Councillor puts plans in train to reopen County Limerick railway station

Isambard

tabbey wrote: »

It certainly is a long way from Charleville, especially in the rain.

don't mention the speed bumps...

Isambard

JCX BXC wrote: »

What about Kilrush? The West Clare railway is surely ripe for opening if Kilmallock is for it

that would make sense if it happened to have a current line running through it.

Opening Kilmallock makes a lot more sense than opening Tubbercurry.

whisky_galore

whisky_galore wrote: »

It's got some features other places would kill for, but it's a pretty dreary provincial town tbh.

Yep, though there's no reason it should be. Has all the makings of a fine spot with a bit of tlc.

JCX BXC

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Yep, though there's no reason it should be. Has all the makings of a fine spot with a bit of tlc.

What town doesn't?

JCX BXC

JCX BXC wrote: »

What town doesn't?

Abbeyfeale? Lots tbh. Killmallock has some pretty cool ruined abbeys right in the town, iirc. Been years since I ventured out that way.

coylemj

Local newspapers and radio stations lap up this stuff - TD/Senator/co. councillor calls for 'x and it's a headline. It costs nothing - no reporters claiming mileage, no payment due to a news agency and the press release issued by the public representative often gives them (literally word for word) what they need to print or read out on the air.

Local media gets to fill airtime or column inches and the public representative gets free publicity, win-win all round.

That councillor put down a motion to invite Iarnrod Eireann to 'discuss the proposal'. Pound to a penny they declined.

gozunda

Shn99 wrote: »

Ah stop! Next we'll have the 5 people who live in Knocklong campaigning to get their station reopened

Believe it or otherwise but the greater Knocklong - Hospital area probably has a combined population of well over 3000 and that's leaving out other large catchment areas in the vicinity. The town of Hospital also has a secondary school of well over a 1100 pupils drawn from areas like Caherconlish Bruff Emly and Ballylanders.

Knocklong is situated on a high volume road transport route between North Cork and Limerick. If you wish to compare it with a station with a smaller population base which serves that line - you could look at Banteer in co Cork..

The original station in Knocklong and platform are still there. What was a railway hotel is sadly run down. The station in the past was a significant tourist and goods stop. It is also of some historic significance. Tbh leaving your joke aside I reckon Knocklong would be the better option compared to Kilmallock being relatively easy to access etc and serving a potentially wider catchment area. .

Isambard

it certainly makes sense to me to re-open stations on existing lines. Now there is no freight, there is plenty of capacity and a stopping train from Cork to Limerick via the Junction should at least be tried. It would be a cheap project surely. Your point about Banteer is a good one.

JCX BXC

Isambard wrote: »

it certainly makes sense to me to re-open stations on existing lines. Now there is no freight, there is plenty of capacity and a stopping train from Cork to Limerick via the Junction should at least be tried. It would be a cheap project surely. Your point about Banteer is a good one.

Will we just open a station at every place with a catchment of a few thousand?

gozunda

JCX BXC wrote: »

Will we just open a station at every place with a catchment of a few thousand?

No that's not the point I was making. Reopening select hubs will increase access for many many more than just a 5 or a few thousand. It will permit better access to existing transport facilities for a much greater hinterland and population base than in the past and allow for a reversal of at least some of the draconian closures of stations over the last half centuary and would provide access to alternative means of transport to many.

Isambard

JCX BXC wrote: »

Will we just open a station at every place with a catchment of a few thousand?

if the tracks are there, why not? It would cost very little to provide platforms etc and a stopping service feeding into the Inter City service at main stations would be useful and there are only one train each way per hour on that line and less than that on others. More usage of lines would make them more viable.

HonalD

Isambard wrote: »

JCX BXC wrote: »

Will we just open a station at every place with a catchment of a few thousand?

if the tracks are there, why not? It would cost very little to provide platforms etc and a stopping service feeding into the Inter City service at main stations would be useful and there are only one train each way per hour on that line and less than that on others. More usage of lines would make them more viable.

You’d have to define “very little” firstly and try and comprehend the on-going costs of running a railway. Then come back and agree to how much extra tax should be paid to fund it all.

Isambard

HonalD wrote: »

You’d have to define “very little” firstly and try and comprehend the on-going costs of running a railway. Then come back and agree to how much extra tax should be paid to fund it all.

isn't that the job of the Professionals?

