Western Rail Corridor (all disused sections)

Judgement Day

headmaster wrote: »

Well that's that then so, the west's fcuked now and so is Kenny and c/o.

Not until 2015 though and in the meantime the Labour crowd aren't going to upset the gravy train - sorry!

Partizan

Judgement Day wrote: »

As long as Claremorris/Collooney goes ahead and not forgetting the new line to Donegal.

and not but least.......Dromod

CrowdedHouse

headmaster wrote: »

Well that's that then so, the west's fcuked now and so is Kenny and c/o.

Well if you're depending on a rickety single line rail track to save the West - The West had little chance from that vision.........if only there was some other use for it........

Judgement Day

Sorry but I've developed a sudden case of selective blindness so I couldn't read that last post. Anyway, I'm trying to behave after my spell in the Prison Forum.

dermo88

Thats one more reason for my illogical dislike for Mayo. Its Superstition and Moving Statues. Its the county that elected Padraig Flynn and claims to be deprived. They don't know the meaning of the bloody word. If Cromwell said "To hell or to Connaught", I'll say "To Darndale or Dingle"

They'll know deprivation then by God....Helfner, the Clergy, and the Bishops can continue bashing Dublin. They can Bishop bash to their hearts content. They'll be bashing the Bishop even harder when some of those Airports on the western seaboard have their subsidies cut.

Good riddance and all, and a plague be upon their houses.

roundymac

Tut tut, anger consuling for you Dermo, good job we live in the free world, at least at the moment, the Dubs hav'nt taken over the country yet.:D

westtip

headmaster wrote: »

Well that's that then so, the west's fcuked now and so is Kenny and c/o.

No its the west that couldn't give a fcuk about this project there are no votes left in the Western Rail Corridor because no one (most of us rather) don't care if it ever happens and now we all know it will NEVER happen lets at long last grasp the nettle and do something useful with the line.

DWCommuter

westtip wrote: »

No its the west that couldn't give a fcuk about this project there are no votes left in the Western Rail Corridor because no one (most of us rather) don't care if it ever happens and now we all know it will NEVER happen lets at long last grasp the nettle and do something useful with the line.

And therein starts a brand new but more worthwhile and realistic battle. Best of luck.

dowlingm

headmaster wrote: »

Well that's that then so, the west's fcuked now and so is Kenny and c/o.

Serious question headmaster: if the WRC is so valuable to the West, why aren't more people using the bit already built? It's now up to 6x per direction per day including viable inward and outward commuting slots and better connectivity to Dublin services at Athenry than the original timetable. Yet the trains remain underused. You can't blame the alignment - the WRC people didn't ask for realignment. You can't blame the budget and resulting build quality - the amount spent was what the WRC people promised it would cost.

Taking all that into account, why would the people of Ireland believe anything the WRC lobbyists say henceforth?

DWCommuter

dowlingm wrote: »

Serious question headmaster: if the WRC is so valuable to the West, why aren't more people using the bit already built? It's now up to 6x per direction per day including viable inward and outward commuting slots and better connectivity to Dublin services at Athenry than the original timetable. Yet the trains remain underused. You can't blame the alignment - the WRC people didn't ask for realignment. You can't blame the budget and resulting build quality - the amount spent was what the WRC people promised it would cost.

Taking all that into account, why would the people of Ireland believe anything the WRC lobbyists say henceforth?

Reality has put paid to all you have said.

Neworder79

...Good riddance and all, and a plague be upon their houses.

Don't know who's worse on this thread, rabid WRC evangelists, or the rabid anti rural biggots. Only thing they can all agree on is their hatred of rational debate!

dermo88

Neworder79Only thing they can all agree on is their hatred of rational

Could you explain that in English please your majesty?

-Chris-

Alright, don't start sniping please.

corktina

Neworder79 wrote: »

Don't know who's worse on this thread, rabid WRC evangelists, or the rabid anti rural biggots. Only thing they can all agree on is their hatred of rational debate!

