Western Rail Corridor (all disused sections)

eth0

daithimacgroin wrote: »

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also these notions of free national 'whatever' are no longer applicable in the times we live in now, and it's thinking like that that got us into this mess in the first place

It would seem very little to ask considering all the extra tax they are about to heap on us. Free travel is probably the cheapest form of welfare the government hands out and expanding it won't cost a lot extra, they could scrap their integrated ticketing shambles and that would save them a bundle.

Free national whatever didn't get us into nearly so much trouble as our property boom and bail out. During the tiger years the ordinary people of ireland got very little. Its about time ordinary people got some value for the tax they pay

daithimacgroin

i think city service buses should be free alright, like those random buses that take hours to drive around Galway's suburbs, but intercity, commuter trains and bog-buses should be priced, albeit priced very low, with no free travel or subsidised prices(i.e students) for anyone, bar primary students, cos u can fit lots of them on

eth0

what are 'bog buses' might I ask?

making commuter trains free will help reduce congestion, fuel imports. but it must not be done suddenly or they will be overcrowded resulting in lots of pissed off people

Cookie_Monster

eth0 wrote: »

what are 'bog buses' might I ask?

those twice a week to the middle of nowhere ones

daithimacgroin

but commuter trains to and from dublin are already seriously crowded even at the prices being charged now.

Making the WRC free would make it an even greater liability than it is now, but lowering prices to a one cheap price for all, increasing speed and number of trains, adding a station at oranmore(with proper mini-bus links to the industrial estates) and renmore, extending to tuam and castlebar, and clifden, with a stop in oughterard would greatly benefit the entire region.

daithimacgroin

it might not make sense now, but in 25 years, people would look back and say that was great work and a great idea

daithimacgroin

that's right, bog-buses are buses to Mayo and places like that

dubhthach

Tbh any bus that goes to Moneenageisha is a bog bus.

Hint. It's in the name: Móinín na gCiseach

westtip

daithimacgroin wrote: »

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

Are you suggesting we remove the free travel for OAPs don't you remember the means testing of medical cards......

I think we have strayed a bit off subject with this matter.

I see West on Track have lived up to expectations in the local media as reported on page 2 of todays Western People, I am only transposing bits from the article as would take too long to type up the entire article the Western People is not available on line without paying for it!

Western People Tuesday November 15 - report on the decision by government to long finger the WRC decision until 2015

Rail Corridor: Its not the end of the line

Speaking to the Western People a WRC spokesperson said there is every reason to believe that this section of the project can come back into play in the medium term.

Most importantly the campaigners do not consider that the Government has said it won't open the line "We believe they will re-appraise as soon as there is any improvement in the economic situation"

"we will continue to be positive. We know the worth of this project and its importance to the west of Ireland. We have every confidence in the Government to make the right choices in the years ahead"

All pretty much as predicted, but you have to admire the continuing long term optimism they have about this totally unnecessary project. It seems WOT will never give up!

corktina

someone said many before on here the line should be ripped up and ploughed into the ground. What a pity it never happened.

westtip

corktina wrote: »

someone said many before on here the line should be ripped up and ploughed into the ground. What a pity it never happened.

Indeed Corkie it would have saved us all a lot of energy on this thread.

Anyway - All quiet on the Western Front. and predictions are that is how it is going to remain as the lights have gone out over europe and it will be sometime before we see them again.

Robbo

Ghost Train – The Western Rail Corridor. ‘Prime Time’, Tonight, 9.30pm

noelfirl

Robbo wrote: »

Ghost Train – The Western Rail Corridor. ‘Prime Time’, Tonight, 9.30pm

I have a feeling that an excommunication order for Mr Diamond has been prepared and is on papal horseback from Mayo right now.

corktina

im not one to say "told you so" ......

Hungerford

noelfirl wrote: »

I have a feeling that an excommunication order for Mr Diamond has been prepared and is on papal horseback from Mayo ]

In fairness, Diamond's blog appears to suggest that it will be a hachet job on intercity travel and not just the WRC.

Judgement Day

Pity Prime Time wouldn't do an 'investigative' piece on the impending closures of the Limerick/Ballybrophy and Limerick Jn./Waterford lines. A proper investigation of one State company by another is never going to happen though - is it? :rolleyes:

Judgement Day

Prime Time is only starting - the WRC segment is in the second part of the programme - and I'm already fit to be tied! There's something about the sight/sound of Miriam O'Callaghan that really annoys me and, of course, the usual suspects are going to feature including the overpaid double/triple jobber Colm McCarthy and westtip's friend.

