New cycle track Mullingar to Athlone

pm. · 13-10-2014 8:05pm #1

Hi just to let you know the county council are working on the old railway line from Mullingar to Athlone and transforming it into a cycle lane. I think its around 30kms each way some lovely scenery aswell

nice_guy80 · 13-10-2014 9:30pm

5 years after I suggested it...

Salmon · 13-10-2014 9:48pm

pm. wrote: »

Hi just to let you know the county council are working on the old railway line from Mullingar to Athlone and transforming it into a cycle lane. I think its around 30kms each way some lovely scenery aswell

Just a couple of pics of the work thats ongoing for anyone thats interested!

TheBody · 13-10-2014 9:54pm

Excellent news! Have they much of it done? Anyone know when it will be finished?

I said · 13-10-2014 10:17pm

TheBody wrote: »

Excellent news! Have they much of it done? Anyone know when it will be finished?

Working at Castletown geogeohan

end of the road · 13-10-2014 10:19pm

great, a line that should have never been closed in the first place and should have been reopened instead of the western fail rail handed over to the peddlers never to be got back. shame on the council

nice_guy80 · 13-10-2014 10:19pm

Might bring some business to villages along the route.
I can see many a pint being downed in CTG and elsewhere by thirsty cyclists

nice_guy80 · 13-10-2014 10:20pm

end of the road wrote: »

great, a line that should have never been closed in the first place and should have been reopened instead of the western fail rail handed over to the peddlers never to be got back. shame on the council

rail is a dying mode of transport in Ireland. except on the main routes.
with the motorway network it is not really needed

metrovick001 · 13-10-2014 10:25pm

Only because its not be run correctly.

nice_guy80 wrote: »

rail is a dying mode of transport in Ireland. except on the main routes.
with the motorway network it is not really needed

end of the road · 13-10-2014 10:34pm

nice_guy80 wrote: »

rail is a dying mode of transport in Ireland. except on the main routes.

yeah, i'm sure it is . as someone who uses rail i can tell you that its not a dying method of transport. apart from the main routes everything else surviving is being ran down deliberately. athlone mullingar is a strategic link between both the dublin maynooth/sligo and dublin kildare portarlington athlone lines and whatever happens it should be made to be easily reopenable.

nice_guy80 wrote: »

with the motorway network it is not really needed

of course it is . how isn't it needed. if it wasn't needed it would have gone years ago. thankfully so far the realization that it is needed still prevails. not everyone wishes to use the motor way, if they did they would do so

end of the road · 13-10-2014 10:36pm

metrovick001 wrote: »

Only because its not be run correctly.

that, and the fact its not a dying method at all. its just stuff pumped out by the greenway lot and the road transport lot who have the notion in their minds.

nice_guy80 · 13-10-2014 10:46pm

who would use the railway line if it was reopened? realistically?
Most people have cars nowadays. even students in college.

a railway line between two major cities in Limerick and Galway was reopened and it barely gets used.

end of the road · 13-10-2014 10:58pm

nice_guy80 wrote: »

who would use the railway line if it was reopened? realistically?

well we won't know now will we, but i think it would get rather a lot of use if it had been reopened, during the good times would have been the right time.

nice_guy80 wrote: »

Most people have cars nowadays. even students in college.

and? means nothing. offer them an alternative that works properly and you never know they might just use it. everyone has a car yet many use public transport, can you believe that.

nice_guy80 wrote: »

a railway line between two major cities in Limerick and Galway was reopened and it barely gets used.

and? the failure of that line is not a reason against reopenings, considering the line winds around the place and is as slow as a funeral its not surprising it has little usership. built on a good alinement with good speeds it would have got the traffic as the market is there for a link between galway and limerick. but with the current line that may as well go around by southern yemen, its not surprising nobody takes it up.

nice_guy80 · 13-10-2014 11:04pm

end of the road wrote: »

well we won't know now will we, but i think it would get rather a lot of use if it had been reopened, during the good times would have been the right time.

and? means nothing. offer them an alternative that works properly and you never know they might just use it. everyone has a car yet many use public transport, can you believe that.

and? the failure of that line is not a reason against reopenings, considering the line winds around the place and is as slow as a funeral its not surprising it has little usership. built on a good alinement with good speeds it would have got the traffic as the market is there for a link between galway and limerick. but with the current line that may as well go around by southern yemen, its not surprising nobody takes it up.

I think you need to move to southern yemen.
In a country as small as Ireland, its quicker and cheaper to drive.

