Report claims just 0.3% would shift to using faster Limerick-Waterford train
A study by Arup looked at the feasibility of higher speeds for rail services. Picture: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie
A study on the Waterford to Limerick train service found the journey time could be almost halved at peak times – but it claimed that footfall would still only increase 0.3%.
The report was carried out as part of an upgrade to the N24 road, with the potential for boosting rail services to an hourly service between the two Munster cities at peak times cited in documents for the project.
The report has been met with outcry from a lobby group and Green Party politicians who dispute the findings.
Arup, the company which conducted the report as part of its work on the N24 upgrade, used a model which saw the train travelling at a significantly higher speed of 120kmph, cutting the journey by over an hour at peak times. At present the service's maximum speed is 80kmph. One journey departs in peak hours each morning and evening.
The company was appointed last July to work with the Department of Transport and Northern Ireland's Department of Infrastructure on an all-island review of the rail network. This study includes examining the feasibility of higher speeds as a way of improving the rail service.
Arup's project director for the N24 project, Eileen McCarthy, attributed the minor increase partly to smaller population density for Tipperary Town and Cahir, with the slight improvement coming mainly from bus passengers.
The stations on the line stretching from Limerick to Waterford are Tipperary Town, Cahir, Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir.
"What we're seeing is that it's not going to relieve the congestion on the N24. We are getting an increase on the rail but we're not getting an increase on the people moving to using the train service," she said.
"There is a 0.3% shift but we're not getting people out of the car."
Ms McCarthy said a significant number of motorists in Tipperary are already travelling from a rural area by car so they may not benefit timewise for their commute. The study was based on data drawn from the Census and other sources, she said.
Waterford Green Party Marc Ó Cathasaigh said that any report into road projects would need to take into account that by increasing capacity on rail, bus services would need to be "reorganised" so feeder buses could be provided for a wider catchment area.
"We need to decarbonise our transport sector. Ireland has the fourth highest transport emissions in the EU per capita," he said, adding that targets for the reduction of carbon emissions for the sector are 45-55%.
"It is important that we hit the top of these ranges as much as possible – otherwise, other sectors will need to decarbonise more and faster."
Ms McCarthy said Arup's report does not mean that the all-island review may not include an increased timetable as a way of improving the service.
Lobby group South East on Track said any report needs to be treated with "major caution". Its spokesman Diarmuid McGrath pointed to a report by Mott MacDonald for the N11/N25 upgrade in Co Wexford, showing a "theoretical uplift of approximately 250%" during the peak morning period by improving the attractiveness of the line.
He added that external factors, such as fuel price rises, may also motivate people to swap cars for trains.
"The problem at the moment [with the line] is that it's not serving any type of commuter market whatsoever. It's a really brutal line that can take three to four hours to complete," he said.
Limerick Green TD Brian Leddin said he hoped to read the Arup report and did not want to comment on its conclusions until then.
He stressed that an improved rail service between Limerick and Waterford would be "very popular" and would hold benefits for Tipperary towns along the line.
Mr McGrath said that pre-pandemic figures from the National Transport Authority (NTA) showed "significant growth" on the Limerick to Waterford line – 17.6% from 2017 to 2018. This was "even though there were no timetable improvements", he said.
