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Western Rail Corridor on Prime time now.

  • 17-01-2012 10:49pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭


    Interesting. :)


«13

Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,522 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    what's the gist of it?

    any mention of the massaging of passenger numbers yet?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,831 ✭✭✭dloob


    Well it seems to provide a nice picnic destination for the 4 pensioners that use it.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,831 ✭✭✭dloob


    what's the gist of it?

    any mention of the massaging of passenger numbers yet?

    Average of 8 per train.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 636 ✭✭✭noelfirl


    The gist:

    Colman: It's in it's infancy. It'll build on the numbers. It's for the future. We're serious. It's not a toy railway.

    McCarthy: We could give it's passengers free taxi rides and it would be cheaper. Infrastructure needs a good business case.

    The tone overall seems on the negative side. Lots of shots of empty fields and it started with pensioners having their train picnics.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 636 ✭✭✭noelfirl


    I'm not usually a great fan of Colm McCarthy's cut throat economics, but it's a very firmly based opinion in this case.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭Run_to_da_hills


    what's the gist of it?

    any mention of the massaging of passenger numbers yet?
    e80 per passenger :eek:

    An average of 8 passengers per train throughout the year.

    It would be cheaper for them to put in two taxies for each run than use the train.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,719 ✭✭✭GerardKeating


    noelfirl wrote: »
    I'm not usually a great fan of Colm McCarthy's cut throat economics, but it's a very firmly based opinion in this case.

    Who is the idiot with the striped shirt and beard?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 636 ✭✭✭noelfirl


    Ming (shirt and beard) arguing that increased usage of Athenry > Galway section justifies the Athenry > Ennis section. Also the little things, like the lack of the aul cuppa.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,543 ✭✭✭dublinman1990


    I am watching it now and get this.

    Colm McCarthy just said that 'there are only 8 people per day travel between Craughwell and Athenry. That is enough to cover two taxi loads. It is a just colossal waste of taxpayer's money'.

    My word, if that continues, the loss of €38 million euro for IE for 2010 would go breathtaking high level.

    Anyone watching Luke 'Ming' Flanagan now. Anyone might him understand now, But I think he is talking utter rubbish IMO. He said that there are many, many more people are using it in Athenry.

    Does anyone believe him?


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 18,184 ✭✭✭✭Lapin


    It not only needs a restaurant car.

    It should have a sleeping carriage too as it takes so bloody long to get from Galway to Limerick.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,719 ✭✭✭GerardKeating


    noelfirl wrote: »
    Ming (shirt and beard) arguing that increased usage of Athenry > Galway section justifies the Athenry > Ennis section. Also the little things, like the lack of the aul cuppa.

    Is the rolling stock "clapped out" and "unwanted" and the bearded one claims?

    Have only seen them from a distance and they look "newish"...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 636 ✭✭✭noelfirl


    Leo has no intention of closing it or scaling it down. Ming making out that the railway is vital, traffic clogged up in Galway, no way to get "to the West" (??) unless you have a car.

    Ming got the last line:
    "You were wrong about the Luas, you'll be wrong about the WRC". Hmmm...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 636 ✭✭✭noelfirl


    Is the rolling stock "clapped out" and "unwanted" and the bearded one claims?.

    I'm not sure the exact class, but basically they are repainted variants of Commuter stock. Clapped out and unwanted may be a stretch, but others have anecdotally reported of them being unsuitable for Intercity services.


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    They're the 2700 class railcars. Intended for commuter services in and around Dublin and not really suitable for Intercity use, but that hasn't stopped IE using them on the Mallow-Tralee and Dublin-Rosslare routes.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭Run_to_da_hills


    Karsini wrote: »
    They're the 2700 class railcars. Intended for commuter services in and around Dublin and not really suitable for Intercity use, but that hasn't stopped IE using them on the Mallow-Tralee and Dublin-Rosslare routes.
    What about the Double cab 2750 units? Is there a problem with these?


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    What about the Double cab 2750 units? Is there a problem with these?

    They are using those too, but usually marshalled with a 2700 to make a 3-piece set.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 7,102 ✭✭✭Stinicker


    Ming flanagan has a very valid point IE have made no attempt to do anything with this and they really don't care as it so far away from their fat cat managers in Dublin that they aren't bothered.