No point in spending €100 million upgrading the line in the hope someone might use it to travel between two regional towns.

end of the road · 13-10-2014 11:17pm

nice_guy80 wrote: »

In a country as small as Ireland, its quicker and cheaper to drive.

is it? funnily enough, its not in my experience. it might be in some peoples cases, but thats just down to their situation. still means nothing, and is no reason against rail investment.

nice_guy80 wrote: »

No point in spending €100 million upgrading the line in the hope someone might use it to travel between two regional towns.

which line. galway and limerick are cities, end of, doesn't matter about european contexts. the current line isn't being upgraded. read my post again, i said new line in the first place. frankly it wouldn't cost 100000000 to upgrade the athlone mullingar line as its rather short, it would be money well spent. anyway i'm off now, by

nice_guy80 · 13-10-2014 11:25pm

end of the road wrote: »

is it? funnily enough, its not in my experience. it might be in some peoples cases, but thats just down to their situation. still means nothing, and is no reason against rail investment.

which line. galway and limerick are cities, end of, doesn't matter about european contexts. the current line isn't being upgraded. read my post again, i said new line in the first place. frankly it wouldn't cost 100000000 to upgrade the athlone mullingar line as its rather short, it would be money well spent. anyway i'm off now, by

that's the figure that was quoted before.
feel free to come back and argue your points.

the cycleway should sustain more jobs along the route than the trains ever would

end of the road · 13-10-2014 11:34pm

nice_guy80 wrote: »

that's the figure that was quoted before.
feel free to come back and argue your points.

the cycleway should sustain more jobs along the route than the trains ever would

doubt it, nothing to get excited about along that line. mayo and kerry are the places for cycling tourism and cycling and general

nice_guy80 · 14-10-2014 8:16am

end of the road wrote: »

doubt it, nothing to get excited about along that line. mayo and kerry are the places for cycling tourism and cycling and general

and that should end your interest in this thread.
off to Yemen, Mayo or Kerry with ya

Judgement Day · 14-10-2014 10:17am

I still have a major difficulty with this concept of thousands of people descending on every former railway line in the country to cycle along them. It used to be every large town had to have a grotto, hospital, bypass, airport and now they all have to have a cycleway too. The panacea for all Ireland's problems.

The Mullingar/Athlone was not just a link between Mullingar and Athlone, it was the main route to Galway. Just as the line from Clonsilla to Navan M3 Parkway is a monument to that waster Noel Dempsey, the cycleway from Mullingar to Athlone will be Leo Varadkar's legacy to the people of the Midlands. Enjoy it! :rolleyes:

end of the road · 14-10-2014 1:53pm

stop the peddlers, give us back our railways. stop the peddlers, give us back our railways. stop the peddlers, give us back our railways. stop the peddlers, give us back our railways. what do we want, railways free from the peddlers, when do we want it, now.

nice_guy80 · 14-10-2014 5:50pm

Have you ever been abroad?

In New Zealand so many of the former railways have been turned into cycleways. They generate far more tourist spend along the route of the cycleway - accommodation, shops, cafes.

Take off the railway blinkers.
The rail line is closed, see the potential in this new venture

end of the road · 14-10-2014 5:59pm

nice_guy80 wrote: »

Have you ever been abroad?

In New Zealand so many of the former railways have been turned into cycleways. They generate far more tourist spend along the route of the cycleway - accommodation, shops, cafes.

Take off the railway blinkers.
The rail line is closed, see the potential in this new venture

what potential. for the cyclists kerry and mayo are the places to see. not along the athlone mullingar line, there is nothing of sceenic interest along there. and i'd imagine in New Zealand if they want the cycle ways back for a railway they get it back, unlike britain where the peddler terrorists known as sustrins have to much power and stop progress. see the BRT project in NI. we'l probably end up the same. yes i've been abroad many times.

athlonelad · 14-10-2014 6:02pm

end of the road wrote: »

yes i've been abroad many times.

Did you go by train?

pawrick · 14-10-2014 6:09pm

If the line was reopened I would use it to get to Dublin rather than arrive in Heuston and have to get a luas or bus the rest of the way I'd be getting in to Connolly. Also looking at the map it appears to be a more direct route than going south to Portarlington. This is all dependent on having a direct Dublin service. If the line ceased at Mullingar and you had to wait for connections any benefit would be wasted and I doubt it would be economical to keep it going.

I've nothing against the cycle route either as i can't see any gov. giving the money to reopen the line.

