Western Rail Corridor (all disused sections)

westtip

eastwest wrote: »

I see that the fecal matter is starting to hit the revolving blades in Mayo.
Minister Ring's rush to throw money at the west on track dream is starting to come back to haunt him.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/ireland/ring-freewheels-into-problematic-mayo-funding-row-hpv65nbl3

The Ministers departmental advice was apparently to keep clear of this project following the first tranche of money thrown at it. When the Minister made the second bung available he was well aware the whole project was in a potential mess having been referred to An Bord Pleanala. He could land in really soft brown stuff on this one......

eastwest

But the most likely outcome is a continuing stalemate.
http://connachttribune.ie/minister-odds-future-western-rail-corridor-400/

westtip

eastwest wrote: »

But the most likely outcome is a continuing stalemate.
http://connachttribune.ie/minister-odds-future-western-rail-corridor-400/

Can kicking suits them, West on track delighted they have stopped the greenway but interesting what Cannon said about mass Rally in Tuam, the only way to make this happen now is people on the streets and some direct action.

westtip

Press release From: The Western Rail Trail campaign
March 16th 2018 for immediate release: 465 words (main body text)

• 10,000 West of Ireland petitioners want a greenway on closed railway from Sligo to Athenry
• 10,000 petitioners say new Rail report must cover all options for closed railway, including Greenway
• 10,000 petitioners angry with politicians stopping the greenway to protect route in public ownership
• 10,000 want Sligo-Athenry route included in new greenway strategy from Department of Transport

A spokesman for the Western Rail Trail Campaign – an alliance of community-based campaign groups in Galway Mayo and Sligo campaigning to preserve the alignment of the closed rail line from Athenry to Collooney by utilising the route for tourism and leisure as a greenway until such time as a railway may be possible, has welcomed the fact that an online petition in favour of the greenway has already achieved over 10,000 signatures.

Since the launch of the National Development plan, when the government said there is going to be yet another report into the future of the Western Rail Corridor north of Athenry, thousands more people have signed the petition. ‘Ever since this announcement the petition has just exploded in support’ the spokesman said. ‘The idea of yet another railway report seemed to be the catalyst for people to say enough is enough, we need the route used as greenway now and we have had enough reports about railways that government has no intention of building. People living along this derelict route are really angry about this matter and the support for the greenway is snowballing.’

Minister Ross and other senior politicians have each received 10,000 emails generated from the petition and asking for a greenway. These emails include a simple sentence that sums up the mood of the signatories:

‘If there is to be yet another report, the greenway has to be considered as an option in that report.’

In the Galway East constituency, there is a political division on the issue. The Greenway is supported by Anne Rabbitte TD of Fianna Fail and Minister Ciaran Cannon of Fine Gael but Independent Alliance TD Sean Canney opposes the greenway and the tourism jobs it will bring. Mr Canney wants yet another time-wasting report into the Western Rail Corridor.

Brendan Quinn of the Western rail Trail campaign says ‘Public opinion clearly favours a greenway and cannot be ignored anymore. The new railway report announced in the National Development Plan needs to consider all options for the closed railway, including its use as a greenway. In addition, a new national greenway strategy is due to be published soon and there will be real anger from people if this route is not included in that strategy.’

‘10,000 signatures is a significant indicator of the public mood. It is also significant that the majority of people signing this petition live in the three counties which will benefit from the tourism jobs the Western Rail Trail will bring.’ said Quinn. ‘Over 4000 people from County Galway have signed the petition, about 1500 from Mayo and over 1000 from county Sligo. In total over 90% of all signatures on the petition are from people living in Ireland with 10% coming from international supporters, many with a connection to the area.’

ENDS: body text 465 words

Free to use images here: https://www.sligogreenway.com/media--images.html (please acknowledge Sligo Greenway Co-op as owners)

Contacts: via sligo mayo greenway fb page

Link to petition for editors:

https://www.change.org/p/western-rail-trail-campaign-create-a-walking-and-cycling-greenway-on-the-closed-railway-from-sligo-to-athenry

Harcourt Street

I love this quote from the Western People which curiously has gone uncommented upon in certain quarters;

This newspaper’s recent editorial on the proposed greenway along the route of the Western Rail Corridor has provoked a lot of hot air on social media forums; indeed, more hot air has been generated than would be required to run several steam engines along the 115-mile route from Limerick to Sligo. Much of the commentary – if one could even label it that – is little more than the ramblings of a petulant peloton who are outraged at the notion that in a democracy there might be somebody who disagrees with their particular point of view. Indeed, Donald Trump’s early morning tweets seem positively sane in light of some of the recent statements from these wannabe cyclists.

