Brilliant news for Tuam

mayo.mick

Brilliant news for the Tuam community.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/213079802087801/permalink/1040518482677258/

At last we have some great news , a real victory towards the Greenway from Athenry to Tuam onto Milltown. We have won a vote at the Tuam Muncipal District meeting this Monday stating that the Tuam Municipal District supports the development of a Greenway on the disused railway line and we are to start discussions witjh and seek funding from the Department of Transport.
Of course, the anti Greenway councillors led by Cllr Sean Canney (18 years on a pro railway group) have gone into overdrive to try and scupper this fantastic amenity and generator of footfall and business for Tuam, claiming he has alternatives, claiming freight trains are coming etc etc, six years he has held it up with the cllrs he can bring with him- it is the most damaging action possible by any person to the prosperity of Tuam and provision of an amenity for Tuam.
Lots more to come on this in next few days, but lets savour this vicory and take heart that we can achieve our Greenway Shaun Cunniffe

ScumLord

What do they mean by greenway? That they're basically going to turn it into a hike path?

mayo.mick

ScumLord wrote: »

What do they mean by greenway? That they're basically going to turn it into a hike path?

I would imagine it would be similar to the one that's built in west Mayo. Link: http://www.greenway.ie/ It would also link up with the Dublin-Galway greenway that's being constructed at the moment.

stampydmonkey

mayo.mick wrote: »

I would imagine it would be similar to the one that's built in west Mayo. Link: http://www.greenway.ie/ It would also link up with the Dublin-Galway greenway that's being constructed at the moment.

Great news indeed. Hope this comes to fruition

yew_tree

Irish Rail are currently clearing the overgrowth from the Tuam - Claremorris line with a look to re-introduce freight as an alternative route from Ballina to Foynes/Waterford ports.

yew_tree

yew_tree wrote: »

Irish Rail are currently clearing the overgrowth from the Tuam - Claremorris line with a look to re-introduce freight as an alternative route from Ballina to Foynes/Waterford ports.

It doesn't seem to be a very reliable alternative...

http://www.tuamherald.ie/news/roundup/articles/2015/04/08/4036874-collapsing-line-puts-future-use-of-tuam-rail-at-risk/


http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/here-are-the-train-services-that-have-been-affected-by-the-floods-710444.html

http://connachttribune.ie/greenway-campaign-wants-ballyglunin-rail-bridge-protected-or-replaced/

Especially as there is no rail line to Foynes.

