Irish Rail to resume full weekday services to and from Waterford for Christmas
Iarnród Éireann has advised rail customers that full weekday rail services to and from Plunkett Station in Waterford will be in operation from now through Christmas and into the New Year. Stock image
Iarnród Éireann has advised rail customers that full weekday rail services to and from Plunkett Station in Waterford will be in operation from now through Christmas and into the New Year.
The Irish rail authority also said the first phase of major flood prevention works on the line has been completed.
The works to protect the rail line on the approach to Waterford, an area which has been prone to flooding and disruption, began on August 25.
In a statement a spokesperson for Iarnród Éireann said: 'In line with the planned schedule, the works are now paused to facilitate those travelling to and from Waterford over the busy festive season, including for Winterval.'
The final day of pre-Christmas works was Wednesday, November 26.
Customers travelling to and from Waterford over the coming weeks should take note of an extensive choice of daily services, with eight trains travelling each way between Waterford and Dublin Heuston - and nine travelling on Fridays.
They will include a daily 8.20pm, Waterford to Dublin Heuston service from Monday to Saturday, for those attending evenings at Winterval.
Waterford North Quays Public Transport elements are funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage through the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, the Department of Transport through the National Transport Authority, and by Waterford City & County Council.
"We thank customers for their cooperation and understanding during these crucial works, being delivered as part of the wider Waterford North Quays development," said the Iarnród Éireann spokesperson.
The organisation said the development will benefit rail customers through the new Waterford Plunkett Station, as part of the integrated transport hub which is due to open in 2017.
The ongoing works are also aimed at improving connectivity through the new public transport bridge to Waterford’s commercial heart and addressing long-standing flooding issues at the approaches to Waterford while also facilitating new signalling, to restore track capacity to the station area.
The works will resume from Monday, January 5, until March 26.
The flood defence programme works include a combination of sheet piled walls, impermeable trenches and an extensive drainage network with two associated pumping stations. When the works resume it will take place from 8am to 2.20pm from Monday to Thursday.
From January 5, the following service alterations will apply: 07:20hrs and 10:15hrs Dublin Heuston to Waterford will terminate at Kilkenny, with bus transfers from Kilkenny to Thomastown and Waterford; 11:00hrs and 13:05hrs Waterford to Dublin Heuston will have bus transfers from Waterford and Thomastown to Kilkenny, and train from Kilkenny to Heuston; 09:45hrs Limerick Junction to Waterford will terminate at Carrick-on-Suir with bus transfer from Carrick-on-Suir to Waterford.
"This ensures that only two of eight services each way daily, between Waterford and Dublin, are affected Mondays to Thursdays, and that weekends are unaffected," said the spokesperson.
