donvito99 wrote: » Pot calling kettle black. He's saying - quite understandably - that as SF is now the only party pushing the expansion of the WRC, it is fair to associate them with the project, not as bogey men but as proponents.
Lord Glentoran wrote: » I’m sure he’s well able to speak for himself.
Sligo eye wrote: » Jeekers, I love the way some folks like to lick each other like shared choc ices on this forum.
donvito99 wrote: » The impending enslaught of thanks to this post from the pro-WRC brigade will surely deliver a delicious slice of irony.
Hotblack Desiato wrote: » The flipside of being in office on a caretaker basis is that you're not supposed to do anything controversial or that would be unlikely to command a Dail majority (because a caretaker can't be booted out on a no-confidence motion) Shame on Shane Ross but it's far from the first time I've felt that sentiment :mad: Really the report can't be any skin off his nose at this stage no matter what is in it, so is someone leaning on him? Do FG know ('unofficially' of course) that it torpedoes the idea of rail, but they want to keep that quiet to string along some independents with yet more promises of 'studies' or 'reviews' ?
ShaneC1600 wrote: » The terms of reference for the rail review in 2018 stated the appraisal would be reviewed by both DTTaS and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and an independent body. Have these occured yet? If not the report will not be released. I know it makes great press releases and pulling one or two quotes from the FOI appeal that suit an agenda is great but it's misleading. Making it sound like there is something untoward about it all the time without stating that it was known the report would be reviewed prior to publication is misleading. Yes it's taking longer than we would all like, yes we all want to see the report but in fairness between the elections and now COVID maybe there are more important things than reviewing the report.
ezstreet5 wrote: » greenway = gimmick. Don't become ensnared by it, at the risk of losing years of your life.
Lord Glentoran wrote: » It may be a gimmick but it has a purpose. The status quo of car commuting and scattered one off housing monetising otherwise unproductive land must be preserved at all costs.
westtip wrote: » LG can I ask you a serious question do you really think a commuter service that can at best deliver 4 to 5 up trains a day and the same number of down trains between Claremorris to Athenry will be transformative in patterns of going to to work in the west of Ireland? Really do you think it will make any difference to the society we live in? Oh and BTW I completely agree with you about scattered one off housing, totally and utter disaster but re-opening this railway will make no difference to what has gone before us. What the Greenway might do is help those in one off housing less dependent on the car for short journies into local communities, too see friends and family and serve to connect one off housing in a non car based mode of transport. For example if you live say 2 miles outside of a town near this greenway what is stop your teenage children cycling to school, the GAA pitch or just to see their mates, that is what we did on safe roads when we were kids? or nipping into town yourself on your newly purchased electric bike, or just using it for your daily stroll, or taking out children in buggies or wheelchair users on its low gradient path, it is these micro actions that I genuinely believe could benefit the West of Ireland, its not just about tourism economic benefits on the Atlantic Economic Corridor, it is about local benefits and the way people live as well.
Sligo eye wrote: » With all due respect WT how do you work out what the timetable of any service would be? These decisions would be made by the NTA in conjunction with IE. It strikes me that what you are trying to do here is to make a wild assumption about any service levels to try and undermine the whole concept of a railway service which in my opinion is the entire basis of your campaign.
Sligo eye wrote: » You then throw in some sweet rosy little scenarios that are sweet and positive, but a simple path would achieve what you are looking for here.
Sligo eye wrote: » I know well that railway supporters get a lot of demands here to make their claims stand up but on any level of scrutiny your many claims about what a rail service would look like and how the land could be used simply don’t stand up.
Hotblack Desiato wrote: » This "gimmick" is working very well in several other parts of the country, using an otherwise abandoned state asset for the benefit of local people, small business, and tourism The real gimmick of course was creating the grandiose title of "Western Rail Corridor" in the first place, and then some eejit created a Wikipedia page for it with a cross-sectional diagram of a double-track TGV line (!) as an illustration of what they expected would be built :rolleyes:
westtip wrote: » All we are asking for is what you call a simple path along the closed railway route. ..do yo think this duplicated service could be used on the single track into Galway from Athenry.
