Mr. Jim Meade:

Absolutely. It would be at the back of Limerick Institute of Technology and right beside the spiritual home of rugby, Thomond Park, and Moyross, which is a big residential area. As it goes over the Shannon and swings around back into the city, it passes within ten minutes walk of University of Limerick, so it will serve all locations.

The Senator mentioned Ballycar, which has been the subject of a long-running saga. There is a big turlough at Ballycar that fills up slowly in the winter months. If we get a lot of rain, it results in the line being closed for anything from eight weeks upwards. Our worst closure in a very bad winter was for something like 15 or 16 weeks before it drained again. A report on flood relief options at Ballycar has been completed. We commissioned RPS Consulting Engineers and were involved in a round-table approach with other stakeholders such as Clare County Council, the Office of Public Works, the Geological Survey of Ireland and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. The 2020 study builds on previous studies. A preferred option for a technically viable drainage scheme that would prevent recurring floods has been worked up and submitted to the Department for consideration and, ultimately, funding.

On the rail link to Shannon, in 2007, a consultancy firm was involved and, as the Senator said, the late Sean Hillery was pushing on this issue. The Department did a study to look at a link into Shannon. As part of LSMATS, the current Minister has committed to revisiting that study and doing a further study on whether that link can or should be established.

On the Nenagh branch, we have proposed some activities on the Nenagh branch with a park-and-ride facility out near Birdhill, again as part of LSMATS. Beyond that, there are not currently many proposals for the Nenagh branch. With the Nenagh partnership, we have started looking more recently at how we could enhance services under the current restrictions relating to the branch. It would require a substantial upgrade in order to put a high-frequency service on it but it is our intention, at an absolute minimum, to maintain it as is and, where we can, to improve services.

The Senator mentioned accessibility at Ennis. He will be happy to note we are well advanced with a project to put a new over-bridge and lifts into Ennis to make the station fully accessible. That project is funded by the NTA and is under way, so that is happening. I hope I dealt with all the questions.