"Iarnród Éireann to spend €500m boosting rail freight services by 2040"

Can I ask, what is Marino Point?

It seems to be a former fertiliser plant?

Foynes port is mainly dry bulk, is that correct? No containers?

The suggestion above to re-open these rail links, that is in terms of what type of freight traffic?

Isn't Waterford's north quay going to be redeveloped for residential and commercial? Effectively cutting off the network from the port...?

This is very good news and conditions are likely to favour lots more container-based rail freight

1. Increased fuel costs and carbon taxes will tilt the balance towards rail (which is about 3 times as efficient in fuel terms)
2. Even if we do little to start with, freight from mainland Europe may well go from Ro-Ro (trucks) to Lo-Lo (containers), especially when coming from places several 100 kms from English Channel ports. This would tilt the balance further.
3. It should further the case for widespread rail electrification by spreading fixed costs over more traffic (and electric traction is cheaper to operate and maintain)

Unfortunately Dublin post is congested and not easy to configure for more rail operations, but Belview (Waterford is an under-exploited resource. Foynes is on the wrong side of the country for much container traffic (it seems to be a pet obsession of the Transport Minister). Better post facilities on the East or South coasts are vital.

Another thing which needs fixing are the combination of high access charges for rail operators and much lower taxes on trucks in the past few years. You don't hear much about that from the militant truckers.

another report of which nothing of it will happen i would bet.

cynical i know but look, reports after reports have come and gone in relation to the railways and well, nothing.

i want to be proven wrong, i really do, but no point in being happy about a report until something is actually done in relation to it, shovels in the ground so to speak.

Sorry, but most old freight yards are not suitable, and could not generate enough traffic. It looks like the idea is to concentrate on a combination of distance and tonnage which is optimal for rail freight to and from a few high-volume locations . Small GMs and old Metrovicks are very few, are hopelessly underpowered for heavy fast freight haulage and probably a maintenance nightmare.

The report is correct in its recognition of the need for investment in extra track capacity, new locomotives and new rolling stock. As for Ringaskiddy, no chance, look at the map.

Are there any Irish gauge goods wagons or locomotives in Australia?

Ringaskiddy should be connected. It's a major container port.

But ringaskiddy port is a serious stupid location. It was never going to work. Why ie and the port did away with North Esk is beyond belief. It was ideally located for ship, road and rail, and had gantries and everything.

Baby GMs could still be supported by EMD and the 001 and 201 metrovicks could be fully refurbished and fitted out with new components and systems in inchicore. The 001s are Co-co and could be fitted with uprated engines and motors to provide the power needed. Vossloh eurolights are only bo_bo and have less power than a 071. Plus I cannot think of anything more banal and pedestrian than one of those. They have the same appeal as an icr. Maybe if they could be paired with some coaching stock. None of the retro liveries would work on them though as they have no heritage.

Cement could be good back on rails and bagged fertilizer is still a huge demand. There is a massive yara warehouse in rinkaskiddy and if the port was given a rail connection we could see a return of bagged fertilizer trains radiating out from cork to local depots in surrounding regions.

It would be great to see freight running off peak throughout the night, is there any legislation governing operating hours of the railways?

I'm sorry, but your post is largely a nostalgia trip, and you just so many facts wrong, I hardly know where to start. Have you had a look at where Ringaskiddy is on the map and how far away it is from the nearest railway?

Every time there is a suggestion of any form of service expansion - freight or passenger, we get people convinced that heritage locos are going to come back to mainline service

They aren't. Ever. They were retired for a reason and are in no condition to go in to regular service again. EMD are not going to start supporting equipment that has been retired for a decade, and invasive restorations would be uneconomical and take too long to be of any use anyway - you'd re-gauge modern second hand kit from abroad far faster.

I agree with @L1011 for as much as I’d love those old locos back running the reality is it’s not happening ever. Now, I don’t know whether the 1994 version of the class 201s sitting in inchicore could be brought back to use for freight. I know they aren’t equipped with stuff that’s needed for passenger duties but I don’t recall that being an issue for freight. I think they have a far better chance of been brought back into service.

I'm right in thinking 10 were originally withdrawn around 2008 so that’s over a decade sitting outside in the Irish weather and being stripped for parts. When you put it like that @endoftheroad i can see why you say 3-5 at a push but surely to god they haven’t striped them bare, although there was 230 and 216 which had pretty big rebuilds so there’s that.

