Get Crusheen Back on Track

smackbunnybaby

recently i have been travelling through Crusheen alot and noticed all the signs for re-opening the railway there.

firstly - what line is this part of?

how is the campaign going? is it falling on deaf ears or is there a genuine chance it may happen?

just curious!

marzic

This is the line between ennis and athenry, part of limerick / galway / sligo overall. This line is being improved as part of the western rail corridor. A new station was mooted for Crusheen, but i dont know if this was part of the original upgrade plan or just as a result of local wishful thinking. In any case the current plan according to irish rail website includes for new stations on the line between ennis and limerick but none at crusheen, so i guess theres plenty of lobbying going on for a change of plan! (I could have just said google it!)

BLITZ_Molloy

As marzic says I'd say this is wishful thinking on the part of the locals.

bowsie casey

To be fair to the Crusheen lads, it makes sense - there is no stop between Gort and Ennis, and it could serve Crusheen, Tubber, Barefield, and east as far as Tulla.

Ardrahan is getting a station and it's half the size of Crusheen.

The parish and a local family have donated the land required for a platform etc, so that would make it more attractive financially.

Run_to_da_hills

bowsie casey wrote: »

To be fair to the Crusheen lads, it makes sense - there is no stop between Gort and Ennis, and it could serve Crusheen, Tubber, Barefield, and east as far as Tulla.

Ardrahan is getting a station and it's half the size of Crusheen.

The parish and a local family have donated the land required for a platform etc, so that would make it more attractive financially.

I think Barefield and Clarecastle should also get own stations, Both towns have huge catchment ares each side of Ennis.

marzic

What they should do in instances like this is to put the wayleaves in place, and make provision for the future,but there is not much point putting stations in if they wont be viable. from what i can see most the new houses in Crusheen are for sale. I dont see the merit in Ardrahan, and as for Clarecastle, its too close to ennis. It will be a gr8 service when up and running, and together with bus eireann and private operators will give decent service to galway ennis limerick.

seany2929

When is it due for completion? It willl be fair handy alrite:D

bowsie casey

seany2929 wrote: »

When is it due for completion? It willl be fair handy alrite:D

Ennis - Athenry section open 2009 with link on to Galway

BLITZ_Molloy

I just wish trains were less expensive. You're talking almost 3 times the price of a Citilink bus for most journeys. It's hard to justify using it unless your employer is footing the bill.

Could be worse I suppose. I wouldn't like to be paying UK prices.

Mr E

Its noticeably cheaper if you buy your train tickets online, Blitz... see the thread in Bargain Alerts.

Jay P

I personally think this is a load of cráp. This is a VILLAGE looking for a train stop on a line that I personally don't think is going to do verywell as it is. Idiot locals looking for a service that is unviable.

marzic

I would disagree with you jay P regarding the sucess of the line ennis to galway. ennis limerick has 8 services a day and has been a toal success, and for the same reasons i believe ennis galway will be - comuters for work, college, tourism, shopping/day trippers, plus the lads up for the night dropped into eyre square in an hour. As for crusheen i guess you cant blame them for trying, if you build it they will come!

Clareman

Here comes my 2 cents in the debate

The train from Ennis to Athenry (that's the train btw, not a Ennis to Galway train) is to link Ennis up to the rest of the west, it's not a CART (Clare Area Rapid Transit), there was something like this years ago and it didn't work, what difference a stop in Crusheen would make to anyone I do not know, I just think it would delay the train, Crusheen is only a 10 minute drive to Ennis station and there's a bus every hour or so.

If Crusheen gets a station then what's to stop Clarecastle, Newmarket, Sixmilebridge, Cratloe, Barefield, etc. etc??

marzic

Western Rail Corridor

Work is now underway on phase one of the Western Rail Corridor. Trackwork has begun in October 2007. This is one of the most significant stages of the development of the Western Rail Corridor. The work is on schedule and services will begin in early 2009.
The Ennis to Athenry railway will:

• Deliver direct, regular Galway to Limerick services, timed to meet commuter needs
• Serve Limerick, Ennis; new stations at Sixmilebridge, Gort, Ardrahan, Craughwell, Oranmore, Athenry and Galway
• Expand commuter links to Limerick and Galway
• Provide, with connections, a range of inter-regional services currently not available, through linking with Limerick-Dublin and Galway-Dublin services
• Promote balanced regional development, in line with National Spatial Strategy objectives, by linking two Gateways - Limerick and Galway - and serving the hub of Ennis (irish rail mebsite)

So basically it is a commuter service from limerick to galway to begin with, as part of the overall limk - sligo. There will be a new stn at SMB.