    The service should be oriented on a Galway to Cork route and forget the Limerick to Galway mentality. Run it from Galway down to Cork providing connections to Dublin & Waterford at Limerick Junction and again to Kerry to at Mallow Junction. The route on is own is unviable because there is no attempt made to run it properly. The arguement at the moment is the same as saying they should not have built the Cork-Dublin motorway through rural Tipperary because only a few people live there.

    I know lots of people who have to endure the N20 Cork-Limerick road and most would take the train from Cork to Limerick, Ennis and Galway. Instead for example if you live in Killarney for eg. to travel from here to Galway you should have to travel to Mallow first and connect there, connect again in Limerick junction and again in Limerick! Its a joke!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,736 ✭✭✭pawrick


    If the journey time was shortened more people might use it otherwise the bus is quicker and more comfortable. Tea/coffee service actually does make a difference also when comparing to a bus.

    All that said - it doesn't appear economical but is it a community service and could also help with tourism if properly marketed and with on line tickets.

    Also perhaps offer a free service for 6 months to get people used to the idea of using a train in an area where the car is king it's not like they are swimming in money from what they earn so far on the route?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    It all comes to transport 'planning' in this country being of the back of the envelope variety done by people whose knowledge would fit on the back of a postage stamp.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17,733 ✭✭✭✭corktina


    But have not WoT put out loads and loads of publicity on this line? Why would IE promote this line when they don't really promote ANY of their lines in a meaningful way? Whats more they are actively closing some lines by stealth at thsi time.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    pawrick wrote: »
    If the journey time was shortened more people might use it otherwise the bus is quicker and more comfortable. Tea/coffee service actually does make a difference also when comparing to a bus.

    All that said - it doesn't appear economical but is it a community service and could also help with tourism if properly marketed and with on line tickets.

    Also perhaps offer a free service for 6 months to get people used to the idea of using a train in an area where the car is king it's not like they are swimming in money from what they earn so far on the route?

    You won't get far with ideas like that - thinking outside the box is much talked about in Ireland but rarely acted on.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17,733 ✭✭✭✭corktina


    pawrick wrote: »
    If the journey time was shortened more people might use it otherwise the bus is quicker and more comfortable. Tea/coffee service actually does make a difference also when comparing to a bus.

    All that said - it doesn't appear economical but is it a community service and could also help with tourism if properly marketed and with on line tickets.

    Also perhaps offer a free service for 6 months to get people used to the idea of using a train in an area where the car is king it's not like they are swimming in money from what they earn so far on the route?

    the journey time can't be shortened because they simply didn't re-build the line to a high enough modern standard and in any case journey times will get WORSE when the two new stations planned are opened.

    As for tea and coffee, are you serious? Is the line not costing us enough already without adding to the losses?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,543 ✭✭✭dublinman1990


    Leo Varadkar said that the WRC does not recieve any EU funding. With a problem like that on it's back, if the reverse happened the line would not be in so much trouble with the NTA as it is now.

    I would suggest that if the figures with the NTA and IE are completely contradicting each other, The NTA should have the absolutely the final word on it's current situation as with any other transport project. It is independent of the Transport Ministers, either Varadkar or Kelly, as it advises them on the full story on these projects as it happens.

    They have done plenty of committee meetings before, they should have the raw data at hand to show that the minister can make his decision.

    I do question of the unavailability of the EU funding for the project though. I do think that the low population numbers and low infrastructure quality does not justify making the funding not available. The west of Ireland in general is crying out for lots of investment no matter how big or small it is. Even though the majority of the land is agricultural, there is some big money to made out of it. It was unfair to let that land degrade itself during the time when Ireland had tons of money.

    I mean 'Ming' Flanagan was talking about the problems of traffic in Galway City. I mean there are going to be buses from BE that are going to solve this problem anyway. It makes what he said on Prime Time not making one shred of difference IMO. The train station in Athenry and Galway is accessible by both bus and train.

    Or although, I could be wrong.

    There is a new thread about new BE buses if you're interested.

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=887


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,941 ✭✭✭✭LXFlyer


    As I see it (from an operational perspective) there are several problems:

    1) Line speeds - there are still a myriad of temporary speed restrictions in place along the line thereby hindering any hope of competitiveness

    2) Lack of connectivity - out of 6 southbound trains on weekdays, the following are the wait times at Limerick to travel further south:
    0620 - 25 minutes
    0940 - 17 minutes
    1210 - 48 minutes
    1430 - 31 minutes
    1730 - 43 minutes

    Only one of those is approaching anything acceptable. After that there is either a 20-30 minute wait at Limerick Junction to add to these waiting times.

