Western Rail Corridor (all disused sections)

eastwest

hytrogen wrote: »

Reports generated by the Hatchet man of a culture that despises trains as a symptom of backwardness and inferiority, no matter what the evidence elsewhere?

Nobody denies the need for public transport, but it is an ever-changing model. A blind adherence to rail as a solution for the north west, based on the needs in the 1800s, does no service to either the people of the region or to the people in other areas whose service is diminished by an overspend on subsidy in lightly-used areas.
The arguments in favour of extending the WRC tend to largely be based on a philosophy that relates to the taming of the American Wild West; there were no roads, no cars, and the train brought in new people, new settlers and prosperity as the produce was exported east. You can't apply these criteria to Connaught, but that is precisely what West-on-crack are doing all the time.
A railroad isn't what's needed on the route from Athenry to Sligo; what is needed is an upgrade of the N17 that will allow people and goods to move freely door-to-door, not station to station, and that will allow private and public companies to provide a fast, reliable and cheap transport service. Any gaps in that service can be filled with a subsidised local service, at a fraction of the cost of the subsidy that would be required for a rail service.
Unfortunately there won't be any handy jobs for lads in shiny-arsed uniforms leaning on gates waiting for the empty down train to rattle through, but we can't have everything.
Thankfully, apart from the dying kick of a few 'cute hoor' politicians, nobody with any credibility can now suggest spending a shed-load of money on building another unwanted railway, or on subsidising it to the level we've seen in recent days. We deserve value for money is the way in which our taxes are spent; I don't see much of that in the three worst performing lines in the country, a shameful list that includes the WRC.

Carawaystick

westtip wrote: »

Mayo county council suggesting a velo rail on the route to preserve the rotting timbers and railway line that is as good as useless but above all stops the greenway from happening.

There's a live narrow gauge railway running alongside the Waterford Greeenway from Kilmeaden to Waterford; Which will show evidence that a greenway is still viable, despite mayocc or wot.

Idbatterim

Also electric buses operate in other countries. They have one big advantage over regular buses and diesel trains. They are silent and don't stink. How long before we see fully automated electric cars on the road? To throw money at these lines now, when there is a sea change in the not too distant future. Seems like madness to me ...

Dominoes made their first official delivery by drone in New Zealand yesterday I think.

serfboard

Idbatterim wrote: »

How long before we see fully automated electric cars on the road?

Funny enough I see fully automated electric cars increasing rather than decreasing demand on railways due to surge-pricing.

Autonomous Electric Vehicle (AEV) from house to station (train/coach), and from station(train/coach) to workplace: price X, taking time Y. (Note that the AEV from station to workplace could be a bus/minibus).

AEV all the way from house to work - price NX, taking time Y/N.

Whether the train or coach then becomes the way to ferry people on the most common part of their journey will depend on price, time and numbers.

Muckyboots

serfboard wrote: »

...Whether the train or coach then becomes the way to ferry people on the most common part of their journey will depend on price, time and numbers.

Much in all as I would like to see it as a futuristic use of the WRC- I can't see people piling into a 7 or 11 seater electric shuttle ( autonomous or driven) as part of a daily commute from a station to a station. Door to door is where the demand is in rural areas and the WRC is a rural route- ask Sean Canney.
Short term- Greenway, with a big push on electric bikes, and all the advancing models that are emanating- including weather protecting features, as a viable commuting option. Medium term- other communicational infrastructural uses like fiber optic cabling. Maybe even a designated drone pathway if you want to be innovative and futuristic. Long term? I'll leave that to west==on==track, as they like it.

mayo.mick

GM228

mayo.mick wrote: »

This thread may need to be retitled "Western Rail Corridor (all disused sections)"

Grandeeod

GM228 wrote: »

This thread may need to be retitled "Western Rail Corridor (all disused sections)"

It won't close.

The Nenagh line and Waterford - Limerick Junction will go first.

Then (and to the absolute despair of many here) Tuam will appear on the radar.

13 years ago I could see all this unfolding. Politics is a funny thing and it hasn't played its last card in relation to the WRC.

eastwest

I think it will limp on for purely political reasons, but athenry seems to definitely be the end of the line now.

Muckyboots

Grandeeod wrote: »

It won't close.

