To be fair, this is not just limited to rail infrastructure. The OPW have had a 1 km stretch of the quay walls in Dublin cordoned off for nearly two years so that they can build a one metre high flood barrier. You frequently see road-closures on major roads stretching for weeks or months while they replace sections of bridges.
Modern project planning in Ireland does not appear to have minimisation of public disruption high on the list of priorities for design criteria. Like everything in engineering (civil or otherwise), minimising disruption has a cost and can usually be achieved if the customer demands it. This cost does not seem to be something that the NTA or whatever other public body is willing to bear so instead the passenger ends up paying for it in delays.
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