Platform 11 Meet Saturday 29th Jan 2005

P11 Comms

(with Victor's permission as if might have got lost in the ILDA thread)

P11 Meet - Saturday 29th Jan 2005
Venue: North Star Hotel - Dublin 2 (across from
Connolly Station)

from Noon to 6PM - drop in whenever you can during that time, and stay as long as you like. This will be an informal get together with no presentations.

Come along a say "hello" and share a few ideas.

Weather permitting; a walk down to Spencer Dock to view current developments there will also take place in the afternoon. P11 have successfully worked in the media and Government to have some Kildare peak services use the Phoenix Park Tunnel Route into a new station at Spencer Dock, as well as saved a site at Cabra for a future commuter station as a stopgap prior to the development of the Interconnector.

When P11 was founded in 2003 the Phoenix Park Tunnel Route was a "works tunnel" - in 2007, it'll be transporting thousands of commuters. Common sense and truth prevailed. http://www.platform11.org/dconnector.html

2005 looks to be even more interesting with a new transport minister and capital-spending programme on major public infrastructure to be announced in the New Year. The door is now opened to push for the implementation of the entire CIE Dublin Rail Plan as well as the reopening of the Athenry-Ennis line (as part of our South and West Rail Plan, as an alternative to the West on Track Proposal).

P11’s South and West Rail Plan
http://www.platform11.org/p11swrailplan.jpg

This is very much a 21 Century Rail Transport Plan for a 21st Century Ireland utilising a combination of upgraded services and reopened stations on existing routes along with the reopening of VIABLE and relatively short sections of closed lines.

The whole ethos behind the Platform11 "South and West Rail Plan" is making rail transport an important part of the regional socio-economic dynamic in the most populated areas outside the GDR. - the Dublin Rail Plan/Interconnector is "Stage One" of a long-term strategy of Platform11 to influence a rethinking of all socio-economic aspects of Irish rail transport within a new economic, demographic and cultural framework.

Ireland has changed and the constant reinvention of the Victorian rail network will not work. Railfreight is not the solution it once was, the Government is not going to give subsidies to rural lines forever, and rail commuting is growing at a spectacular rate in Dublin, Cork and Limerick. So taking all these factors into consideration we are mapping out a winnable and viable world-class rail network based mainly on developing short-hop, rail commuter networks around Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway interlinked with high frequency Inter-City services. Combining the two most successful and growing elements on the rail system as one fully integrated national network.

Many of us in P11 believe that anything other than 'Rethinking the Network' is "Hanging Basketism" and doomed to failure. The old game is up and we are trying to set the rules for a new one which will grow rail transport in the Ireland of the future based on the Ireland o the future.

This is throwing away the old maps and services and looking at the Ireland we have now and what is coming down the road and how rail transport can best fit modern day requirements in order to develop the rail network to its full potential.

But it has to be done in stages and it will take years, but the end result is there for the taking. The Interconnector/Dublin Rail Plan is the springboard to the P11 South and West Rail Plan and beyond. This is why we have concentrated so heavily on that.

This is not to imply that what is listed in the South and West Rail Plan takes place after the Interconnector is completed, but we are working on changing the culture in Ireland when it comes to rail transport and this work begins now.

Our Clonmel-Dublin Direct is a prime example of this "rethinking the network" - stand back, discard tradition and create a service which people will actually use rather than one which will lead to the closing of the entire Limerick-Waterford line and knock Clonmel off the network. IE showed the way in the early 90's with their "Ennis Effect", this can be applied to Clonmel as well.

Extend the Dart

Our extendthedart project has gathered major momentum in both the media and Government and we are on the final push. Common sense is being listened to at last, but we are up against some powerful voices within the road lobby. We have already taken the RPA's Airport Metro out of the equation (thanks to Irish Times supporting our campaign), and the CIE Dublin Rail Plan is now the only game in town. It's now a matter of "when" and not "if". P11's purpose it to bring that decision to a speedy conclusion.

If anybody wants Interconnector flyers to hand out at stations let us know in advance and we'll bring them. Looking forward to seeing you all there.


Look forward to seeing you all there.

www.platform11.org
www.extendthedart.com

Victor

The North Star is on Amiens Street which is Dublin 1.

PM in the middle of January and I'll stickey this for a while.

P11 Comms

Victor wrote:

The North Star is on Amiens Street which is Dublin 1.

PM in the middle of January and I'll stickey this for a while.

Cheers Victor, will do.

Victor

How did it go today?