BAM, working on behalf of Waterford City and County Council (WCCC), will begin major flood prevention works from late August as part of the Waterford North Quays Development.

The works are designed to eliminate ongoing flooding issues along the railway approach to Waterford and protect both existing and future infrastructure, including the new Plunkett Station.

The project, funded by the Department of Transport through the National Transport Authority, will deliver long-term protection for the rail line and enable the transition from a mechanical to a modern electrical signalling system. It will also reinstate full track capacity and routing for train services to and from Waterford.

Construction will take place over six months, with some temporary disruption to off-peak rail services expected on Monday to Thursday mornings, excluding the Christmas period. Iarnród Éireann, WCCC and BAM have worked closely to minimise these impacts and coordinate scheduling around peak service demand.

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Project Scope

The flood defence system will span 1.1km from Sally Park to the eastern end of the new Plunkett Station and Transport Hub. It includes a combination of sheet piled walls, impermeable trenches, an extensive drainage network and two pumping stations.

A key section of work affecting services will take place along an 800-metre stretch of the Western Flood Defence Wall, from the western end of the current Plunkett Station platform to east of the Waterford West signal cabin.

Due to local ground conditions, sheet piles up to 25 metres in height and 0.6 metres wide will be driven along the low watermark line, 5 to 7 metres from the passenger track. These will be installed using a piling rig mounted on two large barges positioned on the River Suir.

Service Management

To ensure safe installation, temporary line closures are required during pile driving operations. These are unavoidable due to the size of the piles, the proximity of the railway and the lifting environment.

The construction programme has been planned to deliver the flood defence system efficiently while limiting disruption to the busiest rail services.