Mullingar Athlone line

Navan Junction

With recent efforts to reopen the Athlone Mullingar line, the photos at the below link may be of interest..

http://www.meathontrack.com/athlone_mullingar_railway.html

Victor

Track looks very rough just past the buffers(?) here.

westtip

Glad to see there is an active campaign on this one - the photo montage is v interesting, money would be far better spent on this link than the WRC north of Claremorris, the photo of Mullingar station just shows how easy it would be for a passenger transfer from the Athlone platform to the Sligo line - especially in the morning with a train running from Athlone to Mullingar to link up with the 7.00 am service from Longford. A service leaving Athlone about the same time (07.00) to link with the Longford service would give Athlone/Moate commuters a viable service into the City Centre. What Athlone/Mullingar/Longford Commuters should be looking for is a non stop in bound morning commute train from say Enfield - An outer commuting express service, and similar in the evening - an outbound express service, with first stop Maynooth or Enfield. Track capacity is, I daresay the issue here though.

The same rolling stock could return to Athlone giving a Mullingar/Athlone commuter service and return from Athlone to link with the 08.44 from Mullingar to Dublin (the Sligo Service) and then back and forwards all day providing Athlone/Mullingar passengers with links to services to Galway/Westport/Ballina ex Athlone and to Dublin/Sligo ex Mullingar. It is blindingly obvious why this rail line should be opened, but I daresay we will spend another ten years debating its merits before one of Flabby White Boys in power says it is his idea and champions it.

The current 7.00 from Longford does not arrive in Connolly until 9.03, taking an hour from Enfield, still a lot faster than if you drove a car in from Enfield at that time of the morning but room for improvement - if this section of the journey was an express in-bound (with perhaps one more stop at Maynooth) an arrival time of 08.40 could be targetted, then who in their right mind would take their car into the city centre in the morning from Westmeath; a stopping service could follow from Enfield shortly afterwards to provide the service previously given by the 08.00 from Enfield. If Enfield was developed as the outer suburban park and ride station, as opposed to Maynooth (where parking is difficult and restricted and takes an age to get out of), then we might be looking at the possibility of a real long distance commuter service with more of a mix of outer urban/long distance express services and stopping services. Dream on.....

Tom Dunne

westtip wrote:

If Enfield was developed as the outer suburban park and ride station, as opposed to Maynooth (where parking is difficult and restricted and takes an age to get out of), then we might be looking at the possibility of a real long distance commuter service with more of a mix of outer urban/long distance express services and stopping services. Dream on.....

Funny you mention that - word is that there are in fact plans for a park and ride facility about 2 miles East of Enfield on the old N4.