Western Rail Corridor

gunbarrel wrote: »

If those two are true, in Ireland, then how did the first phase get built?

Because we are ruled by imbeciles.

gunbarrel wrote: »

Exactly so dont be too surprised if they, for some strange reason, give the next the phase the go ahead. Stranger things have happened.

Actually good point. They are a complete bunch of idiots (on both sides) so you never can predict the kind of decisions they come out with.

I fundamentally agree a full spec motorway will be overkill 2+1 or the type of dc they have around roosky dromod on the N4 would be fine, or even the wide single carriageway of the Claremorris Knock bypass - but you do need a seamless new road alignment that does not go through the towns and does not have household fronting on to it, nor every boreen criss crossing it. The current road from Tuam to Galway (not withstanding the Claregalway issue) is a deathtrap. There really is no need for "motorway" from Sligo to Tuam - but the bad spots so far not upgraded do need doing - which includes bypassing the towns and villages you mention - Do this and you simply don't need the WRC T Junction railway line.

http://www.irishtimes.com/letters/

Has anyone seen this ridiculous letter in the IT today- never seen such simplistic thinking (except from WOT)

Good amendment Chris - somehow don't think we will see that in the Galway press!

Judgement Day wrote: »

westtip - the author of that letter is a respected civil engineer of many years standing and has studied, debated and generally agitated on behalf of Irish railways for more than thirty years now, so I would not dismiss his simple contribution to the WRC debate. The letter was short and not full of detail or wikipedia references but I assure you that there is no better man than Alan French to back up his arguments with facts if required. He is the thinking man/woman's Sean Barrett.

JD thanks for that insight - I would have imagined the writer had a background interest in the argument - in particular as he comes from "leafy south Dublin" as our friends from WOT would describe his provenance! However I do think he has been somewhat simplistic - (BTW I for one would not trust Wikipedia for a reference on how to make pancakes), Comparing the WRC with the DART and LUAS is like comparing apples and pears and this simple analagy of saying someone objected to the DART 30 years ago means therefore we should dismiss objections to WRC on the same grounds is total nonsense - and you well know that. IN fact it strikes me as clutching at straws.

If the supporters of WRC are going to compare the DART with WRC lets then do that:

For the sake of this argument lets compare Gort with Greystones and Tuam with Malahide. if you have a map of the country to hand draw a line from Tuam to Malahide and a similar line from Gort to Greystones - they are both at a similar latitude so the line is quite straight - So we are comparing the Malahide to Greystones Dart with 27 stations and the WRC from Tuam to Gort - on which there are seven stations - 8 if count the double stop at Athenry for trains going along the "corridor" from Tuam to Gort via Galway, this would be a reasonable comparison in terms of length of rail line. (of course I am not including the Sutton and Howth spur for the DART!)

Now lets think about how many people live along the DART line between Greystones and the City Centre; and the same from Malahide to the City centre - by live along lets say within half a miles walking distance of each of the 27 stations, and then do the same comparison for the WRC, excluding those who drive to their respective stations, because if we add in all those within say a three mile radius the figures will knock WRC completely out of the water. I am sure someone on these boards can trawl through the CSO data and do this - I have not got the time! Lets do the same population comparison on the seven stations along this section of the WRC.

Critical Mass as mentioned by Minister O'Cuiv in May - has to play a part in all this.

Now think about car dependency in the west of Ireland. For those who don't have a car living in isolated one off homesteads or even in small towns and villages - start thinking about the role of rural bus schemes (of which there are many but need to be more). Think about express bus services on good roads. Think about the greater good for a greater number - and how a well subvented and well organised bus service could provide a fantastic public transport service to the west. Think about the leve of subvention needed for WRC and how this might be better spent. Think about Road transport dependency for the delivery of goods to our shops in the west. Think about Road transport for dependency on getting to crucial services such as medical centres and hospitals - Alan in his letter in the Irish times today states in his letter"I suspect it is not so much a bias against the West, as against anything on rails" is saying that those against the WRC are anti rail - far from it - many of us on these boards including me BTW are very pro rail - but only when the conditions suit - they do suit for DART, Luas, Navan rail line etc. They really don't as a public transport solution for Tuam to Galway or Gort to Galway. This in reality is the great lost opportunity of a campaigning group such as WOT, if they were put the energy into what we need in the west it would be great - but they are creating a smokescreen and distraction to the real public transport and infrastructure issues because they are dominated by an obsession which blinds rational thought.

Derek - one word - BRILLIANT!!!!

Peter wrote: »

Make or break time on the Tuam rail connection says Chamber of Commerce

A VITAL decision on whether Tuam railway station will reopen in the near future is imminent and the local Chamber of Commerce is calling for an all-out lobbying campaign to put pressure on the government to live up to a promise to have the town back on track by 2011.
Tuam Chamber of Commerce are to hold a meeting in the town next week to discuss what strategy to take regarding reconnecting Tuam to the national rail network.
A guest speaker from the West on Track group which has been campaigning on the Western Rail Corridor issue for a number of years will address the meeting in the Ard Ri Hotel on Tuesday next, September 8, at 8pm.
In a statement a spokesperson for the Chamber said: "A decision will be taken in the next 8 weeks on whether or not to rebuild the railway line to Tuam. The Ennis to Athenry section of the Western Rail Corridor has cost €1.5m per km and therefore the extension of the line to Tuam will only cost €30m to rebuild. Compare this with a cost of €21m per km for the Navan Railway line and it is clear that this investment represents value for money.
We have an opportunity to have this line re-opened in a year but what is needed now for the people of Tuam, from business to local elected representatives to the citizens of our town, is to put pressure on central Government to deliver on their promises. Now is the time to raise our voices in unison to fight for the infrastructure that our HUB town badly needs."
The organisers of the meeting are calling on all interested parties to turn up to the meeting and show their support for this vital piece of infrastructure for Tuam and the region.

From last Wednesday's Tuam Herald

What happens if people turn up and say - this whole thing is completely unnecessary a good bus service would suffice? In the current climate it won't get the go ahead from the Minister of Finance; And in any event Dempsey is on record a few times of saying there will be no decision until the patronage of WRC phase 1 is assessed by IE.; and as the phase one line won't be opening until early December (latest statement), the required look at patronage of that line won't be complete for at least six months - and as IE will actually be the ones making the recommendation to the minister don't get too optimistic, cos they absolutely do not want it! and in nine months time the whole country could be being run by the IMF and what then????