The Nenagh line and Waterford - Limerick Junction will go first.

Then (and to the absolute despair of many here) Tuam will appear on the radar.

13 years ago I could see all this unfolding. Politics is a funny thing and it hasn't played its last card in relation to the WRC.

I think you are correct and none of the lines will close. The Minister will be good to his word. It's just there will be very very few, if any, trains running on them.
Tuam will always be on the radar. This is a good thing. The more it's touted for rail - the more the daftness of it is exposed and understood. It's game over but WOT are refusing to give the ball back ( deja vu, or did I say this on this thread before ? )

eastwest

Muckyboots wrote: »

I think you are correct and none of the lines will close. The Minister will be good to his word. It's just there will be very very few, if any, trains running on them.
Tuam will always be on the radar. This is a good thing. The more it's touted for rail - the more the daftness of it is exposed and understood. It's game over but WOT are refusing to give the ball back ( deja vu, or did I say this on this thread before ? )

I think that Ballybrophy has to close; the subsidy level is horrific. In addition, the only champion it has is Alan Kelly, and he's in opposition. FG also may like to take him out next time, so closing the line might help there.
I agree that the wrc will stay open but the service level will decrease once the motorway is open and the bus companies start putting fast services on the route at very low introductory prices. There is however no chance of funding anything north of Athenry.

westtip

I see West on Crack have a new FB page.

https://www.facebook.com/Offdarails/?hc_ref=SEARCH

Del.Monte

westtip wrote: »

I see West on Crack have a new FB page.

https://www.facebook.com/Offdarails/?hc_ref=SEARCH

The devil makes work for idle hands. Personally, I'd be in favour of digging up every greenway in the country and putting down track even if there's no possibility of every opening railway there.

eastwest

Del.Monte wrote: »

The devil makes work for idle hands. Personally, I'd be in favour of digging up every greenway in the country and putting down track even if there's no possibility of every opening railway there.

Sums up the WOT philosophy in a neat sentence.

But here's another view..... http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/cliff-taylor-ballybrophy-needs-broadband-not-railway-lines-1.2873714

eastwest

westtip wrote: »

I see West on Crack have a new FB page.

https://www.facebook.com/Offdarails/?hc_ref=SEARCH

It's good to see the funny side; sometimes we take ourselves too seriously in this debate, when in fact it's all about something that will never happen, on both sides.

Del.Monte

I suspect that Cliff Taylor is from the same school of lazy journalism that
'railed' against the construction of the original Luas lines.

eastwest

Del.Monte wrote: »

I suspect that Cliff Taylor is from the same school of lazy journalism that
'railed' against the construction of the original Luas lines.

Agree completely. This broadband nonsense is only a passing fad; the railroad is what will win the west.

Muckyboots

eastwest wrote: »

Agree completely. This broadband nonsense is only a passing fad; the railroad is what will win the west.

It's not just any railroad that will win the west. It's a **** rural railroad - with loads of minor road crossings, meandering through rising flood plains and only capable of the average speed of a Honda 50.
We'll drive all those flat white sipping, cycle loving, beardy slim Jims with their pastel shirts and full arm tattoos- spouting on about "working from home" looking for amenities for their kids with silly names and starting multi denominational schools, back to the Pale where they belong like we did with the Brits. The west awake, the west awake.

eastwest

Muckyboots wrote: »

It's not just any railroad that will win the west. It's a **** rural railroad - with loads of minor road crossings, meandering through rising flood plains and only capable of the average speed of a Honda 50.
We'll drive all those flat white sipping, cycle loving, beardy slim Jims with their pastel shirts and full arm tattoos- spouting on about "working from home" looking for amenities for their kids with silly names and starting multi denominational schools, back to the Pale where they belong like we did with the Brits. The west awake, the west awake.

A Honda fifty was good enough for us!

eastwest

eastwest wrote: »

A Honda fifty was good enough for us!

All of you!

eastwest

Deleted User wrote: »

All of you!
All the readers of this thread anyway!