Poxyshamrock

Mutant z wrote: »

Should Newcastlewest reopen its railway line on account its a larger town than Kilmallock its just as logical isnt it why should Kilmallock be ahead in the pecking order when its population is smaller.

Well, at least Kilmallock is on an existing train line. Newcastlewest's line has been mothballed for years! Let's walk before we can run :pac:

Shn99

gozunda wrote: »

Believe it or otherwise but the greater Knocklong - Hospital area probably has a combined population of well over 3000 and that's leaving out other large catchment areas in the vicinity. The town of Hospital also has a secondary school of well over a 1100 pupils drawn from areas like Caherconlish Bruff Emly and Ballylanders.

Knocklong is situated on a high volume road transport route between North Cork and Limerick. If you wish to compare it with a station with a smaller population base which serves that line - you could look at Banteer in co Cork..

The original station in Knocklong and platform are still there. What was a railway hotel is sadly run down. The station in the past was a significant tourist and goods stop. It is also of some historic significance. Tbh leaving your joke aside I reckon Knocklong would be the better option compared to Kilmallock being relatively easy to access etc and serving a potentially wider catchment area. .

Im aware of that. I live in Emly and attend John The Baptist CS in Hospital......

trellheim

Bear in mind there will be a General Election before the year is out, the only thing stopping it is the referendum . This should be viewed in that light.

gozunda

Shn99 wrote: »

Im aware of that. I live in Emly and attend John The Baptist CS in Hospital......

You were? .....

Shn99Ah wrote:

stop! Next we'll have the 5 people who live in Knocklong campaigning to get their station reopenen

I think I might have a few years on ya;)

Shn99

gozunda wrote: »

You were? .....




I think I might have a few years on ya;)

Very funny

coylemj

trellheim wrote: »

Bear in mind there will be a General Election before the year is out, the only thing stopping it is the referendum . This should be viewed in that light.

If you want to talk about the issue from that perspective, Kilmallock is in the Dail constituency of Limerick County which is a three-seater. That in turn means a quota of 25% of the valid poll which is an all-but impossible target for an independent who isn't already a TD with an effective machine on the ground.

The lady we're talking about in this thread was elected as a SF county councillor in the 2014 local elections. In the 2016 general election, a guy called Seamus Browne stood for SF in Limerick County and got a grand total of 7.5% of the first preferences - less than a third of a quota so needless to say, he was not elected. She has no chance of being elected to the Dail, even if she kisses and makes up with SF and gets the nomination (both highly unlikely) so this issue is a red herring and nothing more than a publicity stunt.

tabbey

The question of re-opening stations should not be judged on immediate population alone. Some moderately sized towns are well served by buses for their travel needs. Others could be smaller, but without a rail service might be isolated.

I would not suggest stopping Dublin - Cork expresses at Knocklong or Kilmallock, but if each of them had 3 car platforms restored, they could be served by a limited number of all-stopper trains, providing Knocklong and Kilmallock with the opportunity of travelling towards Cork and Dublin. I imagine that both towns could be better served to Limerick by buses.

At the moment however, there is little prospect of such services being funded, but if enough people demand them, something could evolve in the future. Remember the Maynooth commuter service started on a shoestring, look at it now.

gozunda

Shn99 wrote: »

Very funny

T'is ...

GerardKeating

tabbey wrote: »

At the moment however, there is little prospect of such services being funded, but if enough people demand them, something could evolve in the future. Remember the Maynooth commuter service started on a shoestring, look at it now.

One idea could be an hourly Cork-Dublin Express Service, just stopping at Mallow or LJ, perhaps running on the hour

And a Stopping service running on the Half-hour or something, which could run all stops between cork and Limerick and reopen a few of the smaller stations between Cork and Limerick,

bk

GerardKeating wrote: »

One idea could be an hourly Cork-Dublin Express Service, just stopping at Mallow or LJ, perhaps running on the hour

And a Stopping service running on the Half-hour or something, which could run all stops between cork and Limerick and reopen a few of the smaller stations between Cork and Limerick,

Doesn't work. The stopping service would obviously be much slower and you would have the next express service running into the back of it.

marno21

Banteer serves Kanturk, Newmarket and Banteer itself. It isn't located close to a station like Kilmallock is. Nor is it located on a 100mph stretch of intercity line where there is consistant attempts to reduce journey times.

