Western Rail Corridor / Rail Trail Discussion

end of the road wrote: »

which is probably not going to remain at it's current capacity forever, and will i suspect be expanded again and again long term at a large cost each time.



tuam has over 8000 people alone, i think it would potentially be naive to think that this won't grow long term, therefore building a commuter rail line to the town to relieve the pressure on galway traffic is likely to make sense long term, whatever about going past it for which i would agree there are bigger priorities.

and how many of those 8000 people are commuting adults? For a town to be a commuter town that warranted a commuter rail service you would need to multiply this figure by what? 4? 5? 6 times. 8,000 is not a lot of people, yes it might grow to what? 12,000 maybe in twenty years maybe? No disrespect to Tuam but the entire route from Claremorris to Athenry simply does not justify fanciful talk of commuter train services. Look with the ballot box today you might get a goverment committed to the WRC, and if it happens fair play to you all for hanging on for years and being able to fool a government into parting with our money for such a ludicrous project. but please don't try and tell us its worthwhile and necessary and comes ahead of double tracking all the existing mainlines, electryfying all the existing lines, completing the road national road network and building thousands upon thousands of social houses. Don't kid yourselves if you have a government tomorrow that has the WRC on the agenda - the aforementioned projects and others will take much higher precedence come the next election whenever that might be, there will still be no railway and no greenway.... hey ho on we go.

ezstreet5 wrote: »

So true. Also, those passenger numbers include pensioners, students, women and children, disabled folk, people with bicycles, atheists, a few gay guys, and a black lad that was spotted using the service. When I adjust accordingly, I get back to 39 REAL passengers per train...er, I mean per day.
!

Please EZ don't give up the day job, you will never make it as a stand up comic.

Greaney wrote: »

Private car ownership, (especially households with 2 cars) is proving very costly on many levels.

A slow, infrequent intercity service from Sligo to Athenry is going to do sweet F all in reducing the number of 2 car households.

dowlingm wrote: »

Oranmore came significantly after the reopening of Ennis-Athenry (and should have come with two tracks/platforms and before one or both of Craughwell and Ardrahan...)

Let’s also not forget how Ennis Athenry was supposed to be constructed for a certain figure, flooded just before opening, then had closures for further improvements not long after opening which I doubt very much were included in the project budget.

As for Tuam, it similarly suffers from being pointed toward Athenry rather than Galway, and would surely trigger capital requirements in respect of double track between Oranmore and Galway and platform expansion in Galway to support three separate routes operating through that section without diminution of existing service.

That trigger appears to be pulled! There is movement on planning the second platform and extension of the existing carpark as is required. The new platform extension plans for Galway are quite interesting too, they are at least planning for a commuter train service. There is good agreement between all parties of the requirements for the double tracking of the existing section between oranmore and galway, hopefully this will be the beginning only and it will be continued to Athenry.
At least the discussion has started and all this would complement any further expansion/improvements.

Greaney wrote: »

So do you want it to fail? Oranmore station was funded by the same fund as the Western Rail Corridor.




I know WOT (West on Track) have been stratagising much longer than the greenway and their campaign never felt as contentious. For many who want to see Phase 2 build, the rail figures rising (as they are all over the country) is not a suprise and that's why many of us believe it should be continued all the way to Sligo. Private car ownership, (especially households with 2 cars) is proving very costly on many levels.

The hilarity of this page gets better and better. of course WOTs campaign is contentious, because it proposes wasting public money to a level that is quite unbelievable.

westtip wrote: »

The hilarity of this page gets better and better. of course WOTs campaign is contentious, because it proposes wasting public money to a level that is quite unbelievable.

Alot of people don't agree with you on that one!! And with numbers improving using the existing WRC maybe it's not quiite such a waste of public money.
Never know, In 10 years time the unbelievable part might be a 10 million greenway that is getting ripped up! History may not be kind to one side of this debacle

westtip wrote: »

you may well be right, in fact its not so much the waste of money but the sure knowledge we all have that it is so far low down on the priority list that whilst it may be included in the programme for government that emerges from what happened today, it won't actually be achieved because it will remain an aspiration, that is the problem with the WRC it may well appear on a promisary note it just won't ever be delivered.

If you can see that far into the future, any chance in a few lotto numbers (:

I think we are all in the same boat and just want a definitive plan for that asset!

ShaneC1600 wrote: »

If you can see that far into the future, any chance in a few lotto numbers (:

I think we are all in the same boat and just want a definitive plan for that asset!

Shane, Athenry - Ennis got built in the chuck money around days of FF in the noughties, those days are long past us, looking at the past helps us all see into the future. Even if the new government is promising to spend money left right and centre, vanity projects will not get a look in and whilst some in the west think the railway or greenway is important, the money has to come out of a national pot, and I just cannot see the huge cost of the railway getting a look in nationally, I might be wrong, frankly at this stage I see more of nothing happening. Housing housing and housing will take priority when it comes to big Capex expenditure. I just can't see the dream you have of WRC being fulfilled happening but again I might be wrong. I don't think people voted about the greenway and perhaps the campaign overplayed its role in how people will vote, but hey ho, it is likely there will be another election before long if this lot cannot agree to form a government. we can start the argument again then.

Sligo eye wrote: »

For politicians all publicity whether good or bad is good publicity. Do you think Cannons safe or will he lose his seat?

It doesn't look good for him, based on tallies, he is a good man, pity, if he had had one of those ministries he could chuck money around with like Ring and Canney he would have been safe. Minister for he Diaspora took him out of the domestic limelight, there are no votes with the diaspora in Australia. whereas Canney in truth had his own private election pot to throw money at a wee project here and wee project there. Cannon was stymied with his ministry. That is what it has boiled down to, but that is our politics for you.

Muckyboots wrote: »

Ciaran Cannon will get his seat. Pete Roche bucked the national trend and did much better than expected with 14% of the vote without canvassing in south Galway. . His campaign in Tuam was primarily based around the greenway with Quiet Man Greenway billboards at every roundabout coming into the town. You can read whatever you like from the results. Nobody knows who will form the next government and whether or not Sean Canney will be involved.

yes I was commenting on the early tallies, I think before the Athenry boxes were opened. Sean Canney has already made noises that he is available for offers, I think you said all along MB that Canney would be re-elected, it is hardly surprising. Yes Pete Roche has done very well but in a tight 3 seater with the SF surge and a strong independent vote it was always going to be tight, FF must be devastated if they lose a seat with the strong second candidate as well in place, it will all depend on the transfers, but it is this election is our Brexit and Trump election, massive protest vote, from the generation fed up with high rents, long commutes, not being able to buy a home, not being able to get a council house, and watching the developers taking over NAMA and getting back in the development game. Also fed up watching the Jagger generation with their home ownership secure their pensions secure, eating out 3 or 4 times a week, holiday homes and weekends away and wondering around in their camper vans. The younger generation of workers are shouting Stop.

Just edit that post as the RTE forecast the FG seat might go to Pete Roche based on local transfers if Killilea is out before Roche, its confusing.