Cross-border review of rail network officially launched

Agreed but it might be still good to rank/prioritise and possibly tentatively date projects like "rail to Shannon". Even if just so that everyone can clearly see what's where on the priority list.

What we currently have is a bit of a mish-mash where some "no-hope" projects have happily made the AIRR and some places (Carrigaline?) barely get a mention. Sligo-Letterkenny is off the list because it's bad for the environment and wouldn't serve many people but the new North Midlands route is fine.

There was a plan (Parliamentary approval etc all in place I think), which I was only made aware of by someone on here a few months ago really, for a Sligo to Bundoran broad-gauge line, meeting the Enniskillen to Bundoran broad-gauge line there.

The plan was a high-level bridge over the Garrovogue/Sligo Port, going from somewhere along the Sligo Quay spur alignment.

That sounds painfully expensive even back then, and it would also create issues actually serving Sligo station.

It would still have done nothing for the other huge issue - the Donegal system being narrow gauge; and never actually going south of Ballyshannon. The broad gauge line would have brought you to Ballyshannon, but on the wrong side of the Erne!

A bunch of the ones in the East were first built broad and later converted to narrow; but nothing dealing with all of the difficult bits of a putative Sligo-Letterkenny link.

Any railway service to Donegal will need to be an entirely new alignment Letterkenny to Derry service and that's it. Finish the other road proposals and reinforce bus links to Sligo, Letterkenny and Carrickfinn.

That's all fine, and I want to make it clear I am NOT pushing for a Sligo-Letterkenny connection, I was just trying to say that the AIRR mostly fed back current growth patterns into their model, rather than strongly focusing on desirable future growth models. They could have pushed for the NM20 rail link but we all understand why it will not go ahead.

So there is no real "buildup of counterbalance to Dublin" within the AIRR. Dublin remains as the hub. And in that scenario I prefer not to cross the city centre just to cross the country. Swapping trains is fine. Swapping modes - not as good. I say that as someone who's done it a couple of times (and have done it in London too). It just eats time.

It's easier for me to meet Belfast customers in Amsterdam at the moment, and that's just a shame.

Yep I think we're basically on the same page here. I'd have preferred to have Dungarvan on the list, stating that it's at the lowest priority. Same with Carrigaline and Sligo-Lettterkenny etc.

The only AIRR comment on Carrigaline is highly questionable. There is no real possibility that a Mahon or Ballincollig tram line could extend to Cork Airport or Carrigaline. A new tram network serving North-South MIGHT. A commuter rail network MIGHT. But mentioning Carrigaline in the same breath as the Mahon line is just nonsense.

But anyway that's only a small issue.

Could this project if implemented, form part of the proposed west Dublin rail freight depot ? It would seem an obvious tie-in ? I’d be surprised if IE had not modelled out some form of plan.

Reading through the article it feels very misleading, and it's not just the IT's fault this time. The IÉ representative who said that was either being misleading or just doesn't understand how train services work, not to mention completely ignoring the already planned infrastructure improvements for Greystones.

In addition to what LXFlyer said about it being an IC journey vs Greystones being suburban rail, he's ignored that:

• Greystones will be increased to 3tph in the coming years (iirc the current target is 2028) and based off of what he said will still be before Dublin-Cork sees 2tph
• Thurles already sees 2tph in the peak due to the combination of Cork-Dublin and direct Limerick-Dublin, although because of the stopping pattern the Cork services save about 20 minutes.
• Thurles is sometimes the last stop before Heuston for Cork-Dublin services which is why it's so quick
• Dublin-Thurles prices reflect it being so far away, its 15€ even if booked online a few days in advance vs Greystones-Dublin being 3.90€ at any point in the day.

I understand the point he is trying to make, that the AISRR and other planned improvements will be transformational for the network. And that improvements to the Cork-Dublin corridor will benifit more than just Cork and Dublin. But he said it in a really poor way and he is unsurprisingly getting called out for it by the IT.

There are some extremely remote parts of the railway network where the power grid would need to be upgraded and new lines built before electrification so the economics might well lean towards more hydrogen or battery. Have you seen the landscape that trains pass through in Mayo, Clare and Kerry. Especially where you're talking about less than a dozen trains in a day

Are DART, Cork commuter upgrade and intercity style electrification all compatible?

And nitrous oxide from unintended reactions, same as fossil fuels. Which is one reason it's never going to be used combustably in cars

That's very, very specifically why I mentioned combustion.

Fuel cells are hideously inefficient, a solution looking for a problem; a few jokeshop trials over 50 years. When people are talking about hydrogen for trains, they mean combustion - loads of money is being thrown at this, and I suspect it's going to fail.

If a vendor can

1: Stop hydrogen gas destroying the tank and all fuel components in the vehicle over time

2: Make it significantly safer than it currently is

3: Figure out better catalytic convertors

4: Actually source real, green hydrogen

There might be some basis for hydrogen for heavy construction vehicles and generators. That's about it. Irish Rail should cancel their kite flying about it, it's burning money.