Judgement Day

No passengers. Great for a picnic. Free pass holders. I remember the old trains....Oh sweet Jesus! Each train carries an average of 8 passengers. CIE got their projections wrong - how unusual.

Why could Fastrack not be reintroduced and some seats removed?

I wonder what IE's marketing strategy is like?

I bet Colm McCarthy is a bundle of laughs to have a pint with - oh, I forgot he already does that with his D4 cronies in Doheny & Nesbitts. :rolleyes:

Judgement Day

Moore McDowell is commenting on it and he clearly knows absolutely nothing about the topic - typical economist who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Good man Ming.

Judgement Day

Leo can hardly wait to weigh in on this topic.

Judgement Day

So Leo's not going to close the WRC but he will allow Limerick/Ballybrophy and Limerick Jn/Waterford to close instead. :rolleyes:

Judgement Day

Two words describe that - in depth - up to the standard we've come to love and expect from RTE.

corktina

it was pretty poor in all honesty. That subject could easily run to an hour ,,,still, 8 passengers per train is even worse than the 14 usually quoted on here....
and most of then seemed well into the 60s to me!

Miriiam made a fool of hersefl,talking across her own guests, I dont rate her skills at all and Ming the Merciless came across poorly I thought. Leo made the important points that there are many projects in the West that are more deserving of money. They should get Jeremy Paxman the next time ...

chris2008x

corktina wrote: »

8 passengers per train is even worse than the 14 usually quoted on here....
and most of then seemed well into the 60s to me!

The Limerick Junction-Waterford service gets greater numbers than this.

corktina

chris2008x wrote: »

The Limerick Junction-Waterford service gets greater numbers than this.

a bit of an imagination stretch to call it a service !

chris2008x

Still they get more people per train on that line with almost 0% promotions vs that WRC (eg: the €10 fares Limerick-Galway which ran for over a year) Luke Flanagan claiming the low numbers where due to having no catering and using 2700 rail-cars makes me laugh. Yes i don't like the 2700's either but i get on them at Limerick Junction for Limerick. What does the west want a CAF, ICR 22K, TGV? If its the train why do they have no problems filling these trains on other lines.

trail man

Have often come from dublin to limerick on the train and a lot of people transfer to the ennis connection in limerick..sometimes the ennis carriage is full..bUT HAVING SAID THAT ENNIS IS the operative word..END OF THE LINE..:rolleyes:..

dermo88

One line on the RTE Forum from Donal Kelly cracks me up with mirth.

Here's a news falsh to all ye jackeens, all of us here west of the Shannon pay just as much tax as ye do and are equally as entitled to a decent infastructure as those within the pale. Ye want the water from the Shannon, ye want us to subsidise the luas and the dart and yet ye wont even give us a train line from Limerick to Sligo. To hell or to Connaught, the spirit of Cromwell is alive and well amongst west Brit economists like Colm McCarthy

(a) The use of "ye". Immediately I see backward parochial thinking.
(b) "To hell or to Connaught, the spirit of Cromwell is alive and well amongst west Brit economists like Colm McCarthy"

Hilarious, its stuff like this that reminds me why we emigrate. Take the bastard rejects of Cuba, and send the best of Wexford away.

westtip

corktina wrote: »

Ming the Merciless came across poorly ...

He made a complete eejut of himself and really helped to reinforce all the points about the poor wesht type gobsh*tism we have to put up from some of our politicians in the west.

The programme did all of us a service who are opposed to this rubbish and have been for a long time.

It was a pity Varadkar didn't have the balls to say - Look folks this is the new strategy - this is not going to happen, but like all politicians he ran away from the reality of what this sham is all about.

Yawn yawn. give us a greenway at least people will use it and it will generate income for the west. Ming showed what a shallow parish pump wesht is best politician he has become. In fact he came out as being pretty dim.

chris2008x

dermo88 wrote: »

One line on the RTE Forum from Donal Kelly cracks me up with mirth.

Here's a news falsh to all ye jackeens, all of us here west of the Shannon pay just as much tax as ye do and are equally as entitled to a decent infastructure as those within the pale. Ye want the water from the Shannon, ye want us to subsidise the luas and the dart and yet ye wont even give us a train line from Limerick to Sligo. To hell or to Connaught, the spirit of Cromwell is alive and well amongst west Brit economists like Colm McCarthy

(a) The use of "ye". Immediately I see backward parochial thinking.
(b) "To hell or to Connaught, the spirit of Cromwell is alive and well amongst west Brit economists like Colm McCarthy"

Hilarious, its stuff like this that reminds me why we emigrate. Take the bastard rejects of Cuba, and send the best of Wexford away.

Haha what a TOOL the Luas is not subsidized