Delivery of first tracks for Limerick to Foynes rail line is latest 'positive signal' says port boss

SHANNON Foynes Port Company has welcomed the arrival of the first consignment of tracks at Foynes Port to be laid along the route of the new Limerick to Foynes railway line.

Its chief executive Pat Keating who was in Foynes Port for the unloading of the tracks says the reinstatement of the line is another positive moment in delivering on the unprecedented opportunity for the transformation of the Shannon Estuary into a global floating offshore wind energy and Irish supply chain hub.

“We have just launched our updated masterplan Vision 2041, setting out why the Shannon Estuary is best placed in Ireland and Europe to develop the Atlantic floating offshore wind industry and identified, among many other elements, the reinstatement of the rail link to Foynes as a key piece of supply-chain infrastructure for realising this opportunity," he said.

Construction to begin on new Limerick to Foynes railway line

"Watching the first tracks for the rail reinstatement programme loaded onto our port is a really positive signal of the intent around our plans. The enormous opportunity here will not be delivered without the support and involvement of key stakeholders. Iarnród Éireann is one of them and we are delighted to see this project getting underway," he added.

Mr Keating says the re-opening of the Limerick to Foynes rail line is, along with the €450m Limerick to Foynes road, one of two key transport links essential for delivering on this incredible opportunity for the estuary.

"Not alone will it be crucial to the supply chain for the transformation of the estuary into a floating offshore wind generation supply-chain hub but it will enable Foynes Port to add substantial freight capacity to the national supply chain at an uncongested point in the national transport network and help unburden pressure on the congested Greater Dublin Area network.” 

Shannon Foynes Port Company has itself played a central role in the rail reinstatement project, securing €800,000 from the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility for a Feasibility and Detailed Design study in 2015.