Limerick–Tralee railway line
The Limerick–Tralee line, also known as the North Kerry line, is a former railway line from Limerick railway station to Tralee railway station in Ireland. It also has branch lines to Foynes and Fenit. Much of the line today has now been converted into a greenway, the Great Southern Trail.
History
The Limerick and Foynes Railway, starting at a junction just outside ran to, some distant, via Ballingrane Junction. The Rathkeale and Newcastle Junction Railway Company were responsible for the section section from Ballingrane Junction to Newcastle West with the Limerick and Kerry Railway Company taking responsibility for remainder of the line to Tralee which opened in December 1880.All sections were operated by the Waterford and Limerick Railway as they opened. An additional branch was authorised by the ' opened from Tralee to Fenit by the ' in 1887.
At the Great Southern and Western Railway line approached from the east while the came in from the northwest, the two lines being connected but each initially having their own independent station until 1907.
In 1901, the WL&WR was bought by the, then during the grouping of 1925, the was merged with three other companies to form the Great Southern Railways. After the war, the Transport Act 1944 dissolved the and brought its assets into the ownership of Córas Iompair Éireann on 1 January 1945. The line stayed in the ownership of until the line was closed to passengers on 4 February 1963 and for freight up to Listowel in 1977 and to Tralee on 6 February 1978.
The Foynes–Limerick section of the line was open to freight traffic until 2001, when it was closed and mothballed. In November 2022, it was announced that work had begun on restoring the line, which is scheduled to reopen to freight in 2025, with the possibility of passenger services being restored at a later date.