    Similarly, northbound the waiting times at Limerick into trains for Galway are:
    0935 - 20 minutes
    1155 - 40 minutes
    1410 - 5 minutes
    1805 - 62 minutes
    1930 - 20 minutes

    How can that be deemed operating the service in a manner conducive to developing customers?

    3) The complete inability to buy a ticket online - daft. This needs addressing asap.

    Leaving aside the fundamental questions of whether the line should have been reopened in the first place or not, the inability of IE to timetable, market and operate the service in a business like manner is frankly pathetic.

    Personally I would view the 2700s as adequate rolling stock for the route - they are only 15 years old - not quite clapped out as Ming suggested.

    At the end of the day, my personal view is that if IE are not interested in coming up with services on this line, the Limerick Junction/Waterford line and the Nenagh branch that actually are meaningful and have the potential to develop the routes, then the lines (and the Limerick/Dublin direct services) should be given to another operator that would be capable of doing it.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    Why on earth should it be possible to buy an online ticket for the WRC when you still can't do it on the Connolly/Rosslare Harbour route? :rolleyes:

    IE%2BJOURNEY.JPG


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,736 ✭✭✭pawrick


    corktina wrote: »

    As for tea and coffee, are you serious? Is the line not costing us enough already without adding to the losses?

    I am actually (can vending machines be put on a train or is that a burn risk?). Anyhow I was taking the entire route in to consideration not just new middle part which has apparently a lot fewer people.

    It was poorly organised by the looks of it and probably shouldn't have gone ahead in preference to an improved bus service but it's there now so why not try to improve the service since it's not like it will be shut in the morning with all the investment which went in?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 674 ✭✭✭Southsider1


    As someone else said, it's done all wrong. They're talking of marketing a small stretch of line when they should be marketing the whole line ie from Galway right down to Cork/Kerry and from Galway right down to Rosslare (Yes! Re-open the Waterford - Rosslare stretch.

    Also nobody mentions the vast scope for freight on the line too. It must be viable to run a long freighter between Galway and Rosslare and/or Cork harbours.


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 23,006 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    pawrick wrote: »
    It was poorly organised by the looks of it and probably shouldn't have gone ahead in preference to an improved bus service but it's there now so why not try to improve the service since it's not like it will be shut in the morning with all the investment which went in?

    Why not can it?

    With two bus services already serving Galway, BE hourly, Citylink Bi-hourly in significantly faster times, why continue to waste €3 million per annum on this?

    Why not instead give 500,000 to BE and citylink to put even more buses on and spend the other 2.5 million on other much more worthy projects in the west like the road projects Leo mentioned or hospitals (keeping them open) or schools?


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 23,006 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    Also nobody mentions the vast scope for freight on the line too. It must be viable to run a long freighter between Galway and Rosslare and/or Cork harbours.

    More fantasy drivel. There is absolutely no scope for rail freight in Ireland. Moving freight by road is vastly cheaper, quicker and more flexible then by rail.

    You literally couldn't get any country in the world that is less suitable for rail freight then Ireland.

    - An island no more then 300 miles in length.
    - Major city and urban area in the middle of the country.
    - Little or no heavy industry.
    - Very well connected by major motorway network.
    - All major population centres have ports.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 560 ✭✭✭Jehuty42


    bk wrote: »
    -Major city and urban area in the middle of the country.

    Is Athlone really that major?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 25,495 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    Politicians and local lobbyists bandie about the word 'infrastructure' to excuse ludicrously parochial policies. The initial campaign for the western rail corridor was led by some priest who conducted a poll in which people were asked if they would use the service if it was opened. Needless to say everyone said that they would even though none of then was screened to see if they actually had a need to get from one point on the line to another. The numbers presented by the people lobbying for the service needless to say were grossly optimistic and devoid of any relationship to reality as borne out by the numbers (not) using the service.

    Ming Flanagan was in complete denial tonight, he was even rubbishing the numbers (8 per trip) until Miriam interrupted him to say that the numbers came from Iarnrod Eireann and of course he conveniently ignored the film that was broadcast before the discussion in which we saw almost empty carriages.

