In 2013 Intermodality was asked by Irish Rail to carry out a review of its rail freight business which, much like British Rail’s 30 years previously, had been in decline for several years. Working closely with Irish Rail staff at all levels, we helped identify opportunities to grow the business once more. One of the key recommendations made in our 2014 report was to move towards operating longer freight trains to help improve efficiency and competitiveness.

Irish Rail set to work undertaking a series of technical studies to determine the capabilities of traction, rolling stock, track and signalling to accommodate longer trains. This has now borne fruit, with test runs of longer timber and intermodal trains, the latter increasing train length by 50% from 18 to 27 wagons, the longest ever operated on the network.

We are delighted to see Irish Rail’s freight business achieve a turnaround in traffic over the last few years, this latest development another sign of an increasingly positive, proactive approach to growing traffic and contributing to reductions in lorry traffic and emissions.

For more information on Irish Rail’s freight business, click here

Published by Nick Gallop