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[article] Mayo freight train service starts

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  • 07-04-2006 4:11am
    #1
    NavanJunction1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 194 ✭✭


    [article] Mayo freight train service starts
    Irish Times, 07.04.2006

    A new container freight train service started yesterday between Ballina, Co Mayo, and Waterford.

    Norfolkline, a Waterford- based company with headquarters in Amsterdam, will initially carry 18 45-ft containers between Ballina and Waterford once a week, but the service is expected to increase in frequency.

    There had been growing concerns for the future of Ballina freight services, since the freight trains between Dublin and Ballina ceased last year.


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    #2
    paulm17781
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,858 ✭✭✭paulm17781


    This is good news. I hope it works out for them.


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    #3
    Transport21 Fan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 696 ✭✭✭Transport21 Fan


    It's excellent news.

    But just to bring this down to earth. It took almost a year to make this happen. Becuase working out the CIE rail union agreement (the term used is 'rosters') on the deal was delayed this lenght of time by the "commrades and brudders" making sure every "i" had a dot and that "oul Laro in North Wall would still be able to get off every second thursday to watch the match on Sky". Considering what railfreight involves in this country - it is simply incredible that this happened at all.

    So bravo to Norfolkline who did not throw the towel in on railfreight like dozens of other companies because something which on planet earth normally takes a couple of weeks at most to sort out, takes 11 months when dealing with the "daysent oul skins" in CIE to get a few containers on a train. It took about the same time to get logs on rail as well.

    I still wouldn't hold my breath assuming this is the revival of railfreight in Ireland. The same army of Irish ralfreight assassins are still driving locomotives, manning level crossings and sitting in signal boxes feeling stressed...

    I want to nominate the mangement of Norfolkline to the vatican for possible sainthood.


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    #4
    craigybagel
    Registered Users Posts: 67 ✭✭craigybagel


    Havent we been here before...........


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    #5
    MarkoP11
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,331 ✭✭✭MarkoP11


    It was about Norfolkline getting the price they want, rail freight has to cover its operating costs, basically it must make profit. So you have a classic face off between two companies one under obligation to the state not to engage in unprofitable business unless it is subsidied and another trying to undercut everyone else in the haulage business. Very very little of the freight business does cover costs and unless the DoT give money it won't happen. The trains ran before so the rosters would still be on the working timetable. Its got nothing to do with unions.

    The UK outfit who have not indentfied themselves have made no attempt to even get a licence, they don't even own or lease a locomotive in the UK, they have never operated a revenue earning service. I know who they are but its not publicly known. It may come as a suprise but IE would be cheaper as the overheads are already paid.

    Rail freight operates on a very simple basis if you are willing to pay the operating costs for a full length train you can have it

    Just goes to prove you don't need the WRC to get a train from Ballina to Waterford


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    #6
    Transport21 Fan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 696 ✭✭✭Transport21 Fan


    MarkoP11 wrote:
    Its got nothing to do with unions.

    I am not at all sure about that. I have been in discussions with CEOs of some of the biggest companies on this island and I always tried to mention the possibility of them using railfreight (this was when I was innocent and naive about the realities rail transport in Ireland) and the answers were always the same. "no chance after that strike they had a few years back that went on for months" (ILDA). I was even talking to one gentleman who was part of a operation trying to jump in and take over the Bell Ferry's concept when they went belly up and the words he used to discribe dealing with CIE unions was "a shower of ignorant pricks" as he explained to me a litany of utterly unworkable union terms, conditions, complete lack of compromise on behalf of the unions. The plan was to make Alexandria Tramway a container loading terminal - but all the CIE rail unions could do was either not partake in the idea or basically tell them to "you and your railfreight to piss off and leave us alone" and apparently CIE managers were just as bad.
    MarkoP11 wrote:
    Just goes to prove you don't need the WRC to get a train from Ballina to Waterford

    Well you are right about that. In any sane country this would be seen as absolute proof that the Western Rail Corridor is a white elephant.


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