Charlie and Public Transport

Transport21 Fan

During his time in office did Charlie do anything for public transport other than Knock Airport? (I know, I am rolling around on the floor laughing as well)

But seriously, I know Albert Reyonds put a few quid into railways, but I cannot think of anything Charlie did for public transport while he was in government?

Esel

You're just waiting for someone to say "Free Travel", aren't you?

Transport21 Fan

I suspect the nearest Charlie ever got to mass transit was Terry Keane's knickers.

dmeehan

he cancelled the building of a bus station in Temple Bar

road_high

dmeehan wrote:

he cancelled the building of a bus station in Temple Bar

...but didn't develop an alternative either though did he. We still have busaras all these years later.

Red Alert

Wouldn't the Bombardier/GAC project have been during Charlie's time? In spite of all the flaws that the sorely missed buses had, compared to the other alternatives (the dud Leyland Atlantean) they were exceptionally modern buses for such a small country. Pity they weren't even better.

Navan Junction

when was DART planned?

paulm17781

Navan Junction wrote:

when was DART planned?

1974 I think.

shltter

Red Alert wrote:

Wouldn't the Bombardier/GAC project have been during Charlie's time? In spite of all the flaws that the sorely missed buses had, compared to the other alternatives (the dud Leyland Atlantean) they were exceptionally modern buses for such a small country. Pity they weren't even better.

The actual start of the Bombardier/GAC project would have been 1977 so that was before Haughey

popebenny16

they were exceptionally modern buses for such a small country. Pity they weren't even better.

You have got to be kidding!!! They ate fuel and were hopelessly unecomonic when being run, they fell to bits, the airbrakes never worked properly, the suspension was a disaster, they had structural problems.

They entered service in 1981. In 1991 they started being withdrawn, earlier than the hopless Atlanteans they were intended to replace. Ironicly enough, they were replaced by other Leylands, Olyimpians in this case.

And dont even start me on the "moving boxes" they farmed out to Galway and Cork. I'm sure there'sa few Dublin Bus lads here who will fill you in on them. There's even a website devoted to them, you wond see one looking anything but badly built. Oh, and the headroom and seating layout downstairs was rubbish as well.

Hotblack Desiato

Transport21 Fan wrote:

During his time in office did Charlie do anything for public transport other than Knock Airport?

Did he do anything for Knock Airport? It was built and opened during the 82-87 FG-Lab coalition. I don't think they provided any funding either, the then Minister for Communications famously described the location as "foggy, boggy"