Western Rail Corridor / Rail Trail

westtip · 06-10-2021 5:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117981120#Comment_117981120

you can be dam sure it will be delayed so no action can take place under this Dail, the tactic of West on Track now is to delay it further as the only political support that exists for this project is from SF; SF and WOT are glued together and O'Raggilly knows his ultimate dream will only come to fruition from the SF/WOT alliance. God knows why they see this as the saviour of the West is beyond any rational thinking in the meantime with some of the comments flying around about the NDP at present its worth looking at what certain people said in the past, strange how they don't stick by what they say.

Micheal Martin, Leo Varadkar, Paschal Donohoe.jpg

serfboard · 07-10-2021 12:06am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117981036#Comment_117981036

Thanks. Please keep us updated on progress on the Charlestown->Collooney section - for those of us who are not on Facebook.

Once Charlestown->Collooney gets built, the ridiculousness of MCC opposing a Greenway on the Claremorris->Charlestown section will be exposed for all to see - unless of course they'd be then proposing a service that would terminate at Charlestown?!🙄

serfboard · 08-11-2021 5:34pm

I see that Sinn Fein are bringing a Private Members motion to the Dail tomorrow on Regional Transport Infrastructure - among the wish-list it "calls on the government to ... commit to delivering the Western Rail Corridor". Their Mayo TD, says that "The failure to include a Western Rail Corridor [in the National Development Plan] was a missed opportunity". Hmmmm ... "a" Western Rail Corridor. Not "the" Western Rail Corridor? Maybe she has another one in mind!

Anyway, she's keeping her WOTsApp group happy, and that's the important thing!

DaCor · 08-11-2021 5:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118137199#Comment_118137199

I think this covers it

westtip · 11-11-2021 5:25pm

Sinn Fein/West on Track SFWOT does this phrase now make sense:

https://www.oceanfm.ie/2021/11/11/opening-the-collooney-claremorris-rail-line-will-lead-to-investment-and-jobs/?fbclid=IwAR2DzgarNy4uq4M-_dGPXyMxOaJq0zXvspK2fGmfFqflc93hXDW_3OcHy6I

DaCor · 11-11-2021 5:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118151889#Comment_118151889

Annoyingly the podcast is for a different story

westtip · 11-11-2021 10:10pm

Yep that is a pity but it shows the plans of SF/WOT this mouthpiece of a cllr has clearly been given orders to start getting the railway back on the agenda in the council and in the county, even though the county executive backed by the chamber are busy spending €300.000 seed funding money to get this project off the mark and Minister Ryan fully backs the Sligo Greenway, the SF/WOT plan is to stall the project as long as possible.hopefully people will see this latest attempt to bring the railway back into the debate on this stretch of the so called Western Rail Corridor, it is all about stalling the greenway, they know full well when the Sligo greenway is built and terminates in Charlestown people in East Mayo will finally go ballistic with the council and the East Mayo Greenway to Claremorris will have to happen. Watch this space SF/WOT are targeting the Sligo Greenway.

Decades · 06-12-2021 6:03pm

This is another major blow to the Athenry-Tuam greenway. Anyone suggesting otherwise is in cloud cuckoo land. https://galwaybayfm.ie/galway-bay-fm-news-desk/details-of-preferred-route-corridor-for-athlone-galway-greenway-emerge/

Seaswimmer · 06-12-2021 6:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118278896#Comment_118278896

Off topic but having spent 4 days cycling around Gort/Kinvara/Derrybrien/Abbey/Abbeyshrule and the Sliabh Aughty mountains over a warm few days in August, it is lovely countryside. A part of the world I knew nothing about but certainly one I would revisit on the bike. Greenway or not.

Greaney · 06-12-2021 11:07pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118278896#Comment_118278896

It's a pity, I did some work on that in Athenry, we tried linking with other communities etc.... but I know the work Katleen put into promoting it around Gort, she was a powerhouse. I felt the business & community buy in was more.... I dunno... considered for the red route. They were very positive & there was some friendly banter between Gort & Athenry cycling groups. We promote & support each others work so we can't begrudge them.

Decades · 07-12-2021 10:34am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118280777#Comment_118280777

The Red Route certainly ticks the boxes of grabbing as many attractions along the way as possible although I think much of the so-called greenway will be parallel to roadside segregated cycling- which is fine by me and I suspect many others too. As you say the enthusiasm was negligible on some routes, with one local councillor in Mountbellew offering to resdesign the most northerly route (to exclude alongside the rail alignment) before it was even considered. The faces of the project promoters suggested he put a nail in that coffin before it even started.

serfboard · 07-12-2021 10:39am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118280777#Comment_118280777

As was said on another thread, the route chosen was probably the path of least IFA resistence.

