Cross-border review of rail network officially launched

Just in terms of the alignment, I reckon that there’s no need for a Dublin Airport station, it’s very much a large deviation from the path of least resistance between Clongriffin and Drogheda, and would clog Enterprise trains with passengers that it shouldn’t be taking on.

If the airport is to be served by heavy rail, it should be a branch off of the Drogheda express alignment, for terminating DARTs.

The express alignment should however link with the metro at Estuary, killing multiple birds with the one interchange as it were: easy link to the airport from Belfast (via Metrolink from Estuary), M50 station (it’s just off the motorway for easy access north of Dublin), and not leaving the Enterprise services prone to becoming fast services from Swords to Dublin.

It should then run directly in as straight a line as possible to Platin, where an interchange station would be built along the old Drogheda-Navan line and just off of the M1, where one or two DARTs an hour, wouldn’t terminate at Drogheda and would instead terminate here, timed to link with Belfast/Dublin express services.

It would allow passengers to/from Belfast and Drogheda to easily change for a DART connection into the existing Drogheda station, serving Platform 4 on the Navan branch at MacBride station, which is already planned as part of DART+.

And being right beside the M1, people coming from Slane/Duleek/Clogherhead/Ardee can park here and take trains into Dublin on either a DART or an express.

Cross the Boyne adjacent to the Mary McAleese M1 Road bridge (eliminates the bottleneck of the single track Boyne viaduct - which some Dundalk commuter services would still use - and rejoin the exiting line north of Dunleer.

This really would be a premier alignment, and with only 2 station, would be enough extra catchment to pass a CBA while still retaining the high speed bypass qualities that warranted the line in the first place.

The new line between Drogheda and Connolly won't have any stops other than the airport.

Does such a short piece need replacing?

It's a very short section of single track. With proper signalling its not a problem, even with services every 15 mins in both directions.

Plan to connect Maynooth and Hazelhatch lines looks gone as well.

State of this country.

the SRR wasn’t even that ambitious in its scope and seemed realistic/attainable- but not with these idiots in charge. Anything beyond more lines/speed bumps on existing roads for non existent bikes is a massive problem

is the document not an initial prioritisation of projects from the AISRR? i.e. which they're starting first.

we need a pipeline of investment. can hardly do all 32 projects at once, when the new lines need capacity created on existing lines first to become operationally viable. The timelines for the projects listed are really disappointing, means the rest will be longfingered even more. We'll get another strategy in the meantime to alter everything again.

WRC is a surprise, not politically, as presume Galway to athenry capacity is needed before decent services could be introduced to the reopening

I’m in favour of the WRC but not at the expense of projects that will deliver more value. It sounds a bit vague “capacity enhancements”. Presume things like dual tracking and electrification on the Waterford line are off into the future behind the cork and Belfast lines

I didn't think it was viable until the tunnel was in place. could either line take additional services from the other with the constraints further in? Any capacity at heuston will be needed for Kildare Line service increases etc

Having Sligo services (or anything from the Western lines honestly) terminating at Connolly is bad for capacity because of the track layout.

Moving Sligo services to Heuston is better for Sligo service users, frees up capacity on the Maynooth line, and will relieve some congestion at Connolly. Which if it's needed, that Maynooth line capacity could be given to SW DARTs to free capacity at Heuston.

how would it cost €1 billion? Seems an insane price, I thought the existing line was relatively near the airport

I would be surprised if it was under 200m, but from a policy development standpoint, those estimate are what they are going to operate off of until they are told otherwise so it would still explain why it might not be on there.