Ireland - public transport services, issues, plans and consultations (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Picking up an old thread ... and noting that I used all four of the threatened services and was an interested observer of people off and on at nearly every station on that list.

On a more positive note, RTE^‡(resolve) News tells us of an open consultation on extending the Western Corridor northwards from Athenry to Tuam and Claremorris where it would connect with the next Dublin Radial main line.    Sounds very sensible ... but there's a crying need to drastically enhance services on the rest of the western corridor route too.  The section from Rosslare to Waterford is "mothballed" and I don't know if even an engineering train could get through at present. Two further sections are in the "threat list' earlier in this thread, with the Limerick Junction to Waterford stretch having just 2 trains a day, and low passenger numbers caused not so much by lack of population but by lack of trains for people to use for their regular round trips.

Iarnród Éireann has launched a public consultation on the possible extension of the Western Rail Corridor (WRC), north of Athenry, Co Galway.

The process is part of an ongoing effort to examine the economic benefits of running train services, firstly as far as Tuam and then on to Claremorris, Co Mayo.

The Programme for Partnership Government committed to "an independent costing and review" of the potential expansion of the rail line.

There are mixed views as to whether a train service would provide value for money.

Those in favour say it would take thousands of cars off the roads each day and provide much needed commuter transport for people living in north Galway and south Mayo.

But opponents claim the existing rail line should be repurposed as a Greenway to boost tourism and promote walking and cycling activity along the route.

[grahame]

It's ... not ... the UK^▸ (United Kingdom).   It's not likely that the technology will be used in GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) territory ... but I can resists sharing this one.

https://ifiplayer.ie/along-the-line/

There's a diesel powered short demo track been recreated, I understand ... one of these years I'll find the time to visit.

[Red Squirrel]

Wow, thanks for sharing that Grahame! It had not occurred to me that there would be footage of the Lartigue in action.

[Bmblbzzz]

Wow! I'm not entirely sure I understand why that was built, but wow!

[stuving]

Wow! I'm not entirely sure I understand why that was built, but wow!

Presumably some important authority was asked to help this new railway to choose between broad and narrow gauge, and said "I'd recommend sitting on the fence for the time being".

[grahame]

And current day ...

[grahame]

SHAMEFUL - the line is closed, cutting the trunk route from the post at Rosslare via Waterford and Limerick to Galway, with connections at Limerick Junction to Cork.

"Rails of Ireland" write

Today I took a trip down south to see one of the last trains running on the south Wexford line before it's turned into a Greenway. This loco was running from Waterford to Rosslare then to Greystones after her last trip on the line last Wednesday when she went to Waterford

to accompany this video

[sikejsudjek3]

Shame - I had my first trip to Ireland this year on the Fishguard - Rosslare route and thoroughly enjoyed it. Without the rail link to Waterford I didn't bother visiting anything other than the Rosslare - Dublin rail route. Absolutely crazy that you can't use rail to go cross country unless you go to Dublin and change there.

The sail - rail tickets are amazing value only cost me about £45 from Gloucester to Rosslare, and £37 Dublin - Gloucester. Great fun.

[infoman]

One of the things that was mentioned in the recent Irish talks between the Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Was a fast rail link between Belfast to Dublin 166kms (100 miles) and

Dublin and Cork 254kms(160m)

Its a good thought,

but to the best of my knowledge there is no passenger service tracks between Dublin Heuston and the main line stations in the east of the City.
 

[grahame]

One of the things that was mentioned in the recent Irish talks between the Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Was a fast rail link between Belfast to Dublin 166kms (100 miles) and

Dublin and Cork 254kms(160m)

Its a good thought,

but to the best of my knowledge there is no passenger service tracks between Dublin Heuston and the main line stations in the east of the City.
 

Trains could run from Dublin Connelly through Drumcondra and pick up the main line out of Heuston to the west before Park West & Cherry Orchard - but it's a painfully slow link, only used (at the moment) by a few peak hour local trains.   It passes very close to "Platform 10" at what's described as Dublin Heuston but in reality is a separate station, and currently closed, just off to the side of the connector.

[Noggin]

The Dublin - Belfast, Dublin - Cork (and Dublin - Waterford) services are ridiculously cheap compared to English equivalents. The problem is that they are infrequent (the Enterprise is 2-hourly), there aren't many services early-morning and late-evening, and at over 2 hours, they are a bit too long to be a comfortable commute (I've got no idea of the reliability). 

I'd imagine that the cost of providing extra services to make them more usable, plus some modest linespeed improvements would be relatively modest, though not quite as exciting as new HS^▸ (High Speed (short for HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) High Speed Services)) rails.

[infoman]

Looking at the airplane schedule for the whole of Ireland,there are no scheduled flights Belfast-Dublin -Cork.

So if the airlines can't be bothered,why should the railway?

[didcotdean]

Belfast-Dublin on the train is much the same price as the coach, much the same journey time, but less frequent.

[grahame]

From the Independent Westmeath (a publication I don't often read)

A Westmeath lobby group is seeking the development of a light rail system between Athlone and Mullingar.

It is one of three requests submitted to the Transport minister Eamon Ryan by members of the Killucan Kinnegad Transport Lobby Group,

The reopening of the railway station at Killucan and approval for a transport museum for Mullingar are the other projects that the group wants the new transport minister to consider.

The appointment of the Green Party leader to the helm of the Department of Transport has led to a sense of hope that their wish list may become a reality among members of the Killucan Kinnegad Transport Lobby Group, which is headed up by Cllr Denis Leonard.

With a minister with a strong bias towards the green environment ... what else could we see in Ireland

Here are the 10 largest cities in Ireland: ( https://beef2live.com/story-top-10-largest-cities-ireland ):
1   Dublin   1,110,627
2   Belfast   579,726
3   Cork   198,582
4   Derry   93,512
5   Limerick   91,454
6   Galway   76,778
7   Craigavon   57,651
8   Waterford   51,519
9   Drogheda   38,578
10   Dundalk   37,816

I wonder if a truely green strategy forward for Ireland - part of the EU^» (European Union - about) and direct ferry links from Rosslare to mainland Europe, with a ferry terminal sensibly close to a station, would be to look at reopening the "Engineer's siding" from Rosslare Strand to Waterford and to have each boat connecting with trains (an idea that seems to have bypassed the current generation of Irish transport planners) ...

1. Rosslare Europort via Dublin and Belfast to (London)Derry
2. Rosslare Europort via Waterford and Limerick to Galway
Those would provide direct trains to 8 out of the 10 cities. Cork would be reached with a change at Limerick Junction, and my geography of the Craigavon aree is too poor to comment - but it's close to where train no. 1 would pass.

Almost wonder if freight / containers could be handled the same way ...

[ellendune]

1. Rosslare Europort via Dublin and Belfast to (London)Derry
2. Rosslare Europort via Waterford and Limerick to Galway
Those would provide direct trains to 8 out of the 10 cities. Cork would be reached with a change at Limerick Junction, and my geography of the Craigavon aree is too poor to comment - but it's close to where train no. 1 would pass.

Almost wonder if freight / containers could be handled the same way ...

Craigavaon is a 1960's new town built on existing settlements (just as Milton Keynes was in England) . Your Route 1 indeed passes through Craigavon which has two stations Portadown and Lurgan.