Decades · 07-12-2021 11:06am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118282555#Comment_118282555

Or the least WOT resistance 😅

Greaney · 08-12-2021 11:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118282708#Comment_118282708

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118282555#Comment_118282555

Indeed, it should have gone through Loughrea originally, and be built by now, but I believe Political interference stalled the process & moved the project south.

https://irishcycle.com/2015/09/22/td-calls-for-end-to-current-dublin-to-galway-greenway-route/

Grassey · 09-12-2021 9:11am

edit - wrong thread

DaCor · 17-12-2021 2:02pm

Great news out today from TII.

€120,000 allocated to the Western Rail Trail sections in Sligo & Galway from TII announced today.

A further 70k allocated to Galway Co. Co. for the Athenry to Milltown section (The Quiet Man Greenway) of the Western Rail Trail with a further 50k to Sligo Co. Co. for the Collooney to Bellaghy (Claremorris) section (Sligo Greenway).

https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/9b8cf-over-two-thirds-of-a-billion-euro-allocated-to-irelands-national-roads-and-greenways-for-2022/

mayo.mick · 17-12-2021 5:58pm

Congratulations to Sligo Greenway Co Op and the Quiet Man Greenway committees on being included in the latest tranche of funding.

Losty Dublin · 17-12-2021 6:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336936#Comment_118336936

What's the money for? Pretending to provide sangiges, Tayto and Cavan Cola at their next cider party on the the trackbed? ☺️

serfboard · 17-12-2021 9:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118338594#Comment_118338594

The PDF on its own is here. Very impressive when you see the full list of projects together. We're really committed to this stuff now. Great to see.

mayo.mick · 20-12-2021 4:45pm

DaCor · 21-01-2022 5:01pm

From a local councillor on Facebook

"RPS Were appointed in October to carry out a feasibility study for a greenway route between Athenry and Milltown. Study area has been defined, environmental and Landscape assessment underway, review of Irish Rail Strategy ongoing. Site walkovers to begin in February"

Decades · 26-01-2022 3:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118512944#Comment_118512944

Everything hinging on the all Island Rail Strategy with the worst-case scenario being a fob. Best case is a decisive finding and NTA taking the project back from the Council in the interest of developing a national network- be it rail or greenway.

DaCor · 26-01-2022 3:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118535400#Comment_118535400

Aye, and worst case is a fudge, likely that ends up with the asset remaining unused by anyone

mayo.mick · 07-03-2022 9:43pm

Again and again, Minister after Minister, have all said the same thing. Here, last Thursday Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan reiterited that the route north of Claremorris to Collooney is not viable as rail and that there is broad agreement that it should be used as a Greenway. Even went as far as to say, its only Mayo Co Co which is blocking it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91XHC3P3tpU

Pete_Cavan · 07-03-2022 10:18pm

It sounded like he mentioned Mayo CoCo and thought to himself "oh better not hang them", so mentioned Galway and Sligo too. Granted Galway is a sh*tshow when it comes to greenways but Sligo is pushing ahead themselves so no need to drag them into it.

Losty Dublin · 29-04-2022 10:51am

Seen on a gricer page today. JD, join me for a spin to the Distant Home on opening day?

DaCor · 04-05-2022 3:19pm

Nice to see things moving along on the Sligo section. ABP just ruled no EIA is required. Looks like this will shave a nice chunk of time off the delivery of the greenway on the abandoned line, hurrah!

DaCor · 05-12-2022 6:50pm

Welp, looks like the WRC can forget TEN-T funding (lol was never going to happen).

The latest TEN-T documents adopted at the Transport council cover nearly 500 billion in spending on infrastructure over the next 30 years.

It doesn't view the WRC as even being extended, let alone funding anything related to it

In fact, as far as freight is concerned, Ireland has opted out of using TEN-T to push forward rail freight

It doesn't even list existing freight terminals for TEN-T funding

The only rail passenger lines put forward for TEN-T funding are the Cork to Belfast spine

So yeah, thats TEN-T removed from the equation for the WRC, not that there was ever any doubt

Now, this is all "IMHO" as I interpret the TEN-T doc's, they are nothing if not convoluted. Given info is spread across nearly 50 documents I wouldn't be surprised if I missed something obvious