The current rail safety program was to automate the line from Limerick Junc to Waterford and possibly to Rosslare (it would cost a wopping 2 million extra) Waterford station needs to be totally rebuilt not only the building but all the track and signals, thats potentially a 20-30 million euro job. In theory the whole line from Limerick Junc to Rosslare would require only 1 signalman vs 7 current. There is a committed budget for some of this and some EU money.
Each km of track costs 30-40k per annum to run and that is independent of the number of trains to some degree.
Level crossings are dealt with based on a risk analysis which takes into account the type of crossing, the number of trains and there speed as well as crossing usage both car and foot, so regional lines aren't high on the list. An automatted level crossing is about 700k-1million in cost terms the signalling offers more savings for less outlay and that is why it happens first
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