FIRST TRAIN TO BLACKFORD: July 20 saw the first train work into the Blackford Freight Facility when No. 66304 arrived with four loaded container flats as the a 4L55/13.35 from Mossend. After some shunting of the wagons, the ‘66’ departed light engine as the 0Z55/13.51 to Mossend, running almost two hours late. Bottled water company Highland Spring says that loaded trains will start using the terminal from mid to late-August once all staff involved have been fully
trained.
IAN LOTHIAN
IRISH Transport Minister Eamon Ryan secured agreement from the Irish Cabinet on July 4 to move forward with the 19.4km (12 mile) MetroLink rail project that will link Swords, in the north of the city, to Dublin Airport via the city centre – joining up with the existing Luas Green Line at Charlemont to the south of the city centre.
The project has been in the pipeline for almost two decades since first proposed in 2005.
It will have 16 stations and is expected to offer three-minute headways at peak times, carrying up to 20,000 passenger per hour.