Waterford to New Ross to be revived

Partizan

and here's the nail in the coffin for rail transport in the South East.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/go-ahead-for-215m-bypass-of-new-ross-1.1332791#.UUsivwDSNLM.twitter

Another vanity project when that money could be used to upgrade other infrastructure in the South East like runway extension at Waterford Regional Airport and the now closed Waterford - Rosslare and the Waterford - Limerick Junction which is just hanging on.

Partizan

Richard Logue wrote: »

A light railway from New Ross to Tramore via Waterford would be a better outcome!

*ducks*

from a flying

purplepanda

Partizan wrote: »

and here's the nail in the coffin for rail transport in the South East.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/go-ahead-for-215m-bypass-of-new-ross-1.1332791#.UUsivwDSNLM.twitter

Another vanity project when that money could be used to upgrade other infrastructure in the South East like runway extension at Waterford Regional Airport and the now closed Waterford - Rosslare and the Waterford - Limerick Junction which is just hanging on.

Building a bridge further up river much nearer to New Ross would have been cheaper in construction costs & the money saved could have been used for more regional transport related projects ensuring better value.

The land purchase & planning costs are already spent & / or earmarked so it looks like it's this project or nothing. Another grandiose expensive plan which should have been replaced by a more practical option when envisioned.

The bypass is obviously needed but costs need to be drastically reduced.

http://www.mytenders.ie/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=NOV403335&catID=145

This is the tender notice.
Its Leader not the railway group that are getting it done.

Note it proposes to clear all the way to th Barrow Bridge beyond the station. Track to bridge from station is still there but not in use since 1963.

Also note it suggests one type of development not two as suggested below.

http://www.independent.ie/regionals/newrossstandard/news/plan-to-restore-old-ross-to-waterford-line-28981309.html

Which is more likely a walkway or a narrow gauge?

Judgement Day

Interesting report - they are trying to source rolling for a 'narrow gauge' railway from CIE and NIR! Somebody should tell them the difference between standard gauge equipment and narrow gauge. :rolleyes: A walkway if anything.

We've enough narrow gauge already.

Sligo Quay

With all these walkways proposed, the next generation is going to be very healthy, I suggest turning the Waterford / Tramore into a walkway, that is if ye can find it.
Have the scrappers or lifting gang arrived yet, the line has been cleared according to this thread, should arrive any day now, days are getting longer.

http://www.hidden-dublin.com/images/rail/cab_ride.html

interesting the stuff you could do or they would do for you back then.

Judgement Day

Fratello wrote: »

http://www.hidden-dublin.com/images/rail/cab_ride.html

interesting the stuff you could do or they would do for you back then.

Ah yes, back in the day, I used to get footplate passes for weeks at a time and no questions asked. I did New Ross a couple of times myself, an IRRS/LCGB tour, weedsprayer etc. but it was one of the least interesting runs except for the section beside the river near New Ross.

Partizan

Sligo Quay wrote: »

With all these walkways proposed, the next generation is going to be very healthy, I suggest turning the Waterford / Tramore into a walkway, that is if ye can find it.
Have the scrappers or lifting gang arrived yet, the line has been cleared according to this thread, should arrive any day now, days are getting longer.

The alignment of Waterford to Tramore line was sold off in mid 1961 soon after the lifting save for a small section along the Waterford to Tramore road from the ring road in Kilbarry out to Blackrock. The land in Bath Street and Railway Square has since been built upon. However i did notice that the alignment from Kilbarry as far as Poleberry has been cleared. It got me thinking that had CIE not being so short sighted, Waterford city would have have its own commuter rail not only with Tramore but would have also linked up the housing estates of Avondale and Ursuline Court/Kilbarry right into the city centre in Bath Street.

As regards to the New Ross line, I think we can all agree that the next activity there will be the lifters/scrappers.

Judgement Day

If the money that was poured (with the approval of Bord Failte) into "Bull**** World" aka "Celtworld" at Tramore, which ended up going bust and forcing Tramore Failte to sell the old railway station (their HQ) who knows what might have been possible...

Waterford & Tramore deserves its own thread.




http://tramoretrain.com/

end of the road

Judgement Day wrote: »

If the money that was poured (with the approval of Bord Failte) into "Bull**** World" aka "Celtworld" at Tramore, which ended up going bust and forcing Tramore Failte to sell the old railway station (their HQ) who knows what might have been possible...

Waterford & Tramore deserves its own thread.

CIE must be abolished and put in the past for the complete sabotage and destruction they have rained upon our railways, the removal of parts of the network and selling off of the land to their little friends and abandonment to squatters must never be forgotten, how did they get that AEC railcar on to that railway if it wasn't connected to the rest of the network? did they build it on site or something?

Judgement Day

Whenever locos and stock had to be transferred to the W+T, temporary track was laid across the city from Waterford South to Waterford Manor station.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Sponge Bob

The section of the
track corridor to be cleared lies between 'Abbey Junction' off
Abbey Road on the outskirts of Ferrybank, Waterford to the
old railway bridge on the River Barrow above Rosbercon,
just north of New Ross. The successful tender party will
required to dispose of the clearance debris in an
appropriate manner.

As far as Rosbercon Bridge, nice. The line sorta disappears north of that

http://goo.gl/maps/hv1xt

gobnaitolunacy

Sponge Bob wrote: »

As far as Rosbercon Bridge, nice. The line sorta disappears north of that

http://goo.gl/maps/hv1xt

I suppose it would be simple enough to provide a connection to the minor road just north of the bridge so you could get a through route rather than just stopping shy of the bridge?

