M20 - Cork to Limerick [preferred route chosen; in design - phase 3]

Also interested. Can someone explain what Green, Amber, Navy means in this? https://www.limerickleader.ie/upload/2022_03_30/NM20_Cork_to_Limerick_Preferred_Option_Map-1648639074687.jpg

How much of it is motorway? Sorry for not doing much homework on this :)

The proposed route runs adjacent/parallel to the current road and the maximum divergence is no more than a few km. It runs east of Mallow, east of Buttevant and west of Charleville. Two significant sections of the current road are incorporated, the Croom bypass and the section from Blarney to Mourneabbey.

The following appears in the brochure published today:

So in summary, if driving from Limerick to Cork, you will still head out the M20 to Patrickswell, follow a line running south adjacent/parallel to the existing road and end up passing Blarney and heading into Blackpool. Only difference being you will coast along at 100/120kmh instead of dawdling along at 55kmh looking at the arse of a 98 KY silver fiesta with a sheep in the back seat.

A hourly direct service could in theory be introduced tomorrow. The single biggest constraint is the absence of train-sets to service it. IE is chronically short of rolling stock a present however there are large deliveries due to start later this year. Note that this service would require very tight scheduling on the single track Limerick-Limerick Junction leg and would consequently be susceptible to delays. It would also not see the time improvements mentioned in this morning's announcement as these require both completion of existing upgrades ("Cork Line Level Crossings Project" and the "Cork Line Rehabilitation Project") and further improvements including track and signalling improvements in Limerick Junction and either additional passing loop/s between Limerick Junction and Limerick or double tracking between Limerick Junction and Limerick.

Are we envisaging double tracking between Limerick and Limerick Junction?

I’d imagine that a new alignment between Charleville and Limerick just wouldn’t make sense from a cost perspective.

What sort of time are they looking at for Cork - Limerick. Will there be an express service?

According to today's announcement Rail Option RS1 (the service via Limerick Junction) is being recommended by the project team for consideration within the All Island Strategic Rail Review. In the video presentation to Local Authorities it is noted that this will require "New Trains". The service is described as a "No Change" as opposed to an Express or Non-Stop service. Previously, Mallow, Charleville and Limerick Junction were mentioned as stops. The service improvemnt is listed as follows:

• Current Journey Time - 1 Hr 43 mins
• With Line Improvements - 1 Hr 31 mins (I'm assuming this is the "Cork Line Level Crossings Project" and the "Cork Line Rehabilitation Project")
• Option RS1 - 1 Hr 21 mins (introduction of new trains to allow a no-change service)

There is no mention of double tracking the Limerick-Limerick Junction Line. So the project team appear to be handing this over to IE, the NTA and Strategic Rail Review to do the detailed work.

Based on statements by Jim Meade double tracking could further improve the above, as it would allow considerably higher speeds and the removal of the single track safety margin on the Limerick-Limerick Junction leg.

So Eamon Ryan didn't fixed it so the preferred option would be a couple of bypasses then.

A bit of both. I suspect that probably yes there will be roadworks, particularly on the Mallow-Cork stretch. I suspect that probably yes there will be delays.

Slightly disappointed the Limerick double-tracking isn't going to be linked in to this project. Also slightly surprised that they can do Cork-Limerick with no change, just with extra rolling stock. I didn't realise that was possible.

Some obvious gaps in my knowledge still:

Junctions: I remember all the furore of the previous M20 project's junctions, I hope this proposed design passes more smoothly!

Tie-in at the Commons Road: something will surely need to be done here long-term! Motorway traffic arriving into Blackpool just isn't going to work.

Active travel routes: hopefully they won't include the "go elsewhere" PFO routes of yesteryear. Blarney in particular needs a proper link to the city. The bones of it is already available it just needs to be regularised. Cycling to/from Blarney is for the brave/confident only right now. Mallow is currently progressing an East-West active transport route as a Co-Co scheme, so it would be lovely to see a North-South link provided as part of this project too. We can hope!

Has there been any thoughts to how the new road will tie in to the existing M20? Will they remodel the existing junction 5 or close it and build a new one to the west? Will the junction be like the existing M4/M6 and M7/M9 etc or full movement between the M20 and new M21? Hopefully whatever they do will be accounted for in both schemes as they progress.

Correct. This phase was about section option/s. It was not about the detail. In the same way that the road option is an outline with the detail and design to follow in later phases, the rail option is very high level with the detail and design to follow on later from the NTA and IE. I wouldn't read anything into the fact that dual tracking the Limerick-Limerick Junction wasn't mentioned.

This is a route definition - it says nothing about phasing of construction. There is nothing to prevent sections of this project being built as bypasses sooner, with the remainder built later. Remember that the examples cited by Ryan are projects that were built as Type 1 DC and later merged into a longer-distance motorway.

I don’t give a f__ about blue lines on maps, so to me, if the choice is bypassing Mallow and Charleville now with dual carriageways, or waiting for the cash to be available for the whole motorway project before turning a sod, then the “couple of bypasses” approach wins.

Oh, and as nobody posted it, here’s a repeat of the link to the official project site, which has been updated with the new documents, including the preferred route: Home new - N/M20 Cork to Limerick (corklimerick.ie)

And it will take years and years, don't think I will see it completed.