Maybe the 071s and the in service 201s will do the job fine. Surely IR have this thought through as to requirements needed.

Sorry that bit about 230 is worded badly. I should have said it has a big rebuild but I don’t think it’s back in service. Although with 224 now gone to loco heaven after a unnecessary welding job, maybe they will use the guts of that to bring 230 back.

I think a few baby GMs could be brought back. A good few of them are still in running order and there are others that probably need not a huge amount of work.

There are also a few 001s that are running or are in near running condition. And I think there may be 121s in close to running order too.

Maybe railways have locos as old if not older than ours in regular service. It seems to be an Irish thing to scrap stuff that is barely in mid life....Mk3s or the 2700s being a perfect example. Or the non push-pull 201s - surely it would have made more sense to retrofit them with the push-pull equipment and sweat the Mk3s or 2700 sets converted for loco haul, just like what was done with the AEC railcars in later years.

However, there's no doubt that if the bulk freight services and liner trains are to return, we will still need additional locomotives.

What are the options out there that we would be likely to see? Is there any options out there with some sort of character and appeal comparable to what the GMs had/have?

What services are we likely to see a return of?

I think cement. But we'd need a new fleet of bogie cement wagons. Are there any of these left?

There are large numbers of container flats, LPs LXs and so on languishing in various yards and sidings, some cut off from the network, that could be rehabilitated.

We might need a new batch of mine wagons if mine traffic comes in..

I also don't agree with the ringaskiddy trail connection being impossible. The deep water berth is about 2km from rafeen where the disused cb&pr alignment is still in place. So you are telling me 2km of single track is impossible, but yet 12km of motorway which has a vastly greater land take and cost is going to begin within months. I don't buy it. The only thing preventing it is the will to do it.

Oh where to start on this post

• there is one 001 in running order out a total of four preserved so no a good few aren’t in running order or near it and also they are well over 50 years old and aren’t far off being longer out of service then they were in service.
• there is two baby gms is working order which are B141 and 146 but again they aren’t young locos and the ones that aren’t scraped haven’t run in years. As @endoftheroad rightly pointed out the non push pull 201s would be a stretch to get working so the baby gms have less chance than Bob hope coming back to life.
• There’s one 121 in Connolly shed which is being worked on and has been repainted and looks well, but given it’s a single cab loco when lots of places on the Irish network are dead ended and it can’t run bonnet first it’s not very useful now is it ?
• I will concede that the mk3s being cut up was a poor move.
• What large amount of wagons ? I’ve seen a couple in Kent station but that was before that yard was gutted, and any siding that isn’t in use was ripped up.
• you talk as if ringaskiddy is youhgal and it could be reconnected somewhat easily(obviously there’s a lot involved in youghal) Was it ever even connected to any rail line ?

What exactly do people envision being carried on this reinvigorated rail freight service - Irish rail couldn't run rail freight when we didn't have a motorway network,and they had rail connected ports and freight yards.. I don't see them being capable of competeing with trucks on motorways now ,except maybe for mine traffic...

If one is serious about carbon emissions and carbon pricing, rail should regain an advantage over trucks, especially on longer-distance routes from ports. IE already are competitive on long runs from Waterford and Dublin to Ballina.

If you read the IE document, they mention other potential bulk traffics. Also there are examples from the UK and Europe of rail being competitive in situations similar to those found in Ireland.

Sad to see a changed and positive approach by IA met with such negativity. I feel that the greatest danger to this development will be from the entrenched interests in the NTA and the DoT

IFI traffic ceased when IFI closed it's Irish operatons. Contrary to urban myths it had little to do with the ILDA whatsoever. Guinness had been winding down keg traffic from the late 90's onwards in favour of a logistic model of point to point combined keg and gas deliveries while they considered closing their Irish brewing concerns. Likewise, Gypsum traffic had been winding down from a train a day to about a train a week. When it did go to road haulage in 2001, it was carried by a CIE road haulage subsidiary.

Randomly checking something on Google Maps in Sligo and noticed that the container gantry seems to still be there on the Sligo Quay branch

And probably in serviceable condition too

Obviously needs someone to want to use it, and loco/wagon availability, and the branch to be reconnected, for that to ever happen though.