their delivery, which could have a transformative effect on the rural economy.

One of the recommendations is to build a well connected regional and rural network with a high-frequency of trains - at least one train every two hours. The NTCRP argues that the current low level of usage is not an indication of demand, instead that it is a due to the service being inconsistent and unreliable.

“This would open up the possibility to link with more frequent services at Ballybrophy or Limerick", Ms. O'Dowd said on TippFM. 

"Another recommendation is to increase the line-speed to at least 120kph – while we have had an increase in our line-speed we need the automation of level crossings and the upgrading of signaling systems to increase our speed further.”

An integrated bus service would be particularly attractive for stations such as Cloughjordan, Birdhill and Nenagh, "where this integration isn’t happening", she said. 

"The partnership is also calling for an integrated transport hub at Nenagh Railway Station where rail, bus and Local Link services can work out of with clear signage and timetables displayed. This would make the public transport experience more attractive and easier to use,” the Partnership Chair said.