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Western Rail Corridor (all disused sections)

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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,610 ✭✭✭eastwest


    This was posted yesterday
    http://www.galwaycycling.org/
    "
    The Galway Cycling Campaign is welcoming the news that a delegation from Waterford is to meet Galway County Council to get the benefit of their experience with the recently opened “Deise Greenway” in Waterford.
    "
    Let us hope that the primary focus of the meeting is the preservation of the old railway asset as a greenway, and not on the Dublin Galway greenway which already has general council support.
    There seems to be a gathering storm in Tuam and Athenry comprised of a significant number of citizens who are sick of hearing nonsense about a freight train and who just want this greenway built. It may well be the case that even the slow learners on the council are beginning to see that this is what the people want to see happen.
    I reckon that the concept of a 'Western rail corridor' may soon be consigned to the archives.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,282 ✭✭✭westtip


    eastwest wrote: »

    There seems to be a gathering storm in Tuam and Athenry comprised of a significant number of citizens who are sick of hearing nonsense about a freight train and who just want this greenway built. It may well be the case that even the slow learners on the council are beginning to see that this is what the people want to see happen.
    I reckon that the concept of a 'Western rail corridor' may soon be consigned to the archives.

    I think the festering dissatisfaction with both Mayo and Galway councils from people who are simply not been listened to is about to erupt. I see the Tuam Greenway Group are organising well and in Kiltimagh the people are challenging Mayo coco on the way they have handled the demand for a greenway....Both the Cllrs and the unelected officers of the councils in Galway and Mayo who have this far disregarded public opinion for too long are getting the message loud and clear.

    western rail corridor is indeed history, Western Rail Trail rise from the ashes.


  • Registered Users Posts: 56 ✭✭omah


    Looking forward to accessing all the greenways - what a great way to discover Ireland for Irish and tourists alike.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,363 ✭✭✭✭Del.Monte


    omah wrote: »
    Looking forward to accessing all the greenways - what a great way to discover Ireland for Irish and tourists alike.

    Railways are great for that too and probably more useful if you've suitcases with you.


  • Registered Users Posts: 56 ✭✭omah


    Fair point. My understanding is that the way the greenway concept will work is that there is the option to take the land back in the future and re-open railways on them


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,610 ✭✭✭eastwest


    Del.Monte wrote: »
    omah wrote: »
    Looking forward to accessing all the greenways - what a great way to discover Ireland for Irish and tourists alike.

    Railways are great for that too and probably more useful if you've suitcases with you.
    So are buses, and they make more sense if there are only eight of you.
    The big myth about railway proposals like the wrc is that they benefit towns along the route. If there are eight tourists on a train going from Galway to Sligo, how do you get them to get off in Tuam or Kiltimagh? Short of getting on and dragging them off, all they bring to intermediate towns is their stares.
    A cyclist or a Walker, on the other hand, has to eat and sleep in towns all along the trail. There are more of them too; 1500 in one day on the athlone mullingar route, and up to 10,000 on one day in waterford.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,985 ✭✭✭Seaswimmer


    eastwest wrote: »
    So are buses, and they make more sense if there are only eight of you.
    The big myth about railway proposals like the wrc is that they benefit towns along the route. If there are eight tourists on a train going from Galway to Sligo, how do you get them to get off in Tuam or Kiltimagh? Short of getting on and dragging them off, all they bring to intermediate towns is their stares.
    A cyclist or a Walker, on the other hand, has to eat and sleep in towns all along the trail. There are more of them too; 1500 in one day on the athlone mullingar route, and up to 10,000 on one day in waterford.

    I have followed this thread for a while but only recently had a Greenway experience. Stayed a few nights in campervan in Westport house so had the bikes. Wife is a reluctant cyclist but we headed for Newport anyway. Got there and rambled around. Coffee and scones in a local restaurant busy with cyclists. Went as far as Nevins pub on the Greenway and had lunch and a couple of pints there. Back to Newport and called into local pub and had a drink/coffee. Probably spent 70 or 80 euro over the course of the day.

    There is no way we would have visited much less stopped in these places without the greenway. I didn't find the scenery particularly attractive on that stretch of greenway but the attraction of an off road trail for people who are uncomfortable or nervous cycling on the road cannot be overestimated.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,363 ✭✭✭✭Del.Monte


    I'm not a cyclist anyway but the Waterford Greenway with 10,000 cyclists on one day sounds like a nightmare.


  • Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,317 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    Del.Monte wrote: »
    I'm not a cyclist anyway but the Waterford Greenway with 10,000 cyclists on one day sounds like a nightmare.
    Not for the businesses in the towns and villages along the route.


  • Registered Users Posts: 18,079 ✭✭✭✭JCX BXC


    Again, once the WRC becomes a greenway I don't buy for even a second that returning to a railway will ever be an option, the users of the greenway simply won't allow it.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 28,928 ✭✭✭✭end of the road


    eastwest wrote: »
    So are buses, and they make more sense if there are only eight of you.

    not at all. such traffic want a high quality experience on their travels. (granted the current onboard environment of our existing railways and high quality don't go hand in hand currently) . the traffic that would want busses all ready have them.
    Del.Monte wrote: »
    I'm not a cyclist anyway but the Waterford Greenway with 10,000 cyclists on one day sounds like a nightmare.

    i would agree. each to their own though i suppose.
    JCX BXC wrote: »
    Again, once the WRC becomes a greenway I don't buy for even a second that returning to a railway will ever be an option, the users of the greenway simply won't allow it.

    sadly i reccan you are correct. britain again unfortunately shows this trend to be a reality and dispite the best efforts here i can't see that being different for ireland.

    shut down alcohol action ireland now! end MUP today!





  • sadly i reckon you are correct. Britain again unfortunately shows this trend to be a reality and despite the best efforts here i can't see that being different for Ireland.
    For some routes that would be very bad for the future, for others a blessing in disguise as a new alignment would suit future traffic needs far better than the present alignment that will remain a greenway.

    Athlone Mullingar line OTOH the alignment is already well suited for reinstatement, once the Dublin end is sorted out!


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,412 ✭✭✭Markcheese


    JCX BXC wrote:
    Again, once the WRC becomes a greenway I don't buy for even a second that returning to a railway will ever be an option, the users of the greenway simply won't allow it.

    True... And the local businesses and their staff etc would have a canary if you took away a valuable economic asset to replace it with something less convenient than a bus..
    And if the greenaway doesn't fill it's economic roll the alignment would still be there...

    Slava ukraini 🇺🇦



  • Registered Users Posts: 4,843 ✭✭✭what_traffic


    Del.Monte wrote: »
    I'm not a cyclist anyway but the Waterford Greenway with 10,000 cyclists on one day sounds like a nightmare.

    No not when you really think about. It's 42km in distance, we have 14-15 hours of daylight. Space occupied by people cycling or walking is very small. Some people are only walking 1/2km, same for cycling 5-10km.

    When is the last time we got 10,000 using the train between Athenry to Ennis in a month (let alone a day) for comparison?


  • Registered Users Posts: 28,928 ✭✭✭✭end of the road


    Markcheese wrote: »
    True... And the local businesses and their staff etc would have a canary if you took away a valuable economic asset to replace it with something less convenient than a bus..

    you wouldn't be replacing anything with something less convenient then a bus but potentially a lot more depending on which line currently planned for, or operating as a greenway, would be subject to such a change. you would simply be reusing a transport corridor for it's original usage.

    shut down alcohol action ireland now! end MUP today!



  • Registered Users Posts: 56 ✭✭omah


    Thanks for posting the figures on usage of the greenways - very interesting!


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 19,257 Mod ✭✭✭✭Sam Russell


    JCX BXC wrote: »
    Again, once the WRC becomes a greenway I don't buy for even a second that returning to a railway will ever be an option, the users of the greenway simply won't allow it.

    If there was a compelling need to rebuild the railway along the original route, I'm sure a CPO of the adjacent few metres of land would not be a problem. 10 or 20 metres of adjacent land is all that would be needed and is probably there anyway and then both greenway and railway could co-exist. There is unlikely to be more than a train every few hours. The current timetable for Dublin Wexford if for 5 journeys Dublin Wexford and 4 coming back, so people on a greenway next to the track would see very few trains in a two hour cycle.

    Also, many of the suitable lines are only single track with room reserved for a second track.


  • Registered Users Posts: 28,928 ✭✭✭✭end of the road


    If there was a compelling need to rebuild the railway along the original route, I'm sure a CPO of the adjacent few metres of land would not be a problem. 10 or 20 metres of adjacent land is all that would be needed and is probably there anyway and then both greenway and railway could co-exist. There is unlikely to be more than a train every few hours. The current timetable for Dublin Wexford if for 5 journeys Dublin Wexford and 4 coming back, so people on a greenway next to the track would see very few trains in a two hour cycle.