SilverScreen · 14-10-2014 10:39pm

pawrick wrote: »

If the line was reopened I would use it to get to Dublin rather than arrive in Heuston and have to get a luas or bus the rest of the way I'd be getting in to Connolly. Also looking at the map it appears to be a more direct route than going south to Portarlington. This is all dependent on having a direct Dublin service. If the line ceased at Mullingar and you had to wait for connections any benefit would be wasted and I doubt it would be economical to keep it going.

I've nothing against the cycle route either as i can't see any gov. giving the money to reopen the line.

I doubt that it would be much quicker. Connolly Station in Dublin gets a lot more traffic than Heuston and the line is on the brink of capacity between Maynooth and Connolly. Not to mention the line from Mullingar to Connolly being slow and twisty in places. Even though the route through Portarlington is less direct it has the advantage of being double track from Portarlington to Hazelhatch and then quadruple track from Hazelhatch to Park West.

Fred Swanson · 14-10-2014 10:42pm

This post has been deleted.

Zubeneschamali · 14-10-2014 11:45pm

Talk of "re-opening" the Athlone-Mullingar line is misleading: they'd have to rip up the track and relay it from scratch, with new signalling and road crossings.

The only thing you'd get free from the old line is the route and a few dilapidated station buildings.

end of the road · 15-10-2014 12:26am

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

Talk of "re-opening" the Athlone-Mullingar line is misleading: they'd have to rip up the track and relay it from scratch, with new signalling and road crossings.

The only thing you'd get free from the old line is the route and a few dilapidated station buildings.

thats usually what happens when a line is reopened, so nothing new or ground breaking would be happening here if athlone mullingar was to reopen

nice_guy80 · 15-10-2014 8:01am

end of the road wrote: »

what potential. for the cyclists kerry and mayo are the places to see. not along the athlone mullingar line, there is nothing of sceenic interest along there. and i'd imagine in New Zealand if they want the cycle ways back for a railway they get it back, unlike britain where the peddler terrorists known as sustrins have to much power and stop progress. see the BRT project in NI. we'l probably end up the same. yes i've been abroad many times.

the tracks in NZ were closed around the same time as the railway lines in Ireland

they are making good use of the empty routes.
many of the cycle tracks are on the Canterbury plain on the south island

DeeJunFan · 15-10-2014 4:04pm

SilverScreen wrote: »

I doubt that it would be much quicker. Connolly Station in Dublin gets a lot more traffic than Heuston and the line is on the brink of capacity between Maynooth and Connolly. Not to mention the line from Mullingar to Connolly being slow and twisty in places. Even though the route through Portarlington is less direct it has the advantage of being double track from Portarlington to Hazelhatch and then quadruple track from Hazelhatch to Park West.

Quadruple track???

Mullingar to Maynooth is only single track. Its a joke if there is any delay on the sligo to connolly train you have to sit in Maynooth for god knows how long.

Zubeneschamali · 15-10-2014 8:18pm

DeeJunFan wrote: »

Mullingar to Maynooth is only single track. Its a joke

It was single tracked in the 1920s, I think. You can see on the 1901ish OS map that even the Athlone-Mullingar line was double track back then.

Mearings · 16-10-2014 8:38pm

During World War 1 this line was important for troop movement to & from Athlone. Troop trains ran in both directions throughout the night.

Judgement Day · 16-10-2014 8:51pm

During World War II it was an important route for bringing turf from the West to keep the Dubs warm. Old carriages with the roofs cut off were used.

nice_guy80 · 16-10-2014 10:04pm

So what is needed to reopen the line is another World War?

Rotunda Shill · 17-10-2014 12:22am

metrovick001 wrote: »

Only because its not be run correctly.

A case of a case of Motorway kill the Railway.

end of the road · 17-10-2014 12:30am

Rotunda Shill wrote: »

A case of a case of Motorway kill the Railway.

its not. the motor way hasn't killed the railway. irish rail will unless we act. many countries have motor ways and railways. difference is . most countries invest in their railways, even marginal ones. in ireland, we use it as a political tool, irish rail management use the running down of lines as a stick to keep a minister happy for a bit until they come back looking for more cost reductions which drive away passengers. its about time ireland realized we can't simply depend on the motor ways only. we need both methods to ensure where public transport is concerned there is a method to suit as many as possible.

nice_guy80 · 17-10-2014 5:05pm

the lifeblood of railways in most countries is the freight

irish railways carry very little freight as it was shifted onto lorries years ago as they are cheaper to run and get to every town and village in the country

pointer28 · 17-10-2014 5:15pm

Are we getting de-railed from the whole point of the thread here?