All the readers of this thread anyway, by the look of it!

westtip

Muckyboots wrote: »

It's not just any railroad that will win the west. It's a **** rural railroad - with loads of minor road crossings, meandering through rising flood plains and only capable of the average speed of a Honda 50.
We'll drive all those flat white sipping, cycle loving, beardy slim Jims with their pastel shirts and full arm tattoos- spouting on about "working from home" looking for amenities for their kids with silly names and starting multi denominational schools, back to the Pale where they belong like we did with the Brits. The west awake, the west awake.

Exactly Muckyboots, the kind you find in those bloody health food shops you find in Donnybrook. Sipping their flat whites sure what is wrong with a cup of tay.

westtip

Great to see the crack is still mighty

http://www.mayonews.ie/news/28814-west-on-track-rubbishes-risible-rail-report

What else would you expect from WOC. What will they say if the Canney report brings them bad news, no wonder Canney is resisting that report ever happening!

Muckyboots

A good case for a full extension of bus lanes from Tuam to Galway and the use of the WRC for cycle commuting infrastructure?
Buses- faster, cheaper, more reliable, more convenient.... and operating successfully without state subvention.
https://twitter.com/Burkesbus/status/801198315584909312/video/1

end of the road

Muckyboots wrote: »

A good case for a full extension of bus lanes from Tuam to Galway and the use of the WRC for cycle commuting infrastructure?
Buses- faster, cheaper, more reliable, more convenient.... and operating successfully without state subvention.
https://twitter.com/Burkesbus/status/801198315584909312/video/1

busses are not more reliable then rail. they get stuck in traffic jams, among other potential issues. they will be more convenient for some, not for others. no transport system is convenient for everybody. operating without state subvention means nothing as a huge amount of routes require it.
a bus being faster then a train shows us how slow public transport actually is in ireland.

Muckyboots

end of the road wrote: »

busses are not more reliable then rail. they get stuck in traffic jams, among other potential issues. they will be more convenient for some, not for others. no transport system is convenient for everybody. operating without state subvention means nothing as a huge amount of routes require it.
a bus being faster then a train shows us how slow public transport actually is in ireland.

In the case of Burkes V Rail- the buses leave and arrive on time because of the bus lanes highlighted on the video. They run more than 15 return journeys per day from 7am to 9pm. They collect from a number of small villages including Dumore, Milltown & Headford and a numerous points along the route. They take a route through Galway City that allows passengers to alight at a point that doesn't necessitate a follow on bus journey or taxi- something a train service Ceannt offer. ( sorry, had to) The case for a commuter service from Tuam to Galway is dead and buried for years and if there was a demand for public transport from Claremorris, Burkes or an-other would have stepped in with a similar bus service. There just isn't. Now for the fright argument. What are we transporting exactly, again?

what_traffic

Muckyboots wrote: »

In the case of Burkes V Rail- the buses leave and arrive on time because of the bus lanes highlighted on the video. They run more than 15 return journeys per day from 7am to 9pm. They collect from a number of small villages including Dumore, Milltown & Headford and a numerous points along the route. They take a route through Galway City that allows passengers to alight at a point that doesn't necessitate a follow on bus journey or taxi- something a train service Ceannt offer. ( sorry, had to) The case for a commuter service from Tuam to Galway is dead and buried for years and if there was a demand for public transport from Claremorris, Burkes or an-other would have stepped in with a similar bus service. There just isn't. Now for the fright argument. What are we transporting exactly, again?

Well said. Burkes buses are transporting huge number of commuter into Galway City. Far more than Irish Rail. Building more Bus Lanes in and around Galway City gives far greater returns. Benefits the City Commuter as well.

eastwest

The only case for rail at this point is 'but they have it up in Dublin'.
It worked for WOC in the past; the question is, will any present day government swallow it?

westtip

Missed this one last week

http://amp.irishexaminer.com/ireland/iarnrod-eireann-seeks-to-permanently-axe-10-closed-lines-430881.html

I didn't pick this up from last weeks report this is from the examiner article

Iarnród Éireann is to seek Government permission to allow it permanently abandon 10 closed railway lines, including two sections of the Western Rail Corridor, on which no train services currently operate.

end of the road

westtip wrote: »

Missed this one last week

http://amp.irishexaminer.com/ireland/iarnrod-eireann-seeks-to-permanently-axe-10-closed-lines-430881.html

I didn't pick this up from last weeks report this is from the examiner article

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057673173