Judgement Day

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I see from checking in the new book that the last steam locos delivered to the line were driven under their own steam through the city along temporary track from Waterford South. However, the AEC railcars appear to have arrived at Waterford South and then transferred to some sort of road bogies.

Sponge Bob

The lines was overlaid by the N30 road from Rosbercon to more or less here a few miles east.

http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,675676,630110,6,0

But that section of the N30 is to be detrunked as part of the New Ross Bypass and the line is not very intact east of the mark above either. Farmers bulldozed it.

Sligo Quay

Partizan wrote: »

As regards to the New Ross line, I think we can all agree that the next activity there will be the lifters/scrappers.

Im afraid so, its called living in the real world, not fantasy land, just found this thread on the irn, pictures are very resent only taken a few days ago and the reply is more fantasy, going on about fine bridges, theres fine bridges on the Valentia Branch, like New Ross don't think it will see trains again, http://irnirishrailwaynews.yuku.com/topic/2672/Re-New-Ross-Branch?page=-1

Losty Dublin

Judgement Day wrote: »

I see from checking in the new book that the last steam locos delivered to the line were driven under their own steam through the city along temporary track from Waterford South. However, the AEC railcars appear to have arrived at Waterford South and then transferred to some sort of road bogies.

From Edition 1 of the original IRN.

Waterford & Tramore Section

On Monday 8th November the diesel cars for this isolated line were delivered to Manor terminus, Waterford, having been conveyed by road through the city. On Wednesday 17th November, as the assembly of the cars was being completed the 14:10 train from Tramore developed locomotive trouble en route and limped into Waterford. Buses were substituted for the trains, between this hour and about 17:30 on the same day, when the line was reopened by the new two-coach diesel train, which worked the line until 24th November. Then due to mechanical trouble the diesel had to be withdrawn and traffic again had to be handled by buses for a period. The diesel is now back in service.

Edition 4 follows on with this...

Waterford & Tramore
The three steam locos were removed by road from this section during August and early September. Loco 560 has been re-allocated to Rocksavage (Cork Albert Quay) for work on the Cork, Bandon & South Coast Section, while the other two - Nos. 553 and 555 - have been withdrawn. The last of the old six-wheel passenger coaches has been scrapped at Waterford Manor, and the three articulated Clayton bogie sets have been sold for £45 each for use as summer huts at Tramore. At the time of going to press the four covered and four open wagons were still on the section, although they have been out of use since the withdrawal of steam trains. No track alterations have been made either at Waterford or Tramore, but some resleepering has recently been carried out.

deegs2

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

Are they the same group as the New Ross fruit loops on Bookface?

Just like all of the Fruit loopers on this page

corktina

hey man, two wrongs don't make a right, dint ya ma tell you? Just fill us in on what progress you made...I assume as you haven't said so that the line clearing aint your work?

(sorry, this gangster jive is VERY tiring...)

deegs2

Kilkenny leader partnership have this ball rolling and they want a walk way...don't no what the other heritage crowd are up to as they have no funds or councils backing them..

purplepanda

Various heritage groups not cooperating , others want a commuter service, whilst the politicians pay lip service & get a few local newspaper headlines.

Isn't it about time that any serious interested parties got together & focused their efforts, for this & other rail lines. You won't achieve anything with various cliques.

How about combined heritage operations & commuter services, for any proposed future rail operation, combining together on such a project would be cheaper from a fundraising viewpoint, & mean less overall operational costs due to combined revenues.

A combined rail operation would be likely to obtain EU, government & even private funding if any was available in the future.

We are talking tens of millions in costs to rebuild the New Ross railway & to raise that amount it would have to be a serious proposal which generates enough revenue. A heritage line on it's own is not viable IMO

dowlingm

I'd say the only traffic that would bring in enough shekels to reopen as a railway would be some sort of serious bulk freight flow flow in, out or preferably one or more both ways from New Ross Port (west bank). If having done that there were paths available to squeeze services of some sort through so be it but if it wouldn't work from South Wexford I don't see it working from New Ross. Build the greenway already.

purplepanda

Maybe I should have also added freight to the mix, seems to me all the lines in danger of closing don't have any freight traffic at present.

South Wexford had the Beet season until a few years back, but then closed.

I'm assuming all the lines currently threatened with closures are all freight free? Even Limerick Junction - Waterford. What about Limerick - Nenagh-Ballybrophy?

Even some UK heritage operators are considering adding commuter services to link up with the national rail network, none has managed to introduce any so far but such services would make sense from a financial viewpoint if passenger demand was there. Perhaps with some financial help from government / EU funds if available in future

Nothing worse than a very expensive underused white elephant :pac:

Multiple sources of income are needed to make any serious project work . Especially when the start up costs are so high.

corktina

not quite none,

the North Yorks Moors Rly operate off their line onwards on Network Rail and The Swanage Railway have secured the go ahead for regular trains operating onto their line shortly

purplepanda

Good to know that some heritage railways are making full use of their assets anyway.

Plus a few Santa & Thomas the Tank engine specials always draws in the paying public.

allthedoyles

New Ross towards Waterford refurbished railway track

corktina

it's not refurbished, it's just been cleared. I doubt it would be safe to use without re-sleepering and ballasting.

It would make the good basis for a volunteer led (ie cheap)project but where will the volunteers come from?