Update on Crusheen Station

Poxyshamrock

Just spotted this online for those of you who may be interested.

Crusheen rail station delayed amid talks with developer
GORDON DEEGAN

THE WESTERN Rail Corridor project has stalled again as Iarnród Éireann continues to negotiate with a third-party developer, it has emerged. Planning permission was granted for the new station at Crusheen along the Ennis to Athenry route last June, but work has yet to commence.

In a written Dáil reply to Timmy Dooley (FF), Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said Iarnród Éireann was “negotiating with a third party over funding contributions. On the conclusion of these negotiations the procurement process for Crusheen will commence.”

Yesterday, Iarnród Éireann said the Crusheen station has contributions from the company’s capital programme, Clare County Council and a third-party developer.

A spokesman said: “We are in discussions with the third party at present, so we must await the outcome of these to determine when the project will proceed, though it is our aspiration to commence works this summer.”

The delay in providing the Crusheen stop comes against the background of Iarnród Éireann conceding the passenger numbers on the WCR are lower than forecast in the business sector. Figures from Iarnród Éireann show 34,461 passengers used the restored Ennis to Athenry link last year. This compares to 66,390 using the Ennis-Limerick route and 123,315 the Athenry-Galway route.

A breakdown of the figures shows the line is busiest in summer, with 4,486 passengers over a four-week period going down to 2,060 in November.

A spokesman for Iarnród Éireann said: “The business case obviously did not provide for the calamitous recession, which has impacted on demand for all transport, due to reduced economic activity. It has also completely brought to a halt development, so the envisaged regional development has not materialised.”

Carazy

A station in Crusheen is a complete waste of money and all the "Get Crusheen Back On Track" arguments are well out the window at this stage. The idea that a Crusheen station would increase numbers is unimaginable, they have a motorway at their doorstep to Galway and Limerick.

Bus Eireann run a service every hour through Crusheen to Galway and Cork.

dr.fuzzenstein

Don't see why it shouldn't happen.
Was back in Germany a while back and took the train from Kempten to Pfronten (a bit like taking the train from Limerick to Gort) and there where plenty of stops.
Rural public transport only makes sense if as many communities are linked up as possible.
The problem in Ireland is that dwellings are not kept to confined areas like most of Europe, but the country has been allowed to be peppered with one off housing, making it impossible to connect everyone up.
However, Crusheen is not just a smattering of houses, it's grown hugely since the 90's, a stop there makes all the sense in the world.
A few of the stops in Germany had no one waiting there, so if no one wants to get off and on, the train just continues.
That doesn't mean those stops will be deleted, public transport (just like education and healthcare) is not (and should never be) a for profit venture.
The stop doesn't have to be anything fancy, a platform with a ticket machine, that's all it takes.
Surely that can't be too much to ask for?
Since this is, of course, a government venture, we can most likely expect lengthy delays and costs to spiral out of control and the finished structure (a concrete platform and ticket machine) to cost three times as much as the Channel Tunnel, but nothing else can be expected from anything that has civil servants involved.

Balagan

Hard to see how the train on the Ennis to Athenry leg can even be justified in continuing. There are often just four or five on the early morning run from Ennis to Gort and sometimes, on the last train back in the evening from Gort - a three carriage affair - just two or three, including the driver. Very doubtful that a Crusheen stop would make any real difference. Pity.

Run_to_da_hills

What's the point of a Crusheen Station?

Is it so another two people can board this famous eight passenger carrying train.

glineli

Carazy wrote: »

The idea that a Crusheen station would increase numbers is unimaginable, they have a motorway at their doorstep to Galway and Limerick.

Bus Eireann run a service every hour through Crusheen to Galway and Cork.

Just a small error on this. There is a motorway to Gort, not all the way to Galway City, big difference.

And while the bus service sounds great, very rarely is it on time and with no bus shelters in place its not the most pleasant.

Poxyshamrock

The one thing Crusheen Station has over other stations on the WRC is that it is at least very close to Crusheen itself unlike Craughwell, Ardrahan, etc. and Crusheen is largely a satellite village with very few people working there.

sonnyblack

What is latest with this station? Any news of works starting to re-open it?

minnow

sonnyblack wrote: »

What is latest with this station? Any news of works starting to re-open it?

Over Christmas I noticed that they had started earthworks on the car park. Early days though...

colm_mcm

minnow wrote: »

Over Christmas I noticed that they had started earthworks on the car park. Early days though...

Relevant? http://clare.fm/node/21155

CRUSHEEN TRAIN STATION GETS GREEN LIGHT. (April 2013)

Clare County Council has given the green light to construction on a new train station at Crusheen.
The development will link up with the existing Ennis-Athenry rail line, and consist of a new 90m platform, a 17 bay car park, bicycle shelter, a room for equipment and associated infrastructure.
Government funding is now to be sought to fund the construction.
North Clare Fianna Fail Councillor Michael Kelly is confident the station will be a success, now that it has finally got the go ahead.


http://www.connachttribune.ie/breaking-news/23821-gort-and-crusheen-areas-more-hopful-of-local-railway-station
Tuesday, 30 July 2013 16:00

Gort and Crusheen areas more hopful of local railway station

Galway bay fm newsroom - The Government is committed to progressing a railway station at Crusheen as part of the Western Rail Corridor.



Such a facility would be a huge boost to the Gort and Crusheen areas

That's the message from Transport Minister Leo Vradkar who says costing for the stop is being reviewed.

He told Galway Bay fm news that Irish Rail is now looking at ways to advance the project less expensively

sonnyblack

Ominous about Varadkar wanting it done less expensively. does anyone know if Irish Rail have undertaken cost cutting measures and whether a contract has been signed to proceed?

dr.fuzzenstein

sonnyblack wrote: »

Ominous about Varadkar wanting it done less expensively. does anyone know if Irish Rail have undertaken cost cutting measures and whether a contract has been signed to proceed?

sonnyblack

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

I guess that answers the question

minnow

Does anyone know the status of the works on the Crusheen train stop?

glineli

No works taking place and I believe it has been shelved due to the cost. Minister Leo believed that the cost of 2m is way too high for a small village.