Maybe discussion on re-opening rail lines would be better the in the Railway forum.

What's important is that there is a fantastic facility being provided which will eventually link Dublin to Galway via a greenway system. The Greenways in the West have been a huge success and brought an economic boost to the surrounding areas. All these people who will eventually use to cross the country where on bike or foot will need somewhere to sleep, eat etc and even those only out for a daily walk will still want a sandwich or a cup of tea now and again.

Added to that, I've been using the canal paths for my daily work commute for years and the new Greenway will now open up a safe commute option for lots more people working in Mullingar, Athlone or places in between taking more cars off the road, reducing emissions and also helping to improve the obesity epidemic in this country.

They are also working closer to Mullingar town as well, I'd imagine they have a couple of crews working in different spots.

Overall, I think this is one of the best investments the Council could have made, and I can't wait until it's finished.

end of the road · 17-10-2014 5:33pm

nice_guy80 wrote: »

the lifeblood of railways in most countries is the freight

it isn't. apart from america and possibly australia. its a major part of other railways.

nice_guy80 wrote: »

irish railways carry very little freight as it was shifted onto lorries years ago as they are cheaper to run and get to every town and village in the country

no . it wasn't because lorries are cheeper to run which they aren't ultimately. it was politics and irish rails insistance in letting what custom they had go. ultimately, lorries aren't cheeper to run. when you factor in the costs including infrastructure, lorries are a way more expensive form of transport then rail. but politically one couldn't come out and admit that as we'l have the road hauliers association extremists planning an overthrow of the state. difference is they have the benefit of sharing the costs with other users and don't pay their way in full. the railway has to fund its own infrastructure, and the client who wishes to transport freight by rail is expected to pay the full cost of maintenence of the line. remove that burdin, make the lorries pay their way and then we'l talk. any of the freight transported by rail was stuff that frankly could and should still be. lorries can do the rest that wasn't transported by rail as it was to small. this means road maintenence costs coming down due to less ware and tare from trucks. but maybe as said, its something for another thread

nice_guy80 · 17-10-2014 7:57pm

end of the road wrote: »

it isn't. apart from america and possibly australia. its a major part of other railways.

no . it wasn't because lorries are cheeper to run which they aren't ultimately. it was politics and irish rails insistance in letting what custom they had go. ultimately, lorries aren't cheeper to run. when you factor in the costs including infrastructure, lorries are a way more expensive form of transport then rail. but politically one couldn't come out and admit that as we'l have the road hauliers association extremists planning an overthrow of the state. difference is they have the benefit of sharing the costs with other users and don't pay their way in full. the railway has to fund its own infrastructure, and the client who wishes to transport freight by rail is expected to pay the full cost of maintenence of the line. remove that burdin, make the lorries pay their way and then we'l talk. any of the freight transported by rail was stuff that frankly could and should still be. lorries can do the rest that wasn't transported by rail as it was to small. this means road maintenence costs coming down due to less ware and tare from trucks. but maybe as said, its something for another thread

you still have to get the goods from the railway freight depot to the shops or factories, so your argument is silly
the only thing cheap to transport by rail are large commodities such as coal, peat, fuel, chemicals

I think we should stop people using the tram lanes on the canals for cycling and walking because they might bring back the towing horses someday for the canal barges.
that is the equivalent of your argument.

end of the road · 17-10-2014 8:09pm

nice_guy80 wrote: »

you still have to get the goods from the railway freight depot to the shops or factories, so your argument is silly

its not. any freight that was transported by rail was done all the way by rail. only one that wasn't was the asagi plant where a bit of the journey was done by road due to much of the branch that went near the factory been lifted before the factory was built

nice_guy80 wrote: »

the only thing cheap to transport by rail are large commodities such as coal, peat, fuel, chemicals

which were talking about, along with a few other flows

nice_guy80 wrote: »

I think we should stop people using the tram lanes on the canals for cycling and walking because they might bring back the towing horses someday for the canal barges.
that is the equivalent of your argument.

bull. athlone mullingar has been well recognised as a strategic link, and that it should never have been closed. if we were still in the boom i've no doubt it probably would be on the way to reopening by now. same with navan.

