Western Rail Corridor (all disused sections)

I see a bit in the Western People about it today.
I forgot which section.

McAlban wrote: »

We all know that this line had the largest increase in passengers in the entire rail network in 2014. (72% increase between Ennis and Athenry)

Indeed - and the funny thing about this uplift, it got quoted a great deal by West on Track, I think off the top of my head it was an uplift from about 35,000 passenger journies per annum to about 50,000 per annum. But the funny thing about West on Track making such a song and dance about it was they never want to see this part of the line isolated in passenger quotation numbers - and alway try to throw in the Ennis/Limerick numbers and Athenry/Galway numbers into the "Western Rail corridor numbers". All that aside, because that is just a game, even at 50,000 after four years the passenger journey numbers had only just reached 50% of the year one forecast numbers. According to the business plan by year 4 (2014) the line should have been carrying 250,000 "intercity" passengers journies doing the Galway-Limerick.

Herein lies the real problem around the whole socio-economic arguments for the WRC - it comes down to geography and economics and to a certain extent the way we look at our local town/city as our local hub, the whole premise of the WRC is based on some mythical economic corridor along the western seaboard. It doesn't exist. Each large Urban area on the West coast has it's own economic hinterland, which extends to probably about 30 mile radius around each urban area. There is some overlapping of the radius of economic and social influence, but no real connectivity, historically economically or even socially. There is no real economic or strong regional ties between Limerick and Galway, No more than there is between Sligo and Castlebar, or even Castlebar and Ballina, but each town exists as an economic, retail and social centre for their own hinterlands. Connecting each of these economic centres by train is not going to create a flow of people and goods and economic activity between these separate economic units as there is simply is no demand for. In terms of the longer distances - say Sligo to Cork or Limerick, the economic connections are even more tenuous. The truths is we are a single city state, and like it or not the fast and reliable inter-urban/city connectivity we want to see maximised is not Limerick/Galway or Galway/Sligo - it's Limerick/Dublin, Galway/Dublin and .... I think you get the picture. It's not a Dublin v west argument by the way, its just the way small nation states are that normally have a single city state situation, connectivity to Dublin is the key issue, like it or not. Wasting resources on railway connecting Sligo to Cork are just that, wasting money. We need to see Dublin succeed economically and we need to keep it a secret from Dublin the wonderful quality of life you can have in the west.

Grandeeod wrote: »

Fair City isn't bad at the moment. Its actually more realistic than this thread.:D

LOL nice one GD.

Carawaystick wrote: »

Is the cycleway to Dublin in the Co. development plans?

I don't think so, Leo Varadkar announced as a government initiative as part of the National Cycle Network, I think one of the county councils (Westmeath I think) was chosen to project manage it. I don't think the idea was in any of the county plans but all the councils along the route seem to have embraced it and are only too pleased to have this invesment in their counties.

This is what we need on the Western Rail Trail greenway for the Government to simply make the decision instead of dithering for ever and hiding behind this county council issue.

sonnyblack wrote: »

What was the next line on the article? Out of curiosity? Paschal Donohue was saying while I am supportive of a greenway....

sorry about that was having trouble posting up both pages for some reason this morning!

Good article by Colm McCarthy on Western Rail corridor in this weeks Irish
Farmers Journal when I get a decent copy of it will post it up, but its worth reading at the newsstand even if you don't buy the IFJ.....

Not sure West on Track will be singing his praises but they don't see eye to eye on this subject in any event!:D

mayo.mick wrote: »

Article here but behind a paywall;

http://www.farmersjournal.ie/colm-mccarthy-we-must-not-be-driven-off-track-by-ghost-railways-189138

.

Pasted up in A 4 and scanned in as .jpeg Very interesting perspective on why WOT are now trying to shift the argument to freight, he gets the whole thing spot on, its good to be in the same camp as a heavyweight of Irish academia, of course interesting a government advisor of An bord Snip Nua would choose to write on this specific issue in the IFJ. Great article. I note WOT have not pasted it up on their FB page! but have put up more Western People stuff.

