Limerick - Nenagh - Ballybrophy railway

Hi, sorry I have no idea.

I literally jumped out of the car. Snapped a few pics locked the gates and jumped back in.

Some of the other more informed people here might be able to answer.

Im assuming the wooden lats on the track are some sort of cattle grid to keep livestock off the track. There was a gate into a field beside the track wide open also. Dont think there were any animals in the field but looked like a potential issue.

Also for anyone interested in the petition to improve the Ballybrophy service.

While boards was down to be "upgraded" to the new site the petition has now over 800 signatures.

Still hopeful we will get to 1000.

https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/upgrade-and-invest-in-the-limerick-nenagh-ballybrophy-railway-line?source=twitter-share-button&utm_medium=myuplift&utm_source=twitter&share=793e2dea-1e56-4ab2-8e14-b2443ec0d8b8

Are these being introduced on any other crossing along the line?

The July gallery has been updated tonight with:

Friday 30th July 2021:

While having a few free hours to myself at the start of the Bank Holiday weekend, I decided to take a ramble up to Ballybrophy on the evening branch passenger train from Nenagh.

Click https://bit.ly/2TLiESj to view all the images from the trip.

Took this photo at Kylenaheskeragh bridge today around 13:00. There were two machines that looked kind of like excavators. Long arms out front.

Kylenaheskeragh bridge is where the most recent works stopped.

No idea what exactly they were doing. Hopefully someone else, if there is anyone left on this forum that can shed some light on what they were doing.

Is this work going to increase line speeds?

I have been thinking lately it would help a lot with the management and marketing of the Limerick - Ballybrophy line if Ballybrophy Station was renamed and if the line itself was rebranded.

Something like South Laois/Nenagh Junction Train Station. Or Ballybrophy/Nenagh Junction Train station.

The name Limerick - Nenagh Junction line makes it much more obvious where the line actually serves. Nenagh is the largest town on the line. Its the middle station along the route etc.

I really think for potential passengers especially tourists it could really simplify understanding that part of the Irish Rail network.

I think the line needs a new beginning and something like a name change or a rebrand could really help with that.

Been doing a bit of research on the naming of Ballybrophy station. Its not even in the townland of Ballybrophy, the station and platforms etc are in a townland called Kilpurcel that neighbours the village of Ballybrophy.

So maybe it could have been Kilpurcel station when it was opened back in the 1850's.

But what would have made more sense is to name it after the barony that it is located in. Carndonagh Station.

The Barony of Carndonagh also includes the towns of Borris - In - Ossory and Rathdowney. The two largest settlements in the area surrounding Ballybrophy station.

I wonder why they chose Ballybrophy way back when.

Carndonagh and Nenagh Junction would have been a better name to have described who, what and where the station was intended to serve.

"Big disruption for Laois train commuters on busy line

Bus alternative organised

Iarnród Éireann has reminded customers on the Limerick to Ballybrophy in Laois via Nenagh line of the five weeks of track renewal works that will close part of the line for a month.

As a result of these works, Irish Rail says all services on the line will be replaced by bus transfers for the five-week period from Monday, November 1 to Sunday, December 5 inclusive.

Iarnród Éireann apologises to customers for the inconvenience caused by these essential works.

Irish Rail says the works will see a further 3.5 miles of track renewed on the line which, combined with previous works, will facilitate journey time improvements on the line at the next timetable review, planned for the early months of 2022.

The company recently announced an upgrade to the Ballybrophy Train Station in the form of a new carpark."

Pure headwreck. It was to be over 4 miles all along. And just before they start its now 3.5 miles.

Very frustrating

Well said Martin Browne, Sinn Féin TD.

The argument they wont fund the completion of the CWR in one closure next year because not enough people are using the line is infuriating. Especially from a Green TD. If the line doesnt receive investment under a Green transport minister we are at nothing in hoping for improvements.

Complete the final 8.5 miles and review the speed restrictions/journey times. Then people will start coming back to using the train. Especially with increased petrol/diesel prices.

People wont use it at the moment because it is unuseable for most people.

Over 1100 people have signed the petition we started now. There is an undeniable interest and a demand to improve the service provided.

The railway uses miles to measure distances on all lines (and even chains until not so long ago on some lines). Also railway speeds in Ireland are denominated in miles per hour. No problem as long as we don't have on-street running, like the LUAS.

The ATP in DARTS may be calibrated in metric, but the lineside speed limit signs are all mph, and there are distance signs ("mileposts") every 1/4 mile along the entire network, including DART.

Good news all around really.

Track relay to be completed this year.

..and the line has been given a plug for further investment by the Oireachtas Transport Committee:

“investing in the necessary upgrades to tracks, speed limits, level crossings and potential new stops in order to make the route attractive to commuters travelling from Tipperary into Limerick City”

I dont think they know exactly yet and until the timetable is finalised it prob would be silly for Irish Rail to commit a predicted journey time. Initial speed limit improvements will mostly be on the section East of Birdhill. The Kilmastulla valley and the 9 gate keeper crossings make the section between Nenagh and Limerick more difficult to improve journey times on.

After the track renewal is complete this year, the 12 remaining gate keeper crossings will have to be automated/closed next. This will further improve journey times and save about €1.3million per annum on the running costs of the line.

Current max speed on the line is 30mph. From the 2023 timetable large sections will increase to 50mph.

Its a good start for a line that was to be closed so many times. North Tipperary Community Rail Partnership deserve huge credit for keeping the line going and are now finally seeing the improvements they have been campaigning for about 25 years.

I think now that this investment has been made the argument of closure or upgrade has been settled. The line will continue to improve, the pace of that improvement is the issue.

Speed limit will be brought up to 50mph early next year but the campaign to lift that to 60 or 70mph has already begun.

I totally agree that the train should split in Roscrea but it is a complicated issue without an obvious or straightforward solution.

My preference would be that the morning Ballyb to Limerick train would be joining the line from the Portlaoise depot. Obviously that would require track works at Ballybrophy but it seems like those works will have to happen eventually anyway.

Think this would still require the passing loop in Nenagh to be reinstated but I am not 100% on those rules. I think the issue is about having two trains on the Birdhill to Roscrea section at the same time.