yew_tree

WDC Report Predicts Quadrupling of current Rail Freight https://www.facebook.com/WestOnTrack/posts/921908857888286
Western Rail Corridor identified for Protection and Future Reinstatement
A major report published today by the Western Development Commission and entitled Rail Freight and the Western Region has indicated that there is a “significant level of potential for new rail freight services across the Western Region”
The report states that “after decades of decline, rail freight services in Ireland are showing signs of growth with good prospects of achieving Irish Rail’s target of a 4% share of surface freight traffic by 2020, nearly four times the current level in Ireland” and a doubling of the number of trains operating daily to and from the Western Region in the short term to 8 trains per day growing to potentially 24 trains per day over time.
While the report is framed in the context of the present rail network it notes that “further development of the rail sector may involve further investment in the network, including rolling stock, rail heads, strategic freight interchanges and the reinstatement of disused routes.”
Pointing to the finite capacity of the current network the report says investment in the rail network will need to start in the next 5 years and ramp up considerably in the years that follow. “This could include reinstatement of disused lines such as the Western Rail corridor, connections to ports and rail freight interchanges.”
Among its conclusions the report observes that “the availability of rail freight as a transport option (with its low carbon footprint compared to road haulage) could provide regional advantage in attracting new enterprise with a need for high-volume, environmentally sustainable transport solutions. The WDC is therefore keen to see these services secured and expanded.”
The report calls for the development of a strategy for the development of the rail network for passenger and freight, setting out a sustainable case for long-term investment, on the basis of direct benefits (e.g. increased freight track access charge income and general taxation, lower costs/public subsidies) as well as wider societal and indirect benefits (e.g.attracting new inward investment and reductions in road traffic growth) and associated socio-economic and environmental impacts.
The report says that ports are critical to rail’s prospects and notes that Waterford and Rosslare already have rail access, and that Shannon Foynes, Galway and Cork are exploring the reinstatement and enhancement of their rail links, within wider port expansion plans. Uniquely, the Western Rail Corridor provides direct access for Connaught to all of these Ports.
In the context of the Government’s desire to de-carbonise the economy the report observes that “whilst expansion of the road network may help improve capacity and reduce journey times for road haulage, each tonne km generated by road haulage will still create three times more emissions compared to that for rail freight.”
Commenting on the report a spokesman for West on Track said it was confirmation of the steady growth in rail freight to and from Mayo that has been evident over the past few years and that it showed the huge potential for further development in Mayo and other parts of the West including Galway, Tuam and Sligo.
“The identification of the Western Rail Corridor as part of the potential development in rail freight and the future economic development of the West is very welcome. For example, it is common sense that rail freight from Mayo to Waterford should be taking the direct route south via Claremorris and Athenry. If our region is to prosper we need more infrastructure in the west and to utilize the potential of what we already have including our railways.
We must now ensure that the railway is protected from any form of interference and fast-track the development of our rail network in line with the urgent requirements of reducing carbon emissions and accelerating economic recovery in the regions.”

yew_tree

Very good. Until then do you mind the route being used as a greenway - to protect the route from erosion, land grabbing, trees taking over etc?

As it stands there is no rail freight in Galway city or county despite the WDC's enthusiasm for it.

yew_tree

Nor will there be, Ballina is one of the biggest rail freight terminals in the country. As for turning it into a greenway, no issue as long as its beside the track and not replacing the track. Once the tracks go up they never go back.

Banjoxed

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Very good. Until then do you mind the route being used as a greenway - to protect the route from erosion, land grabbing, trees taking over etc?

Iarnród Éireann are doing line clearance works between Athenry and Claremorris so that's the public ownership and trespass issues resolved for another 12 years.

Muckyboots

yew_tree wrote: »

WDC Report Predicts Quadrupling of current Rail Freight
Western Rail Corridor identified for Protection .”

 A proposal to construct a new rail freight interchange at Claremorris (Co. Mayo), with rail access achieved by reinstating around 1.6km of disused railway. The site is relatively remote (25km from the nearest cluster at Castlebar), and has relatively small development proposals on site (around 20,000 sq ft / 1,900 sq m). Securing a major anchor occupier / end user generating trainload volumes of traffic will be critical to achieving a viable business case;
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Tuam and Claremorris barely get a mention in the report and the idea of Claremorris as a potential rail hub only gets a very lukewarm and dubious acknowledgment ( see above). The only proposal for the WRC on the WDC report is to protect the alignment ( perhaps with a Greenway even ).. the game is up lads. Even your own reports aren't banging the drum you paid it to do

Sligo eye

Muckyboots wrote: »

 A proposal to construct a new rail freight interchange at Claremorris (Co. Mayo), with rail access achieved by reinstating around 1.6km of disused railway. The site is relatively remote (25km from the nearest cluster at Castlebar), and has relatively small development proposals on site (around 20,000 sq ft / 1,900 sq m). Securing a major anchor occupier / end user generating trainload volumes of traffic will be critical to achieving a viable business case;
[/HTML]


Tuam and Claremorris barely get a mention in the report and the idea of Claremorris as a potential rail hub only gets a very lukewarm and dubious acknowledgment ( see above). The only proposal for the WRC on the WDC report is to protect the alignment ( perhaps with a Greenway even ).. the game is up lads. Even your own reports aren't banging the drum you paid it to do

That's some spin, I would say. The big problem is that there is inadequate railway capacity in the west as Brendan Quinn of Sligo Mayo Greenway has pointed out in one of his press releases.