Pinch Flat · 17-10-2014 8:18pm

Great news will post in cycling forum. Plenty of lads do the canals over and back and this could be taken in on a cross country journey.

nice_guy80 · 17-10-2014 9:12pm

end of the road wrote: »

its not. any freight that was transported by rail was done all the way by rail. only one that wasn't was the asagi plant where a bit of the journey was done by road due to much of the branch that went near the factory been lifted before the factory was built

which were talking about, along with a few other flows

bull. athlone mullingar has been well recognised as a strategic link, and that it should never have been closed. if we were still in the boom i've no doubt it probably would be on the way to reopening by now. same with navan.

one of the biggest users of freight rail was Guinness
how did they get the kegs from railway yards to pubs?

anyway, we're both in agreement that the railway line doesn't need to be reopened due to the lack of freight on the lines

end of the road · 17-10-2014 9:28pm

nice_guy80 wrote: »

we're both in agreement that the railway line doesn't need to be reopened due to the lack of freight on the lines

no . were not. it should be reopened freight or not. the peddlers can go to kerry and mayo where there is actually something to see while peddling.

Pinch Flat · 17-10-2014 10:10pm

end of the road wrote: »

no . were not. it should be reopened freight or not. the peddlers can go to kerry and mayo where there is actually something to see while peddling.

you sure about that? Do you cycle? Here are some of the posts from the cycling forums:

http://www.irishtrails.ie/Trail/Royal-Canal-Way/28/

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2055064470

http://irishcycle.com/tag/royal-canal-greenway/

http://sportcrazy.net/cycling/dublin-to-athlone-cycle-royal-canal/

This is just a selection of the posts on Irish forums - there's potential huge market for this and other greenways in the country and bring much needed euros into areas that need them. As well as off shoots in the pub and hospitality sector generally, Uk, Germany and the Netherlands would be potential huge markets for this.

Mearings · 17-10-2014 10:30pm

nice_guy80 wrote: »

one of the biggest users of freight rail was Guinness
how did they get the kegs from railway yards to pubs?

anyway, we're both in agreement that the railway line doesn't need to be reopened due to the lack of freight on the lines

And barge porter tasted far better than railway porter.

martin1 · 21-10-2014 4:19pm

Just back from mayo where me a couple of mates did the 42km cycle from Achill to Westport. It was really great, couldn't believe the crowds walking and cycling.

Talked to a local who said that when the idea of a cycleway was first mooted, most people including himself thought it was a total waste of money. But now they had to eat their words and admit that it was a fantastic boom to the whole area.

Athlone to Mullingar will be the same

end of the road · 21-10-2014 4:59pm

martin1 wrote: »

Just back from mayo where me a couple of mates did the 42km cycle from Achill to Westport. It was really great, couldn't believe the crowds walking and cycling.

Talked to a local who said that when the idea of a cycleway was first mooted, most people including himself thought it was a total waste of money. But now they had to eat their words and admit that it was a fantastic boom to the whole area.

Athlone to Mullingar will be the same

we'l have to wait and see. i maintain there is nothing of interest along the line unlike mayo and kerry where there are miles and miles of beautiful sceenery. once its handed over there is no getting it back either.

pointer28 · 21-10-2014 5:14pm

end of the road wrote: »

once its handed over there is no getting it back either.

Not true !

http://www.westmeathcoco.ie/en/media/Variation%2013%20National%20Cycle%20Network.pdf

The cycleway will be constructed adjacent to the disused railway tracks; the existing mainline tracks will remain in situ.

So basically, the greenway is only allowed there on the condition that Irish Rail aren't using it at the moment. Current County Development Plan policy is to reinstate the Mullingar Athlone Railway line but I think this is only wishful thinking and unlikely to ever happen. In the unlikely event that it is ever re-opened the Greenway will have to be closed I presume.

Fred Swanson · 21-10-2014 5:17pm

This post has been deleted.

pointer28 · 21-10-2014 5:22pm

Labour councillor, Mick Dollard, asked what the implications of the development between Mullingar and Athlone are on any potential future move to re-open the train line connecting the two towns.

Mr O’Reilly responded that the reopening of the line was not part of Iarnród Éireann’s strategy for the next twenty years. He added too that the lease on the track for the greenway project is for twenty years.

“It won’t prejudice the reopening of the railway line,” he stated.

- See more at: http://www.westmeathindependent.ie/news/roundup/articles/2014/08/12/4031942-september-start-date-for-athlone-to-mullingar-greenway/#sthash.pupNSa48.dpuf

New cycle track Mullingar to Athlone

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