I havent seen either breed on this thread...the WoT guys don't have the guts to post on here (although I bet they read it) and the opposition to them are more concerned with abhorring their taxes being wasted on it,many of them, me included, living in a rural location, (in the wesht even if it is the sou-wesht)

dermo88

The West on Track bunch would be (rightly) terrified of posting here. They would be mauled and sent running away faster than a 2700 over the Fergus Bridge. Although....thats not very hard is it?

In fact, is it had succeeded, and was carrying 150,000 passengers or so per annum, there would be apologies and congratulations given. In fact, it would prove that rural railway investment works. But it has'nt, and thats where we are now.

daithimacgroin

it's simply overpriced, that's why people aren't using it.
If it was reasonable value, I'd easily consider living in craughwell or gort and commuting into Galway for work and play.

2 euro to Athenry, 3 euro to Gort, 5 to Ennis
Then you'd have plenty of people using the train

daithimacgroin

and don't start with your monthly or yearly tickets,

if u're on the dole, how are you going to afford a monthly ticket costing approx 200 euro.

corktina

if you are on the dole, why would you need a monthly ticket?

Although price is a consideration,so also is speed, the train is slower and dearer than the competing bus

btw €200 a month equates to €5 each way assuming its used Monday to Friday...

daithimacgroin

to visit family, friends, get into the city, go to SW, but most importantly, to look for jobs, or get to a training course.

aye, so even for a commuter with job, it's still 5 euro per trip.
still too expensive to encourage people to stop using their car.

we know it's slow, which makes it all the more reasonable to introduce ultra-cheap prices,
the OAP's should be made pay their way too though

westtip

Neworder79 wrote: »

Don't know who's worse on this thread, rabid WRC evangelists, or the rabid anti rural biggots. Only thing they can all agree on is their hatred of rational debate!

Indeed c'est tres bizarre. I think if you trawl this thread and its predecessor you will find nothing but rational debate against the WRC, nor rabid anti ruralism, I live in rural west of ireland and have as you know long since argued against the WRC (or at least the poetic notion it will make it all the way to sligo), because the rational debate favouring a greenway - is actually rational debate in favour of rural irelands economy, much of which now relies on good quality activity tourism. Just go ask the rural dwellers along the line of the Great Western Greenway about the economic benefits to that part of rural ireland. A rural branch line running from sligo to Athenry will do absolutely zero for the economy of the rural west of ireland.

I do not consider my mysefl a rabid anti rural biggot - and I highly favour rational debate, even with evangelists. Your statement is quite ridiculous.

L1011

daithimacgroin wrote: »

and don't start with your monthly or yearly tickets,

if u're on the dole, how are you going to afford a monthly ticket costing approx 200 euro.

If you're on the dole why would you be commuting?? You're not going to be using it with any regularity even with your suggested list of reasons.

purplepanda

daithimacgroin wrote: »

it's simply overpriced, that's why people aren't using it.
If it was reasonable value, I'd easily consider living in craughwell or gort and commuting into Galway for work and play.

2 euro to Athenry, 3 euro to Gort, 5 to Ennis
Then you'd have plenty of people using the train

You've already had €100 million in rebuilding / service costs & you want more subsidy so you can get yourself a cheaper fare. Add the 6 trains a day each way to the bill

Meanwhile the rest of the country is paying for this white elephant & other lines which never had anywhere near this level of service & investment / subsidy for decades have been closed & are going to be closed to balance the books :mad:

daithimacgroin

decrease price, increase demand
fuller carriages with everyone including OAP's paying a fair price should cover day to day running costs

Aard

Yeah, but you can't make people go where they don't need to go. It's a village shuttle. Not an intercity, not a commuter. The population just isn't there. Add a zero to the populations of the various villages and then you'll be sucking diesel. So to speak.

