Train station in Letterkenny?

xzanti · 07-03-2007 12:30pm #1

Is there one?

smashey · 07-03-2007 1:16pm

Afraid not xzanti. The powers that be decided a long time ago that Donegal could do without railways. :mad: The nearest in the Republic is Sligo (approx 110km) and in the North, Derry (approx. 35km).

xzanti · 07-03-2007 1:57pm

Thanks Smashey

...

Great infrastructure in place there.. :rolleyes: looks like its the bus for me...

jimmycrackcorm · 08-03-2007 2:42am

I travelled on the Bus eireann dublin - Letterkenny service last weekendand was very impressed with it. I couldn't believe how quickly it got out of Dublin via the port tunnel. the coach was very comfortable and I managed to catch up on some reading on the laptop. I'm thinking of using it more often instead of the car.

Carrickman · 08-03-2007 9:16am

As a Donegal person I have to ask, whats a train?

nanook · 08-03-2007 10:00am

Carrickman wrote:

As a Donegal person I have to ask, whats a train?

its a choo choo

xzanti · 08-03-2007 4:47pm

jimmycrackcorm wrote:

I travelled on the Bus eireann dublin - Letterkenny service last weekendand was very impressed with it. I couldn't believe how quickly it got out of Dublin via the port tunnel. the coach was very comfortable and I managed to catch up on some reading on the laptop. I'm thinking of using it more often instead of the car.

Thanks for that

.. Can I ask how much was the fare? also how long was the journey roughly?

smashey · 08-03-2007 5:04pm

It is around €25 for a return ticket. The journey takes approx three and a half hours.

xzanti · 08-03-2007 5:13pm

Thanks

retalivity · 08-03-2007 8:00pm

3 and a half??? Is that all?

I remember sitting on that bus for 5 hrs to LK, and a further 2 then to get home!!!

Wishbone Ash · 08-03-2007 8:43pm

smashey wrote:

The journey takes approx three and a half hours.

More like 4 hours 15 mins on average in my experience.

adamcp · 08-03-2007 8:53pm

Yeah the bus journy from Dublin -lk is all dependant on the time of day you leave, you don't wanna be in a bus at rush hour in Castleblaney

smashey · 08-03-2007 9:37pm

Wishbone Ash wrote:

More like 4 hours 15 mins on average in my experience.

My mistake.

That was to Lifford. So allow four hours to get to Letterkenny.

retalivity 3 and a half??? Is that all?

I remember sitting on that bus for 5 hrs to LK, and a further 2 then to get home!!!

Jaysus. How long ago was that?

muffler · 09-03-2007 1:37am

I recall sitting in the express bus with an umbrella up to avoid the water that was leaking from the rooflight. That wasn't today or yesterday but it was in a time when it took about 4 hours + from Dublin to Lifford

JosephQ · 10-03-2007 11:21am

There was a rail line once it went from Letterkenny to Dunloe. You can see some of the old stuctures like just outside creeslough where the train crossed over the road:)

smashey · 10-03-2007 11:24am

Donegal had quite an extensive rail network once. Sadly, pot-holed roads are the way to go now.

jimmycrackcorm · 10-03-2007 3:34pm

adamcp wrote:

Yeah the bus journy from Dublin -lk is all dependant on the time of day you leave, you don't wanna be in a bus at rush hour in Castleblaney

Seemingly not so true anymore. The Bus I used used the Port tunnel and as out of dublin in no time. I found the journey not that much longer than driving by car with the exception of having to acutally get to Busaras.

Wishbone Ash · 11-03-2007 1:23am

muffler wrote:

That wasn't today or yesterday but it was in a time when it took about 4 hours + from Dublin to Lifford

As far as I can remember, it was faster years ago. There was less traffic and less stops.

I don't understand that nonsense in Busáras with the Letterkenny route. Sometimes they have to put on 3 or 4 buses but why don't they insist that people board according to their final destination. Those that are going all the way should be allowed to board first, then those going to Lifford, Omagh, Monaghan etc.

It's ridiculous that some passengers on the first bus are only going to Ashbourne or Slane. Surely there is a market for a 'real' express to Letterkenny at peak times which could avail of the by-passes and get there in 3.5 hours.

muffler · 11-03-2007 1:31am

Wishbone Ash wrote:

As far as I can remember, it was faster years ago. There was less traffic and less stops.

I don't understand that nonsense in Busáras with the Letterkenny route. Sometimes they have to put on 3 or 4 buses but why don't they insist that people board according to their final destination. Those that are going all the way should be allowed to board first, then those going to Lifford, Omagh, Monaghan etc.

It's ridiculous that some passengers on the first bus are only going to Ashbourne or Slane. Surely there is a market for a 'real' express to Letterkenny at peak times which could avail of the by-passes and get there in 3.5 hours.

Buses from yesteryear weren't really that fast compared to nowadays. I take your point about less traffic in the past but with faster buses and nearly all the towns being bypassed has led to a much shorter journey time.

I would agree fully with your comments about filtering the passengers based on destinations

Wishbone Ash · 11-03-2007 1:49am

muffler wrote:

Buses from yesteryear weren't really that fast compared to nowadays

They are still legally limited to a maximum speed of 80kph regardless of how 'fast' they are.

muffler wrote:

all the towns being bypassed has led to a much shorter journey time.

But the buses have to go into the towns and therefore don't really benefit from the by-passes (apart from the advantage of less traffic in those towns).

nanook · 11-03-2007 10:00am

guys, what has this got to do with a train station ini letterkenny

Wishbone Ash · 11-03-2007 10:10am

nanook wrote:

guys, what has this got to do with a train station ini letterkenny

What train station?

muffler · 11-03-2007 4:02pm

nanook wrote:

guys, what has this got to do with a train station ini letterkenny

Quite a lot actually

As there is no train station in Letterkenny we have to discuss the nearest alternative which is a bus. The buses arrive and depart from the the station - once a train station but now a bus station.

But you are right nanook. This has wandered OT a bit so unless someone has something else to say about the train station I'll lock it tomorrow

Gillie · 11-03-2007 4:26pm

Hopefully the West on Track programme will allow an extension from Sligo to Letterkenny and even Derry. It would be great!

byte · 11-03-2007 9:05pm

Would agree. A link between Sligo and Derry via maybe Donegal Town, Twin Towns and Letterkenny would be a good idea.

Dunno how much such a procedure would cost though.

Gillie · 11-03-2007 10:35pm

Is there an existing Track there? That would make all the difference!

byte · 11-03-2007 10:51pm

Nah, I think the tracks are now long gone.

mikemac · 11-03-2007 11:05pm

byte wrote:

Would agree. A link between Sligo and Derry via maybe Donegal Town, Twin Towns and Letterkenny would be a good idea.

Dunno how much such a procedure would cost though.

Worst idea I've ever heard
See here for how our rail infrastructure should be done
http://www.platform11.org/campaigns/wrc/

nanook · 12-03-2007 9:23am

was there not a thread running a while back in relation to a train line from donegal to sligo.
Did it not run through the barnesmore gap.

byte · 12-03-2007 10:56pm

Is micmclo's link working for anyone else. I'm getting a Connection Reset error.

There was indeed a thread last year or so on the subject.

muffler · 12-03-2007 11:02pm

byte wrote:

Is micmclo's link working for anyone else. I'm getting a Connection Reset error.

It was working last night for me but its gone now. Im not surprised as it was a link to a group opposed to opening up the line from somewhere or other to somewhere esle - I only had a quick glance at it.

Train station in Letterkenny?

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