WATCH: Span of bridge at Cork train station lifted into place as part of accessibility upgrade

Span of new bridge at Little Island Station being lifted into place as part of the station's accessibility upgrade. Photo: Iarnród Éireann.

THE span of a new bridge at Little Island Station has been lifted into place as part of the station's overall accessibility upgrade.

Triur Construction working on behalf of Iarnród Éireann recently completed the lifting of the new precast concrete bridge span into place which will be the deck for an accessible footbridge being constructed at Little Island Station.

A total of nine people were involved in the operation which saw the bridge span lifted and put in place using a Liebherr LTM 1450 – 8.1 crane with a capacity of 450 tonnes.

The complete works at the station are expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Works include the provision of a new footbridge over the railway which features two 13-person lifts, a new pedestrian access ramp to the car park, an amended pedestrian ramp access from the south platform, and lighting, surfacing and help points upgrades within the station.

Speaking after the bridge lift, Senior Project Manager for Iarnród Éireann, Colin Grimes said: “This is an important milestone for the project, a bridge lift is a big undertaking and I would like to commend all my colleagues, who were involved.

At Iarnród Éireann we are passionate about making our railway more accessible to all and this is another important step in that direction.

An integral element of Iarnrod Éireann’s ongoing investment programme is to improve the accessibility of its stations and services continuously, with new accessible footbridges already opened at Dalkey and Gormanston this year and works also progressing at Banteer.

Plans are underway for upgrades at other stations including Rathmore, Maynooth, and Rushbrooke.

Renewal and improvement works have also been taking place at lifts across the network, with 52 stations to be improved under the company’s Big Lift Programme, running from 2020 to 2024.

Iarnród Éireann’s Disability Users Group provides direct input from disability representative bodies and users of rail services in developing accessibility programmes and projects.

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