Railfreight

Lads I thought half the containers moved from Ballina to Waterford on DFDS liner were by Coca Cola to a distribution centre in Waterford rather than going on for export? This wouldn't add up if the reason for canceling was a change to Dublin port especially after the long battle with IE to install plugs in Ballina yard so they could have refridgerated containers!

foggy_lad wrote: »

They wanted something as simple as power sockets in Ballina but IE won't provide them? That's Mad Ted!

Yep for some reason 45 euro power sockets seemed like a mammoth task but after two years of careful negotiation with IE's top experts in their railfreight and infastructure division this hhuuuuggggeeee engineering problem was solved;)

Losty Dublin wrote: »

There is no power supply on board a liner train, Magpie, so if if is critical on a shunting yard, why isn't it critical in traffic?

It was critical for when the containers were sitting in the yard waiting for a liner to arrive or be unloaded before dispatch.

Im only new to this board and i'd say this has been debated a million times but with the suspension of services of DFDS liners I think its timely that this debate crops up again and with only 3 freight flows left in a country that once had many, what or how long left does rail freight have in modern Ireland?

i have to say considering i'm youngish, i would not remember many of the freight flows, however i'm not that young to remember cement, shale, beer, ammonia workings, and i look back with nostalgia. I believe the railway has good links to the ports but it looks as though the only port that is really up to much is Dublin and not much else is happening in Waterford or Cork. Alot of questions around this subject seem to be more hypothetical rather than actual fact as the information in regards to IE in workings on freight can only be seen by their actions rather than words but would love to see some good news on the freight side of things not just for the sake of its future but as a rail enthusiast too

taken from irrs journal 2002

In October, IÉ stated their intention to withdraw from freight carryings that were uneconomic. These included bagged cement, bagged fertiliser, timber and ‘general containers’. However, at the time, no formal decision was made and the Board of IÉ directed that the Company engage in discussions with the Department of Public Enterprise to explore the possibility of securing EU or Exchequer funding for unprofitable freight businesses. The IÉ Board decided that the Freight Division would vacate the Spencer Dock area of North Wall, Dublin, on 1 February in accordance with CIÉs agreement with the developer of the site. They also requested managers to advance existing proposals to develop an alternative location for the container business that would be displaced.

It is understood that contracts for carrying trainloads of containers would still be sought and that the fate of bulk cement traffic depended on commercial negotiations. An IÉ spokesman was quoted in the newspapers as saying the ‘plan recommends an orderly withdrawal from all unprofitable bulk, palletised and container load business following consultation with the various firms concerned’. Notwithstanding the postponement of the formal decision on the plan by the Board, IÉ told staff who maintain wagons that they were going to be re-deployed to other duties. Staff were told that 225 of the freight department's 570 staff would be affected. IÉ forecasted a deficit of €8.5 million for 2001 for the freight division on revenues of €56 million. This withdrawal would leave IÉ with only a handful of freight trains operating including ammonia trains between Cork and Arklow, shale trains from Kilmastulla (Birdhill) to Limerick cement factory and oil trains from Dublin to Sligo. It was also speculated that beer (various Guinness produced products) would transfer to road haulage. Seasonal haulage of sugar beet from Wellingtonbridge to Mallow was expected to continue.

In recent years, IÉ has ceased hauling sundries, scrap metal, grain, molasses, gypsum and tar (to Sligo Quay) and dramatically reduced haulage of bagged cement, bagged fertiliser and containers. Bulk cement is no longer carried to Cabra (Dublin) and Athenry. The Cabra terminal has lain derelict since its closure on 23 December 1999.

The effect of all these withdrawals of traffic means that there are now no trains on the Foynes branch, Kingscourt branch, New Ross branch, between Ennis and Athenry, between Athenry and Claremorris and on Sligo Quay. In 2001, the Foynes branch saw the weed spraying train, a movement of scrap bagged- cement wagons for storage during the summer and an inspection car movement on 8 November. The Foynes branch was closed to all bar ‘Engineers trains’ in December, with the Electric Train Staff for the section held by the Limerick Permanent Way Inspector. Thus, it assumed the same status as the Youghal branch.

The sole active freight only branch is between Drogheda and Platin cement works. Bulk cement continues to be hauled between Castlemungret (Limerick) and the roofing factory at Athy on the stub of the Wolfhill branch, but both ends of the journey are designated as being in sidings.

By December, palletised fertiliser traffic had practically ceased, with the last traffic being cross-border and to Portlaoise. On Wednesday 19 December, 230 + 12 bogies of fertiliser arrived in Portlaoise at 10.15. The next day saw 10 laden fertiliser wagons in Adelaide yard in Belfast. On Thursday 20 December, 10 empty fertiliser bogies were worked to Shelton Abbey, (Arklow) to be loaded for Belfast. Fifty-four empty bogie-fertiliser wagons were observed in North Wall in early December.

On 27 November, the Minister for Public Enterprise told the Dáil: ‘It is the Government point of view, without taking a formal decision, that it would be better to transport goods as far as possible by rail rather than road’. On 6 December, the Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern, TD, told the Dáil that ‘The Minister (for Public Enterprise) has informed the company … that she does not support its pulling out of rail freight or substantially reducing its contribution in this area as, among other things, it would add more heavy traffic to the streets, as most of the freight work occurs at Dublin’s Spencer Dock site. …The site used by Iarnród Éireann at the docks is to be developed in February and it will have to relocate. This issue arises because it wants to use the site in Spencer Dock for other purposes’. It was also reported in the media that the IÉ plan to reduce rail freight ran counter to EU transport policy.


its been on the cards for some time....

Sligo Quay wrote: »

I have a very interesting journal from a few years ago february 2006 with a feature freight that was, very interesting reading, I never realized tara mines trains went to Arklow port, so much freight lost, private sidings everywhere.

What was the roll of the sidings in dundalk that now lay in alot of weeds it seemed like a big operation? Just after the old GNR depot on the left on the way to the station

good pics of barrack road, i never even knew it was that extensive, shocking how all of this has been lost to the road, if only i was around when rail freight was commonplace

i personally thinks its all doom and gloom once the last tara mines train makes its journey it will be cut of from the network and left to the weeds like every other former rail freight flow. that will leave no infrastructure which means no hope

corktina wrote: »

Sligo Quay wrote: »

Hmmm well Esso fuel and homeheating oil actually left from ''your door'' Esso's own door on Alexandra rd and traveled all the way to the Esso storage fuel depot at Sligo Quay, no double handling, I could never understand IE getting out of this particular traffic, like Tara ore, it was ''door to door'' when its not door to door, well it kind of defeats the purpose

Thats not door to door....it has to be delivered to the end customer by truck....double handling....

Its still absoutely ridiculous the sligo quay closed during a time of boom in this country but IE were probably to pre occupied with increasing passenger numbers and trying to offload some of the dirty freight such as beer, oil, tar,molasses, cement, shale etc...