*Flooding on the Ballycar line in March 2020. Photograph: John Mangan
WORKS TO ALLEVIATE historic flooding along the Ballycar railway line are estimated to cost €16m.
1826 is said to be the first instance of flooding occurring at Ballycar with regular occurrences impacting on rail commuters.
RPS Consulting in May 2019 were appointed to develop a solution to the regular flooding problems at Ballycar which was closed for 110 days in 2014 and 140 a year later. In 2020, rail commuters must had to travel by bus from Sixmilebridge to Ennis due to the flooding at Ballycar.
In November 2018, Clare County Council, Irish Rail and the Office of Public Works (OPW) agreed to work in conjunction with one another to fix flooding at Ballycar.
The Clare Echo has learned that a solution has jointly been agreed by Iarnród Éireann, Clare County Council, the OPW, Geological Survey of Ireland and National Parks and Wildlife Service, which has been costed at approximately €16m.
Engagement is ongoing with relevant Government departments to identify a funding source for these works.
Meanwhile, in the past week some rail users availing of services from Limerick to Galway had to stand up and others were left with no option but to sit on the floor for the course of their journey, this occurred on the day of Ed Sheeran’s concert in Croke Park.
Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) believed it strengthened the case for increased investment along the line including an expansion of services at the Sixmilebridge railway station. “It is further evidence of the success of Phase 1 of the Western Rail Corridor. The services pictured were at different times and on one occasion passengers joining at Ennis could not get seats. Although this is an intercity service only two-piece trains are in service with ICR railcars only operating on a limited number of services”.
He continued, “Despite being operated with two less trains per day than promised in the business case, the line carried 531,000 passengers in 2019 and is the fastest growing rail route in the country”.
A spokesperson for Iarnród Éireann told The Clare Echo they were not seeing “significant issues” of overcrowding on the Galway to Limerick route and flagged that spare seats were available when passengers opted to sit on the ground. “At the very busiest times, there can be minor capacity issues but overall we are satisfied that service capacities are meeting demand on this route”. The spokesperson also confirmed, “there are no plans at present to open a station at Crusheen”.
Iarnród Éireann in conjunction with the National Transport Authority are in the process of reviewing their existing timetable as demand levels are established in the post-COVID environment.