If the capacity were there a shuttle from Cork to Limerick calling at these villages may be merited if it could meet the express Cork-Dublin or Limerick-Dublin service for interchanging and maybe continue on to Limerick, again if capacity were there.

I would imagine there will be a net loss of stations along the line for intercity trains to stop at rather than an increase. Closing Ballybrophy may be considered if the branch line is closed

Isambard

marno21 wrote: »

Banteer serves Kanturk, Newmarket and Banteer itself. It isn't located close to a station like Kilmallock is. Nor is it located on a 100mph stretch of intercity line where there is consistant attempts to reduce journey times.

If the capacity were there a shuttle from Cork to Limerick calling at these villages may be merited if it could meet the express Cork-Dublin or Limerick-Dublin service for interchanging and maybe continue on to Limerick, again if capacity were there.

I would imagine there will be a net loss of stations along the line for intercity trains to stop at rather than an increase. Closing Ballybrophy may be considered if the branch line is closed

well less stops on the inter city service would be one way to speed the end to end time up, with passengers from stations changing into the main service from the stoppers.

For instance, stopper leaves Cork and picks up at Blarney/Monard, Rathduff, Mallow, Buttevant, Charleville and Knocklong and connects with the following fast at LJ. and then heads to Limerick in place of the current shuttle.

gozunda

coylemj wrote: »

If you want to talk about the issue from that perspective, Kilmallock is in the Dail constituency of Limerick County which is a three-seater. That in turn means a quota of 25% of the valid poll which is an all-but impossible target for an independent who isn't already a TD with an effective machine on the ground.

The lady we're talking about in this thread was elected as a SF county councillor in the 2014 local elections. In the 2016 general election, a guy called Seamus Browne stood for SF in Limerick County and got a grand total of 7.5% of the first preferences - less than a third of a quota so needless to say, he was not elected. She has no chance of being elected to the Dail, even if she kisses and makes up with SF and gets the nomination (both highly unlikely) so this issue is a red herring and nothing more than a publicity stunt.

Interestingly Kilmallock had the honour of being one of the few 'Rotten Boroughs' in the 17th Centuary where elections were a foregone conclusion ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6mJw50OdZ4

tabbey

bk wrote: »

Doesn't work. The stopping service would obviously be much slower and you would have the next express service running into the back of it.

Not at all!

The ICRs have good acceleration, allowing one minute stopping, one minute in station and one minute accelerating, ten stops would add just thirty minutes to the journey time. Even if it needed five minutes per stop, that would make fifty mins.

A train running non-stop from Dublin to Cork, departing 10.00 would arrive at 1210, an all stopper leaving 1005 would arrive 1255 at the latest. It might require an extra block section or two approaching Cork, or the next express might make one stop.

Alternatively stopping trains could be overtaken at Limerick Junction. This used happen decades ago, when the 1310 Dublin - Cork went into a siding while the 1445 stopped at the Junction.This enabled interchange between the two trains.

Jamie2k9

tabbey wrote: »

Not at all!

The ICRs have good acceleration, allowing one minute stopping, one minute in station and one minute accelerating, ten stops would add just thirty minutes to the journey time. Even if it needed five minutes per stop, that would make fifty mins.

A train running non-stop from Dublin to Cork, departing 10.00 would arrive at 1210, an all stopper leaving 1005 would arrive 1255 at the latest. It might require an extra block section or two approaching Cork, or the next express might make one stop.

Alternatively stopping trains could be overtaken at Limerick Junction. This used happen decades ago, when the 1310 Dublin - Cork went into a siding while the 1445 stopped at the Junction.This enabled interchange between the two trains.

Typical stopping time is 90-120 seconds, while the ICRs are better than the MarkIV for lots of stops they would still require 2-3 minutes extra for acc/deceleration from 100mph.

There isn't the population density (or demand to make it viable) to support any new stations for Limerick-Cork and the M20 will cater for most along the route when its build in 5-10 years time. The only capital investment should be spent in Limerick J.

Isambard

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

Typical stopping time is 90-120 seconds, while the ICRs are better than the MarkIV for lots of stops they would still require 2-3 minutes extra for acc/deceleration from 100mph.

There isn't the population density (or demand to make it viable) to support any new stations for Limerick-Cork and the M20 will cater for most along the route when its build in 5-10 years time. The only capital investment should be spent in Limerick J.

please link to your evidence .

Jamie2k9

Isambard wrote: »

please link to your evidence .

Evidence of what?