Foynes Line

Are they installing it as a single line, or twin? That N69 underpass in Dronehawk's video looks very narrow, so I'm assuming single

it is currently handling containers, exports of contaminated soil from Roche in Clarecastle to Northern Netherlands/Germany for treatment.. But this is a dedicated project cargo service until the decommissioning is complete..

Otherwise Foynes doesn’t handle containers and is unlikely to any time soon..

No business case. A whimsical political decision.

So an EU regulation says you have to connect "core ports" to the rail system. Apart from this being a nonsense regulation (if true, which I doubt), what about Ringaskiddy?

Seriously, if I had €100m to blow on rail projects in the Limerick area, I would (a) fix the Ballycar flodding scandal, (b) put in a crossing loop at Sixmilebridge on the rather congested Limerick-Ennis line, and ( c) use whatever is left over to re-double some or all of Killonan to Limerick Junction.

I suppose it would take the powers that be several years and several millions of € on consultancy reports to figure this out.

Let me get this correct? This line is being reopen and there is no customers for it other than a mine that might or might not open. Am I reading this correctly?

We visited the Foynes Flying Boat museum yesterday, which is excellent. They really should promote it better. It's a real gem.

of course it is a whimsical political decision, EU is lobbied 1000s of times annually by member states to amend regulations that are deemed unsuitable, the natura directive was slashed and burned because of lobbying.

Personally think this expense is outrageous given the size the island, expert reports all the way up to the minister's office state that rail cannot compete with trucks inside 300km, the only part of the island outside 300km is the Giants Causeway.

The initial 105m is only for phase 1 of the expenditure, such as rail bridges etc. phase 2 is the signalling and the automated gates of which there are more than 40 across the line, some of these automated crossing can cost upwards of 2m so we're about to spend imo north of 200m to reopen a line that cannot compete with our road network

the line is opening.

no amount of complaining is going to change it.

it's happening.

who is complaining? I want to see the line reopened and in use. But I got news for you. If this reopens and there is nothing but a few trainspotters on a choochoo day out the media with have a field day point out the "hundreds of millions wasted on a rail line with no trains!" and this will greatly - if not - fatally impact upon future investment in all rail all over the country.

Right now I am more worried than complining about this shocking revelation.

the days of media screaching having any effect on rail investment are gone.

phaze one of the wrc was supposed to damage rail investment, in the end it didn't.

the game has changed.

and yet rail is competing perfectly well with trucks within 300km as it is hence it sounds like these expert reports are discredited.

the game is changing, trucks being driven for minimum wage is no longer viable and ultimately rail will be playing a bigger roll going forward in freight movements.

how big that roll will get, who knows, but a bigger roll it will play.

anyway, a credible case to reopen the line to foynes has been shown, proven and accepted. if there was no case it would not be reopened.

it was given a good tyre kicking at the time, to the extent I was consulted about rolling stock availability and gauge clearance on the Ennis line..

Rail is ideal for this kind of traffic as it gets it off roads and away from the public.. There were similar projects in the past including asbestos from both lanesboro and Bellacorrick power stations to Dublin port..A block train running 6 times a week back and forward shouldn’t be a big reach for IE to support projects like this one but unfortunately is given the chronic under investment in rail freight in this country..

One needs only look at Roches own history( Seveso and the missing drums) to see why operations like the Clare castle demolition are treated with the highest level of import, and why cost isn’t always the driving factor.. A quick look at the projects website is a Good illustration of this

all existing freight flows, so Ballina to Dublin and Ballina to Waterford(both timber and containers)

The 300km figure is based on a consultants report, doesn’t mean it’s true in the real world..

Also fairly sure you are referring to the now former CEO of Dublin port who was anti-rail

the report along with your claims have been discredited as i can bet if you look hard enough you will find flows very much within the 300km as there is a world outside ireland.

rail freight will be increasing that is a given, by how much who knows but increasing it will be.

so the solution is to spend hundreds of millions of euro on rail by government because there there is wage disequilibrium in the private sector???? How about just pay them more until we reach equilibrium