Jay P

marzic wrote: »

I would disagree with you jay P regarding the sucess of the line ennis to galway. ennis limerick has 8 services a day and has been a toal success, and for the same reasons i believe ennis galway will be - comuters for work, college, tourism, shopping/day trippers, plus the lads up for the night dropped into eyre square in an hour. As for crusheen i guess you cant blame them for trying, if you build it they will come!

I didn't mean the line wouldn't be a success, I think it will but I can't see a station being viable in such a small "town".

seany2929

Putting a station in crusheen just basically doesn't make any sense fullstop.

glineli

seany2929 wrote: »

Putting a station in crusheen just basically doesn't make any sense fullstop.

It does and it doesnt. Ok it is a small village, but the catchment area is pretty decent. I really cant see people driving into ennis, parking their car, of they can get a parkign spot, to get the train back upto Athenry and onto Galway. When the land is being donated etc, why not put one in place, can always close it down

5h4mr0(k

The platform should be put in. Just because a station is there, doesn't mean that every train going has to stop at it.

All that's needed is a platform. A ticket machine could be added, or have people buy them on the train. Nothing more. Like they do in normal countries.

It's easier and cheaper to do it now. If it's done afterwards, when the service is up and running, then the service will probably have to face disruptions.

A long term view should be taken - but it won't. Same old story. The government of the day decided to save money on the Red Cow roundabout - and now it's costing about 50 times more.

Why didn't they put a platform in a Croke Park when it was redeveloped?
Why aren't they putting in a rail tunnel in Limerick at the same time as the road one? (it could join the existing line at Mungret and follow the road to the track at Cratloe)
Why build schools when prefabs can be rented for the same price over 10 years?
(I'll stop now - rant over)

glineli

5h4mr0(k wrote: »

The platform should be put in. Just because a station is there, doesn't mean that every train going has to stop at it.

All that's needed is a platform. A ticket machine could be added, or have people buy them on the train. Nothing more. Like they do in normal countries.

It's easier and cheaper to do it now. If it's done afterwards, when the service is up and running, then the service will probably have to face disruptions.

I completely agree. As you say, not every train has to stop. If this doesnt get done now, which i dont think it will, i cant see it getting done for a long time.

Would be handy, save me a 50 minute drive every morning and evening, ah well

SPOWELL14

i dont think crusheen need a rail stop. ennis is only down the road and it wud be annoying if you have to keep stopping every few minutes.plus the cost to irish rail to have sum one man the station and maintainanceetc prob wouldnt be worth it. sorry:(

5h4mr0(k

SPOWELL14 wrote: »

i dont think crusheen need a rail stop. ennis is only down the road and it wud be annoying if you have to keep stopping every few minutes.plus the cost to irish rail to have sum one man the station and maintainanceetc prob wouldnt be worth it. sorry:(

Doesn't make sense to get people to drive (if they have a car) to Ennis and travel back through Crusheen to get to Galway.

Every train would NOT have to stop there. (Not every train going to Dublin from Limerick stops at Birdhill)

A stop does NOT have to be manned. Buy a ticket from a machine or on the train. That's how they do in countries where they have efficient and reliable public transport.

Tadhg17

I think there is more of case to have a station in Crusheen than Ardrahan(which has a tiny population but has a station re-opening). At least alot of people have moved into Crusheen in recent years so maybe in the future they could re-open the station.

When I was getting the bus to Galway in college, only one or two people max would get on in Crusheen going to Galway. Would people in Crusheen actually use the train if the station re-opened? Also if the start re-opening every small halt in the countryside, nobody would use the train service as it would be too slow.