westtip

daithimacgroin wrote: »

decrease price, increase demand
fuller carriages with everyone including OAP's paying a fair price should cover day to day running costs

this is it now - the clutching at straws to justify this line is now entering the realms of the ridiculous. The notion that OAPs in Gort wil be told if they want to use the train to Galway they now have to pay for it? And the notion of free national travel for OAPs does not apply to this line - to try and cover the cost of a line that needs to be justified!!! if people were paying a fair price the fares would probably need to quadruple! But thankfully public transport is subvented - the question is - is when is the subvention of very few people using a line that was justified by fudging the figures fair on the rest of the transport system. This line with 6 trains up and down a day is a miserable failure - because the figures to justify it were hyperbole created in the days when hyperbole was the order of the day. Its a failure - lets move on and recognise its a failure and for goodness sake cut the cloth and not let any more money be wasted on northern branch line extensions north of Athenry. The most annoying thing about the recent anouncement by the Government is that - they are even keeping this joke on the agenda with what was it - a promise to review it in 2015. The buck passing continues - I am disappointed they didn't have the b*lls to say the show is over.

Partizan

dermo88 wrote: »

Thats one more reason for my illogical dislike for Mayo. Its Superstition and Moving Statues. Its the county that elected Padraig Flynn and claims to be deprived. They don't know the meaning of the bloody word. If Cromwell said "To hell or to Connaught", I'll say "To Darndale or Dingle"

They'll know deprivation then by God....Helfner, the Clergy, and the Bishops can continue bashing Dublin. They can Bishop bash to their hearts content. They'll be bashing the Bishop even harder when some of those Airports on the western seaboard have their subsidies cut.

Good riddance and all, and a plague be upon their houses.

Careful now dermo, I have a soft spot for Mayo, nice people and a romantic encounter many moons ago in Ayia Napa with a feisty little nurse from Westport.

Getting back to the main subject, I will fess up and say that I was/still am a supporter of the Ennis to Athenry extension but anything beyond that borders on the delusional. What should happen is to save what we have and then when things pick up, reopen Waterford-Rosslare and commence DU and Navan rail.

Ah Marese, I wonder where you are right now my dear :P

corktina

westtip wrote: »

this is it now - the clutching at straws to justify this line is now entering the realms of the ridiculous. The notion that OAPs in Gort wil be told if they want to use the train to Galway they now have to pay for it? And the notion of free national travel for OAPs does not apply to this line - to try and cover the cost of a line that needs to be justified!!! if people were paying a fair price the fares would probably need to quadruple! But thankfully public transport is subvented - the question is - is when is the subvention of very few people using a line that was justified by fudging the figures fair on the rest of the transport system. This line with 6 trains up and down a day is a miserable failure - because the figures to justify it were hyperbole created in the days when hyperbole was the order of the day. Its a failure - lets move on and recognise its a failure and for goodness sake cut the cloth and not let any more money be wasted on northern branch line extensions north of Athenry. The most annoying thing about the recent anouncement by the Government is that - they are even keeping this joke on the agenda with what was it - a promise to review it in 2015. The buck passing continues - I am disappointed they didn't have the b*lls to say the show is over.

I think the point here is that if you made OAPs and others on free tickets pay, then they simply would not use the service at all.A rare example of a lose-lose situation

dowlingm

Removing Irish Rail from the Social Welfare Service Obligation is an arguable position. Doing so on the WRC only is not.

eth0

dowlingm wrote: »

Removing Irish Rail from the Social Welfare Service Obligation is an arguable position. Doing so on the WRC only is not.

Making it free for everyone would be a better idea. Not all in one go of course then the WRC and every other train will suddenly be packed to capacity. Start by bringing the minimum age down to 55, then everyone within 2km of a station, and so on.

Public transport here just doesn't make sense in so many cases if you have a somewhat efficient car.

daithimacgroin

obviously some revenue should be raised, so making it free is a step too far.

i don't think OAP's would stop using it if they had to pay 2-3 euro a pop
sure they're the only ones with money in this country.

also these notions of free national 'whatever' are no longer applicable in the times we live in now, and it's thinking like that that got us into this mess in the first place