Tenders issued for extension plans at three Galway train stations
Works are expected to start and finish all in the time frame of next year
Construction tender documents have been issued for the extension of three railway platforms at three Galway stations on the Limerick train line to allow longer, six-car Intercity services to operate on the route.
Irish Rail confirmed that platforms at Sixmilebridge, Ennis, Gort, Ardrahan, and Craughwell are to be lengthened under the project, which is aimed at increasing passenger capacity along the corridor.
At Sixmilebridge, Gort, Ardrahan, and Craughwell, platforms will be extended by 55 metres to meet the 145-metre length required to accommodate a six-car Intercity train. Platform 2 at Ennis station will receive a shorter extension of 12 metres.
Track enabling works are already underway on the line, and the state rail operator expects to award the main construction contract before the end of the year.
Main construction works are scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2027 and conclude in the fourth quarter of the year, with the extended platforms due to enter service by the end of 2027.
Mary Considine, chief executive of Irish Rail, said the project would provide the necessary infrastructure to support greater passenger capacity between Limerick and Athenry.
“Accelerated delivery of these important infrastructure interventions on our network ensures we can provide a more sustainable transport option to more communities more quickly, helping to deliver on the vision set out in our Rail 2050 Strategy,” she said.
According to Irish Rail, the platform extensions are a prerequisite for increasing service and capacity levels between Galway, Ennis, and Limerick. It stated that a significant uplift in capacity will be achieved once the longer platforms are completed.
The tender is the first Irish Rail construction contract to incorporate the CO2 Performance Ladder, a carbon management and procurement tool designed to encourage suppliers to measure emissions, reduce targets, and demonstrate progress.
Under the system, suppliers are given a commercial incentive to cut carbon emissions by linking their environmental commitments directly to the marks available for the award of the tender.