>>1246710>>1246714>>1246716>>1246724>The Great Northern RailwayThe line going north from Dublin is not a very fast one. Speed limits are restrictive thanks to an old line dating back years. While the line was relaid in 2000 for the restart of the Enterprise with continuous welded rail implemented on the line for the first time, it's still limited by a route which steam trains used to run on. There are no plans to remove the more severe corners around Co Louth by Irish Rail, and the line in Co Armagh isn't fantastic either. There's the additional issue of dealing with the older infrastructure such as the Malahide/Broadmeadow Viaduct, which is prone to damage from severe weather and other damage. In 2009 that viaduct collapsed and it took 6 months to repair it. Until its repair, the Enterprise ran as far as Drogheda and then passengers got onto a bus replacement to Dublin.
There's the issue of the Boyne Viaduct in Drogheda which also limits line speed. Despite an upgrade to the tracks in 2015, it is still a significantly slower part of the line compared to other sections.
>Level CrossingsInside Northern Ireland is where the biggest delays can and will occur, and where running faster becomes impossible. Around the towns of Lugan, Lisburn and Moria, there are a number of level crossings with the mainline. For the most part, these level crossings are pretty normal, except around Lurgan, which has become infamous for delays. The area around Lurgan station is a built up housing estate, and very often, hooligans will leave wheelie bins and other debris on the tracks deliberately in order to cause some level of chaos. Less common is the use of fireworks and improvised explosive devices on the tracks, which can cause the line to close for several hours. For a long time, plans have been drawn up to replace these level crossings with bridges, however, due to how close housing is to the line, it seems that the only option would be to close the road and put foot bridges
