Cork - Belfast?

Markcheese

Just a pie in the sky, would it possible, linking from somewhere like broombridge to Dublin airport, and on to the Belfast line...
Might even be EU funding for something like that in a post brexit keeping the cities on the island island connected type of thing..

L1011

There's possible and sensible. This wouldn't be sensible in any realistic terms

loyatemu

they're already connected, you could run a service via Connolly (and they have in the past AFAIK).

railer201

From 1950 to 1953, in a joint venture, CIE and the Great Northern Railway ran the Enterprise as a through service from Belfast to Dublin then on to Cork.

Markcheese

loyatemu wrote: »

they're already connected, you could run a service via Connolly (and they have in the past AFAIK).

I thought there was serious capacity issues?

trellheim

for the one or two trains per day no. Technically you could run midleton to Derry

dowlingm

Markcheese wrote: »

Just a pie in the sky, would it possible, linking from somewhere like broombridge to Dublin airport, and on to the Belfast line...
Might even be EU funding for something like that in a post brexit keeping the cities on the island island connected type of thing..

Post Brexit there's probably going to have to be a period where we figure out the new reality, which may be good or bad for rail depending on how both NIR fares on one hand and the Irish economy on t'other.

Post unification would be a different story since some degree of financial clarity might emerge, at least to the point of a single rail track operator, but I think in general unless large flows could be found from somewhere, and not just to central Belfast (since air would service the city-city market more effectively) then my preference would be to concentrate on improving Dublin-Cork (timing, KRP phase 2) and Dublin-Belfast (clockfacing, triple/quad track between Connolly and Malahide, plus whatever else needs doing)

L1011

Markcheese wrote: »

I thought there was serious capacity issues?

Trains running for useful arrival times at either end would be passing through Dublin at quieter times.

The demand is tiny, though. Flights have failed (and were often run on 9 or 19 seater aircraft anyway), don't think anyone has ever run a direct bus - although there'd be little reason to, stopping at Red Cow or Dublin Airport wouldn't make any major delay as they'll be passing them anyway.

Its too short for a rail sleeper service and too long for a practical early-leaver for a working day

Markcheese

I was not thinking a direct non stop service, but more a replacement for the enterprise, allowing Southern and northern passengers rail access to Dublin airport... (and freeing up space for the darts,) and the same line could be used for commuter kildare- Airport - malahide ,

L1011

Demand insufficient and cost massive still in that scenario

As much triple and quad track as possible on the existing Northern line + extending Metrolink to Donabate station as proposed as an extension originally would provide DART paths, and a Northern connection to DUB

Kildare line to the airport will be a change to Metrolink at Cross Guns

The topography of a line from the Kildare line to curve towards the Airport would have to dodge towns, parkland and the Liffey valley - there's no obviously cheap route

Markcheese

That's fair enough, I'd just been looking at something else on a map, and was surprised at how close phoenix park was to the airport, and how much green space was in between... I know zip about the terrain.... (it wouldn't have been cheap anyway, there's have been an awful lot of cut and cover and tunneling involved, as well as stations in towns en route...

XPS_Zero

railer201 wrote: »

From 1950 to 1953, in a joint venture, CIE and the Great Northern Railway ran the Enterprise as a through service from Belfast to Dublin then on to Cork.

It took too long apparently, six hours, meaning less turnaround and you didn't have enough people going the full journey.


I've started to wonder if building a high speed network OUTSIDE the 19th century lines is a better way to go

Del.Monte

XPS_Zero wrote: »

It took too long apparently, six hours, meaning less turnaround and you didn't have enough people going the full journey.


I've started to wonder if building a high speed network OUTSIDE the 19th century lines is a better way to go

Population! Even with recent immigration the island is sparsely populated with only two cities worthy of the name and far too small to justify such expenditure.