    When Maire Geoghehan-Quinn (then a FF TD for Galway West) was Minister for Transport, she justified the Shannon stopover on the basis that 'I passionately believed in regional infrastructure'. What that translated to was that if you were flying from Boston or New York to Dublin, you were forced to land and disembark at a pokey little airport with souvenier shops selling leprechauns and shillelaghs at 6 a.m. in the morning. Having established that there was no purpose to the stopover, you then had to reboard, take off and fly to Dublin, all the while cursing the stupid small-minded pricks who thought that forcing planes to land at Shannon had anything to do with 'infrastructure'.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,541 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    Jehuty42 wrote: »
    Is Athlone really that major?

    No, but Dublin is halfway up the east coast, so on average less far away from everywhere else than, say, Rosslare or Belfast.

    Scrap the cap!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,541 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    As someone else said, it's done all wrong. They're talking of marketing a small stretch of line when they should be marketing the whole line ie from Galway right down to Cork/Kerry and from Galway right down to Rosslare (Yes! Re-open the Waterford - Rosslare stretch.

    How long would Galway - Cork take, never mind Galway - Rosslare? Maybe OAPs would be willing to while away the day on such a trip, but they don't have to pay and have copious free time.

    Scrap the cap!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,541 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    IE should offer the line and rolling stock to West on Track for a reasonable rent, and see if they can make a go of it. I actually wish they'd succeed, but in reality there's no hope in hell.

    Scrap the cap!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,861 ✭✭✭Poxyshamrock


    If it had a proper speed limit, proper rolling stock and maybe a direct curve before Athenry, it may have succeeded! I know lots of students who go from Limerick to Galway (and vice versa) who tried it a few times and just said that it wasn't worth their time or money. It was slow and uncomfortable.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,541 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    coylemj wrote: »
    Ming Flanagan was in complete denial tonight, he was even rubbishing the numbers (8 per trip) until Miriam interrupted him to say that the numbers came from Iarnrod Eireann and of course he conveniently ignored the film that was broadcast before the discussion in which we saw almost empty carriages.

    He actually said 'but the 8 per day ignores pensioners' - well, duh, even if it does the pensioners aren't buying a ticket!

    Having established that there was no purpose to the stopover, you then had to reboard, take off and fly to Dublin, all the while cursing the stupid small-minded pricks who thought that forcing planes to land at Shannon had anything to do with 'infrastructure'.

    Really you couldn't make up the gob****eism that passes for policy in this country.

    Of course the more savvy passengers figured out that if they were going to have to take a needless stopover, it might as well be in London or Amsterdam giving them a wider choice of destinations and timings and likely lower fares as well.

    Scrap the cap!



  • Closed Accounts Posts: 190 ✭✭DDigital


    So Thomas Sheridan and Derek Wheeler from Platform 11 were actually right in 2004. It was useless, irrelevant, and a waste of time, consultants and resources. I don't have time to revisit all the media coverage that was initially started by the aforementioned, but they were the first to say that it was a dead end deal. Using the article below as an an example, I'm not convinced about Navan or Athlone-Mullingar, but the reference to the endangered Limerick - Waterford line is very close to home at this stage in the proceedings.
    Rail pressure

    THE national rail transport pressure group, Platform II, has been accused of ‘a terrible act of sabotage’ following its stated opposition to the re-opening of the Western Rail Corridor, linking Sligo with Galway and Limerick. Fr. Micheál McGréil, who has campaigned for the re-opening of the Sligo-Limerick line for almost twenty years, said he was saddened and disappointed by the opposition of Platform II to the project. ‘I understand the group is made up of about five people and their stance is divisive and narrow-minded. It feeds into the centralist mind set which queries everything that is planned for outside Dublin’ he said. Platform II maintains that the estimated 300 million euro it would cost to reopen and upgrade the link along a mostly disused line could be better spent on other rail projects, such as the Cork-Midleton, Dublin-Navan and Athlone-Mullingar lines. The group’s spokesman, Mr. Derek Wheeler, said 300 million euro would go a long way towards securing the future of existing regional rail routes such as the Limerick-Waterford line. Mr. Wheeler said that Dublin remained the only capital city in the EU still without a rail link of any kind to its airport.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,541 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    If it had a proper speed limit, proper rolling stock and maybe a direct curve before Athenry, it may have succeeded! I know lots of students who go from Limerick to Galway (and vice versa) who tried it a few times and just said that it wasn't worth their time or money. It was slow and uncomfortable.