Which thinker would you go for, editor of the western people or one of our most eminent economists.....

savagethegoat wrote: »

exactly what some of us on here have been saying for years, almost word for word. love the swipe at WoT in the title

in fairness Colm Mccarthy is a known dissenter against almost all Rail investment

some of the things he states are just wrong, for example the private intermodial liner trains that go between ballina and dublin ( and elsewhere ) disprove some of what he claims

not saying much of what he claims isn't a reasonable perspective , but he's a bit one sided

The future of greenways is not a zero sum argument for railways

If this was the case, journey times between Galway and Dublin could be cut to between 1hour and 30mins.

One needs to bear in mind that railways are a long-term investment as they're generally built to last between 40 and 50 years, hence all the expensive maintenance costs.

If you build a railway, the industry will eventually follow.

it will never catch on I tell you

"The Quarterly Review" for March, 1825, in reference to the line proposed to be constructed between London and Woolwich, sagely remarked "What can be more palpably absurd and ridiculous than the prospect held out of locomotives travelling twice as fast as stage coaches! We should as soon expect the people of Woolwich to suffer themselves to be fired off upon one of Congreve's ricochte rockets as trust themselves to the mercy of a machine going at such a rate. We will back old Father Thames against the Woolwich Railway for any sum. We trust that Parliament will, in all railways it may sanction, limit the speed to eight or nine miles an hour, which we entirely agree with Mr. Sylvester, is as great as can be ventured on with safety".

WomanSkirtFan8 wrote: »

1825?: The year of the opening of the Stockton And Darlington Railway in the UK in September of that year followed 5 years later by the opening of the Liverpool and Mancheter Railway.

So what exactly happened 9 years later in December, 1834, then? Ireland's very first railway and its still in service and use today.:)

so is the horse ,

No mention of the WRC in todays fantasy capital programme.:D

Well, looks like the Ballyglunin bridge is coming down:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2J-9tbBdnLweHp3eHl1cHRSbGM/view?usp=sharing

Pro-WOT Galway county councillors tried to have the vote adjourned but to no avail, the vote was carried to enable the road improvements to go ahead.

It remains to be seen if a pedestrian crossing for a greenway might be included when the road is widened. Hard to see a train ever passing this way again in the short to medium term.

The Tuam Herald seems to becoming a stronger advocate of a greenway through Tuam in recent times - very important to get local support built up.

Muckyboots wrote: »

A spokesman for West on Track said:
“In that context the protection of these routes as rail lines is vitally important and West on Track understands that the Claremorris-Athenry line will now be preserved and protected for rail use.

IMO -Looks like they have finally cut loose on Sligo-Claremorris

And Athenry Tuam as well judging by the Ballyglunin decision!!!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2J-9tbBdnLweHp3eHl1cHRSbGM/view

sonnyblack wrote: »

What does this mean? Could anyone tell me? Are numbers genuinely up on the line or is it just spin?

With the recovery going on now, all forms of transport are experiencing increases - you just have to look at how busy the roads have gotten all around the country.

Combine that with spiralling rents in urban areas and more people being priced out of renting/buying in Galway/Limerick and are commuting from outlying areas.

The WOT Facebook page puts it down to "the particular success of Iarnród Éireann’s promotional scheme for students".

I've just priced an online student return from Ennis to Galway. €9. Don't think anyone's going to beat €4.50 each way.

By way of comparison, a Bus Eireann Ennis-Galway online student return is €14.

A student will make the fiver saved stretch a long way ...

Del.Monte wrote: »

Railways are yesterday's technology (in Ireland anyway) and what money there is would be better spent tarring over as much of the countryside as possible.

well thats according to some. however, reality is much much different. ireland could have a good rail network however its much easier for government, and i believe irish rail to play politics with it rather then making it, and operating it, to the best it can be.