Hotblack Desiato wrote: » This "gimmick" is working very well in several other parts of the country, using an otherwise abandoned state asset for the benefit of local people, small business, and tourism
westtip wrote: » Do you want hear another gimmick and ersatz phrase that has crept into the save the west voice:Atlantic Economic Corridor it just fits in perfectly with the crayon drawing on maps that some folks get upto. It was created out of thin air and has no become part of the body politic mumbo jumbo talk. Sure I think a job was created for Michael Ring on this one he was head of the AEC something or other group in the last Dail and Lord Ross's mate Sean Canney was on that committee, guess what they saw the WRC as a the panacea for the west!
galwaytt wrote: » A simple path shouldn't be an obstacle - it's a light Works and reversible. Should the messiah appear and shower us with trains, it could technically be undone and revert to Permanent Way. There is literally no downside Actually, that's an issue that doesn't get enough coverage: the entire Galway-Dublin line should be a double line.
end of the road wrote: » yes, in areas that seem to actually have something to offer. i see nothing between athenry and mayo that would be worth someone's time when they could go to waterford or around kerry, places of actual beauty.
marno21 wrote: » The Atlantic Economic Corridor concept is a good one. Linking all the economic assets on the western seaboard and providing good infrastructure to them. Cork-Limerick-Shannon-Ennis-Galway-Sligo-Letterkenny and nearby Tralee, Killarney, Tuam, Mayo towns etc. Also Foynes Port, Shannon Airport, Cork Airport, Ringaskiddy Port, Knock Airport. Such a concept requires good quality road connectivity. It doesn't have the population, population density, business cluster sizes nor the distance for rail connecitivity. "Climate action" isn't going to change this. One of the problems in the west of Ireland is that train filled dreams are distracting people in power from the actual solutions to make the place more prosperous. I heard a Sinn Fein person on the radio last year saying that the number one infrastructure requirement in the west of Ireland was a fully electrified rail line from Sligo to Rosslare via Limerick. Absolutely bonkers stuff. Thankfully there are some others in the required agencies thinking differently - http://www.sligococo.ie/N17KCAEC
westtip wrote: » What the Greenway might do is help those in one off housing less dependent on the car for short journies into local communities, too see friends and family and serve to connect one off housing in a non car based mode of transport. For example if you live say 2 miles outside of a town near this greenway what is stop your teenage children cycling to school, the GAA pitch or just to see their mates, that is what we did on safe roads when we were kids? or nipping into town yourself on your newly purchased electric bike, or just using it for your daily stroll, or taking out children in buggies or wheelchair users on its low gradient path, it is these micro actions that I genuinely believe could benefit the West of Ireland, its not just about tourism economic benefits on the Atlantic Economic Corridor, it is about local benefits and the way people live as well.
Greaney wrote: » I wouldn't over idealise that idea.... 1) The Government policy regarding greenways can be found on gov.ie They are discribed at tourism product, not local cycle infrastrucuture. They really are all about tourism. Just read the link there. 2) Between Abbeyknockmoy and the turn for Ballyglunin, the gov have already funded and built cycle infrastructure 3) I've been attending a fair few cross group cycling strategy meetings regarding cycling infrastructure in the west. I mentioned the Quietman greenway, and some folk involved in Galway Cycle Bus remarked that when they were invited to Westport to develop a cyclebus they discovered local school kids didn't use it for their cycle commute to school. They said the gap between greenways & towns is pretty bad. From my experience, and I've been in cycling advocacy for about four years now, most 'everyday cycling' advocates would not support you in your view at all! We'd like if it did, but I don't think the old railway line links as much as you're imagining. Irishcycle.com have a few articles here & here on the matter.
donvito99 wrote: » This is an excellent argument against the re-instatement of the railway also.
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