IRELAND: National railway Iarnród Éireann has appointed AtkinsRéalis to support the development of plans for three stations in Limerick and Dublin and an expansion of capacity on the line to Ennis.
The Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy includes a proposal for the development of a commuter rail service around Limerick to increase public transport usage and serve a population that relies heavily on private cars.
AtkinsRéalis is to provide planning, engineering and estimating services to support the development of plans for a station and park-and-ride site at Ballysimon, and for infrastructure enhancements to reduce journey times and increase passenger and freight capacity on the Limerick to Ennis line which is currently constrained by the single track.
The upgrading work would also facilitate plans to increase services between Limerick and Galway, as outlined in the All-Island Strategic Rail Review.
Feasibility and option selection studies will also be undertaken for proposed stations at Cabra and Kylemore in Dublin.
‘With more and more people now using public transport to get to work, college or lifestyle appointments, it is vital that we plan options for new rail stations and additional capacity on our network as outlined in our transport strategies so as to ensure our customers have a frequent and reliable service which they can use in their daily lives’, said National Transport Authority CEO Anne Graham on January 25.
Other recent work undertaken by AtkinsRéalis in Ireland includes the initial phases of the Limerick to Limerick Junction capacity enhancement project, the design for a station at Moyross in Limerick, and the railway order application for the DART+ Southwest project.