    Speeds are low on IE in general, but are going to be particularly low on a Victorian light rail alignment. Sure, you could build a straighter WRC line with higher speeds but it would cost serious money. And if Dublin-Cork's future competing against coaches on the motorway doesn't look great (without major investment on improving speeds, which isn't looking likely) what hope does the WRC have?

    Cork-Dublin-Belfast may survive. But that will be a political decision based on how much they are willing to subsidise it. It'll never be economic short of ripping apart either IE or the motorway network. I wouldn't bet money on anything other than C-D-B and commuter rail surviving 20 years from now. Maybe much less.

    Scrap the cap!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 35,541 ✭✭✭✭Hotblack Desiato


    ninja900 wrote: »
    How long would Galway - Cork take, never mind Galway - Rosslare? Maybe OAPs would be willing to while away the day on such a trip, but they don't have to pay and have copious free time.

    Actually, even OAPs wouldn't bother. They'd have to stump up for an overnight - no possibility of doing an out and back in a day.

    Scrap the cap!



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,071 ✭✭✭purplepanda


    dloob wrote: »
    Average of 8 per train.


    €100 plus million to rebuild & how much per year to run? And they close & will continue to close lines with much higher passenger numbers!!!!!!:mad::mad::mad:


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,295 ✭✭✭n97 mini


    Ming's point is that it could be run a lot better than it currently is. I think he's probably right.

    Pigs will fly first, but as should have been done with Rosslare-Waterford I'd like to see a group of experts devise a timetable and services to maximise patronage. If that doesn't work, mothball it.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17,733 ✭✭✭✭corktina


    of course Ming is right on that point.

    My local station is Banteer on the line to Killarney as you know a top tourist destination, Tralee with its races , shops and colleges and Farranfore with its airport.

    Never once in 25 years have I seen publiicity material suggesting using the train to avail of any of these.

    we all know IE don't run the railway the way they should ,so it's a bit naive to be using that as an excuse for the low patronage on the WRC.

    As for Cork to Galway services, well, how many people use the existing Cork to Limerick (with a change at the Junction) trains? Not many I'll bet.


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 23,006 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    The problem is all the marketing, new trains and faster alignments in the world won't change the reality that such rail lines are fundamentally flawed and it would simply be dumping more money into the pit.

    With the future of intercity rail travel in general looking very shaky, including the premier lines like Cork - Dublin, it seems crazy that the WRC was even built and that people are seriously saying that even more money should be wasted on it.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭Run_to_da_hills


    corktina wrote: »
    the journey time can't be shortened because they simply didn't re-build the line to a high enough modern standard and in any case journey times will get WORSE when the two new stations planned are opened.

    As for tea and coffee, are you serious? Is the line not costing us enough already without adding to the losses?
    A kettle, a couple of tea bags and a few mugs beside the power point on a 2700 wouldn't cost much.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 18,184 ✭✭✭✭Lapin


    corktina wrote: »
    My local station is Banteer on the line to Killarney as you know a top tourist destination, Tralee with its races , shops and colleges and Farranfore with its airport.

    Do you mean human races ? :)

    Tralee racecourse closed down a couple of years ago. :(


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17,733 ✭✭✭✭corktina


    really? oh well, I was only trying to talk up Tralee to make it sound a vibrant interesting place to visit.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    corktina wrote: »
    really? oh well, I was only trying to talk up Tralee to make it sound a vibrant interesting place to visit.

    It was back in the 1970s. :D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭Run_to_da_hills


    It wouldn't look good at all on the books if this line was to scrapped / scaled down after pumping over 100 million of into it's reconstruction.

    Would it not make sense to preserve it for private heritage railways during the summer months?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17,733 ✭✭✭✭corktina


    No volunteers, no stock, no tourists...(or nearly so)

    The one useful function it does serve is to make sure that no more lines like it are built. Unfortunately that is at the cost of Waterford to Rosslare and soon no doubt Limerick to Ballybrophy and Waterford to Limerick Junction.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,337 ✭✭✭dowlingm


    Never mind lads, Crusheen station will be built soon and sure that will be the saving of it all. :rolleyes:


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