    Also, many of the suitable lines are only single track with room reserved for a second track.

    the room needs to remain reserved on the open lines however.

    shut down alcohol action ireland now! end MUP today!



  • Closed Accounts Posts: 652 ✭✭✭Muckyboots


    "WRC The Movie".
    No piebald horses were harmed in the making of this soap opera, but a town is being brought to its' knees to make sure that the film set remains untouched.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkHYOHIT6Os


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,363 ✭✭✭✭Del.Monte


    129 Views in three years - says it all.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 652 ✭✭✭Muckyboots


    Del.Monte wrote: »
    129 Views in three years - says it all.
    Can't imagine that its anything that anyone would really want to see- which is the message behind the film. Could easily share happy clappy Greenway success stories with 10,000's of views.
    Once again, you are making my point for me.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,014 ✭✭✭TCDStudent1


    Muckyboots wrote: »
    "WRC The Movie".
    No piebald horses were harmed in the making of this soap opera, but a town is being brought to its' knees to make sure that the film set remains untouched.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkHYOHIT6Os


    Thats a very sad, but true video. Even since 2014, Tuam has lost a lot of businesses. When you walk through the town now, the amount of vacant premises with "To Let" signs is heart-breaking. It very much comes across as a dying town. Maybe the opening of the motorway will re-vitalise it in some way. I empathise with the people in the video though; they see this thing staying dormant for years - why not try make some use of it at the moment to see if it helps? Would a greenway help Tuam much? I have no idea but it is worth a try. North Galway does not get much tourism but should try to compete.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,282 ✭✭✭westtip


    Would a greenway help Tuam much? I have no idea but it is worth a try. .

    It would help it more than the proposal to have a freight train once a day coming through the town disrupting traffic and contributing zilch to the economy and fabric of the town; lets face it that is what these people see who are proposing spending millions of state funds on a rail line for one freight train a day which could easily be accommodated on current rail infrastructure, at this stage stopping the greenway is one of pure spite.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,663 ✭✭✭serfboard


    westtip wrote: »
    It would help it more than the proposal to have a freight train once a day coming through the town ... contributing zilch to the economy and fabric of the town; lets face it that is what these people see who are proposing spending millions of state funds on a rail line for one freight train a day which could easily be accommodated on current rail infrastructure.
    Yep. WOT have changed their arguments from passengers to freight, when the poor figures on Ennis->Athenry were revealed. And then they conjured up some fantasy companes "companies not yet in existence" who would be jumping at the chance to set up in the West of Ireland because we would then have great train freight infrastructure!

    Give me hundreds of people walking and cycling everyday on a Greenway and many more at the weekends, instead of that fantasy nonsense.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,258 ✭✭✭MayoForSam


    Deise Greenway on Nationwide right now, great project.


  • Registered Users Posts: 643 ✭✭✭Corca Baiscinn


    MayoForSam wrote: »
    Deise Greenway on Nationwide right now, great project.

    It was fabulous to hear how the combination of community initiative, drive,and involvement and council willingness to engage, came up with the goods in a relatively short space of time. Great to hear how the engineers, more used to designing road infrastructure got behind it and how farmers along the route did too as their actual needs were taken into account. Hope all the County Managers along the WOT route were watching and will tune in again next Wednesday to the next bit of coverage!


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,363 ✭✭✭✭Del.Monte


    Just fabulous - let's convert all the railways into greeways.


  • Registered Users Posts: 643 ✭✭✭Corca Baiscinn


    Del.Monte wrote: »
    Just fabulous - let's convert all the railways into greeways.

    Not really, we need some of them to get to the Greenways! You said in a earlier post that you weren't a cyclist but don't forget they're popular with walkers too.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,363 ✭✭✭✭Del.Monte


    Not really, we need some of them to get to the Greenways! You said in a earlier post that you weren't a cyclist but don't forget they're popular with walkers too.

    Surely not, if all the railways were torn up you could cycle or walk from Dublin to anywhere unimpeded?


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  • Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 14,317 Mod ✭✭✭✭marno21


    I don't think many rational people would support the campaign for a greenway under Collins Avenue or across the Loop Line Bridge but greenways on disused Victorian tramways in sparsely populated parts of Mayo make more sense than abandoned tracks covered in grass and weeds.


This discussion has been closed.
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