However since Quinn, John Mulligan and their associates are more interested in stopping the Western Rail Corridor rather than campaigning for a cycling route they are allowing their dislike of the railway to cloud their judgement. It's a real pity they didn't use their obvious energy and abundance of free time to campaign for a dedicated cycling route. Instead they want to rip up the entire Sligo to Limerick railway line. It's obvious what their real agenda is to be honest.

Sligo eye

Ye can't go agin the priest, so ye can't. Even if it's feckin mad.

This is the level of debate that the greenway campaigners get up to over on Commuting and Transport. Keeping it personallised and nasty.

Muckyboots

Sligo eye wrote: »

This is the level of debate that the greenway campaigners get up to over on Commuting and Transport. Keeping it personallised and nasty.

Com'on now, Sligo Eye. Kettle calling the pot black? No one had personalised it on this thread.. until now. Keep to the logistical arguments and you'll find that whether it's Rail or Greenway - the track will be "ripped up" anyway. Just ask the question, which is more deliverable and offers the greater potential benefits to the people who's towns it serves. We know what the people of Tuam think now.

bagels

Rail freight won't bring a single red cent of income to Athenry, Tuam, Claremorris, Cooloney, etc. The only purpose of a rail freight route through Connacht to Rosslare, etc is to free up rail capacity in the east of the country. No thank you.

westtip

Sligo eye wrote: »

That's some spin, I would say. The big problem is that there is inadequate railway capacity in the west as Brendan Quinn of Sligo Mayo Greenway has pointed out in one of his press releases.

However since Quinn, John Mulligan and their associates are more interested in stopping the Western Rail Corridor rather than campaigning for a cycling route they are allowing their dislike of the railway to cloud their judgement. It's a real pity they didn't use their obvious energy and abundance of free time to campaign for a dedicated cycling route. Instead they want to rip up the entire Sligo to Limerick railway line. It's obvious what their real agenda is to be honest.

dear Sligo Eye, everybody knows my identity, as Westip. Just to let you know that Brendan Quinn does not want to stop the Western Rail corridor, that is just a fantasy project of a few railway enthusiasts. Suggest you read The European TEN-T Transport policy that might put your mind at rest. That project is already stopped.

I am flattered that you think I might have an influence on the decisions already taken at European Government level or national government level as for a dedicated cycling route, please do tell me where on earth we will find a strip of land in public ownership not in use 84 miles long from Sligo to Athenry? Haven't you heard about the problems on the Dublin - Galway route. You claim to know my real agenda, please don't ever speak on my behalf again and keep campaigning for the railway you know is not going to ever be re-opened for the reasons we all know.

I thought the anti Western Rail Corridor row was confined to Commuting & Transport?

bagels

Deleted User wrote: »

I thought the anti Western Rail Corridor row was confined to Commuting & Transport?

There isn't any such row.
There's a campaign to construct a Greenway on or alongside a defunct obsolete railway.
An Anti Greenway campaign is being conducted by elected public representatives who're out of touch with the wishes and needs of the people.
If there's a row, its an Anti Greenway row.

Banjoxed

bagels wrote: »

There isn't any such row.
There's a campaign to construct a Greenway on or alongside a defunct obsolete railway.
An Anti Greenway campaign is being conducted by elected public representatives who're out of touch with the wishes and needs of the people.
If there's a row, its an Anti Greenway row.

Be interesting to see how Moate is doing.

bagels

bagels wrote: »

An Anti Greenway campaign is being conducted by elected public representatives who're out of touch with the wishes and needs of the people.
If there's a row, its an Anti Greenway row.

Well, some of the people. They're representing the "Not in my back yard" brigade. The same kind of morons as the ones who hold Galway city in a bottleneck becasue they don't want the bypass to go through THEIR neighbourhood.

Still though, there's enough double speak and BS in the decades-old WRC threads (from BOTH sides) to make me wary of any discussion of it on boards, especially when someone seems to register specifically to post within it.

galwayreader

If rail freight gets go ahead through Tuam does this mean traffic will be stopped a few times a day just as new bypass is nearing completion. Will people know what will travel through the town? It could be biomass or chemicals both favourites for rail. Freight is useless for Tuam it has to be passenger travel to have any benefit. Even then who wants to go to Athenry to get into Galway?

Not sure rail freight is a flyer these days, they'd need to reconnect the tracks in Athenry, right?

The odds of rail freight happening on the closed line is very very small.

It was an idea the pro-rail campaigners came up with when they realised passenger rail arguement wasn't working.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

The odds of rail freight happening on the closed line is very very small.

It was an idea the pro-rail campaigners came up with when they realised passenger rail arguement wasn't working.

Whoa, heavy loaded one-sided explanation coming through!

Muckyboots

Deleted User wrote: »

Whoa, heavy loaded one-sided explanation coming through!

The pragmatic amongst us with strongly encourage a Greenway and would be very sceptical about the sustainability of a railway. Saying that though- if there was a clear strategy that laid a path from freight to sustainable jobs locally, in a realistic time frame, I'd take my bike, my kids, the visitors and the money that they would spend locally and try and find somewhere else to invest them.

Muckyboots

Muckyboots wrote: »

The pragmatic amongst us with strongly encourage a Greenway and would be very sceptical about the sustainability of a railway. Saying that though- if there was a clear strategy that laid a path from freight to sustainable jobs locally, in a realistic time frame, I'd take my bike, my kids, the visitors and the money that they would spend locally and try and find somewhere else to invest them.

and the railway politics hamsterwheel keeps rolling and rolling along, worse than the FF/FG/SF/AAAers in Politics Cafe!

(for the record, I'm happy enough with the Greenway idea. just very sceptical of waxing lyrical for or against rail to Tuam. not the idea itself, mind, just the sniping for it or sniping against it on b.ie. Commuting & Transport has been polluted with that sh*te for decades, literally. Knock it off!)

mayo.mick

""The report, seen by the Irish Independent, was commissioned by the Rural Economic Development Zones project in Tubbercurry to examine how the disused railway line that runs through the town should be used. Consultants Meehan Tully and Associates carried out an "economic assessment" of the line and circulated a draft report in April. The final report is due to be published in the coming days.
The consultants examined three options for the line - re-opening the rail track, turning the track into a recreational greenway for walkers and cyclists, or developing a greenway to run alongside the track.

A draft copy of the report acknowledged that reopening the line had been "long campaigned for by local communities" and "could deliver considerable economic, social and environmental benefits to the region".
However, it added: "Realistically, the reopening of the line will not occur in the short to medium-term.

"As a result, there remains a significant asset in the form of the line infrastructure, eg, ballast, that can be used to the benefit of the region, as demonstrated by the development of greenways in other counties."
Irish Independent""

And WoT's version of the headline will be something like this

New report confirms the reopening of line as an objective [\quote]

happyoutscan

The Great Western Greenway (Westport-Newport-Mulranny-Achill) has been a staggering success. Obviously Westport is flying it but you only have to look at Newport and Mulranny to see the dramatic impact of the Greenway, after only a few short years. Both villages bristling with visitors and activity.

The addition of another Greenway in Mayo between Sligo-Claremorris (or better again Tuam) with the right marketing (and non-agenda forward thinkers) would also be of immense benefit with local and outside tourism, especially with Knock Airport and Claremorris and Sligo already acting as rail transport hubs for visitors to get right on it.

It's a no-brainer when compared with freight haulage.

Tourism is where the money is at for us in the West, if we can get ourselves to be the 'Greenway Capital' of Ireland we are further utilizing our potential and what we already have on our doorstep. Especially as our growth in every other sector is stagnant and doesn't look like improving anytime soon (unless Brexit favors us).