Source:https://irishrailwaydevelopments.wordpress.com/2018/03/06/lets-have-a-little-courage-western-people-editorial-5-march-2018/

westtip

Harcourt Street wrote: »

I love this quote from the Western People which curiously has gone uncommented upon in certain quarters;




Source:https://irishrailwaydevelopments.wordpress.com/2018/03/06/lets-have-a-little-courage-western-people-editorial-5-march-2018/

The WP is largely an irrelevance.

Harcourt Street

westtip wrote: »

The WP is largely an irrelevance.

Not really because it raises the point that the Greenway campaigners have tried to bully opponents into silence. Whats your view on that?

Muckyboots

Harcourt Street wrote: »

westtip wrote: »

The WP is largely an irrelevance.

Not really because it raises the point that the Greenway campaigners have tried to bully opponents into silence. Whats your view on that?

"Petulant peloton" "wanabe cyclists " ...silly alliteration and mixed metaphors from a professional journalist. Other then that it's fair enough. They don't read these posts, surely?

westtip

Harcourt Street wrote: »

Not really because it raises the point that the Greenway campaigners have tried to bully opponents into silence. Whats your view on that?

As a newspaper it is entitled to an opinion, nobody as far as I am aware has bullied anyone, so if the WP is implying such nonsense it is of even less value as an opinion former.

Harcourt Street

Harcourt Street wrote: »

Not really because it raises the point that the Greenway campaigners have tried to bully opponents into silence. Whats your view on that?

Ha, that's hilarious considering WOT representatives shutdown discussions about alternatives on their Facebook page by deleting posts and in the media by stating simply "that's not up for discussion" (I'm paraphrasing).

I'm not aware of anyone being bullied

Differing opinions, obviously

Sick and tired of lame excuses, certainly

Frustrated with the cronyisms that prevent further analysis, without a doubt

Bored of the blatant lies by WOT, most definitely

Bullying, no

eastwest

Harcourt Street wrote: »

Not really because it raises the point that the Greenway campaigners have tried to bully opponents into silence. Whats your view on that?

The WP has long been a mouthpiece for the failed railway campaign, and tends to present a very one-sided view unless it is challenged.
The new owners of the paper (assuming the sale is ratified) might prefer more balanced reporting, on issues brought to their attention, always assuming they retain the title and don't just throw it back into the small pond in which it currently flounders.

westtip

eastwest wrote: »

The WP has long been a mouthpiece for the failed railway campaign, and tends to present a very one-sided view unless it is challenged.
The new owners of the paper (assuming the sale is ratified) might prefer more balanced reporting, on issues brought to their attention, always assuming they retain the title and don't just throw it back into the small pond in which it currently flounders.

I thought what was interesting in the double page spread the WP did was the fact they allowed a greenway campaigner to make his views known in a fairly lengthy letter, published one other letter in favour of the greenway from a businessman in Tuam, and then had two West on Track I presume "planted" letters from Claremorris Chamber of Commerce and Cllr Gerry "not up for discussion" Murray to write in a letter. The very same cllr is the one who famously used the phrase the Western Rail Corridor is "not up for discussion" on RTE television a few years back, clearly it is now up for discussion, and this is why he has this nickname! However, the point is having allowed the greenway campaign to make its point, the editorial was full of vitriol and little more than a tirade against Mr. Mulligan who had written a pro-greenway piece. I have never seen an editor publish a letter and be vitriolic about a letter writer in the editorial pages in the same edition. It was like saying we have published this guys letter but we are going to let you know what we think of his ideas before you have chance to debate them yourselves. I don't call that very good use of the media to promote public debate.

It makes little difference, I know for a fact that in the past two months, the editor of the WP has himself received over 6,000 emails from petitioners signing the change.org petition for a greenway; since he was added to the list of recipients of emails from that petition. Maybe this is what he called bullying, the fact the public are making him aware of how they feel. Anyway the strange thing is since his editorial and since it got shared to many people on this dam tinternet thingie, the amount of signatures the petition has received have rocketed, and he has received endless more messages from people who clearly don't give a dam about his petulant editorial or his silly little parochial views.

Really, thanks to the Western People editorial a lot more people are supporting the greenway ....Well done editor.

I am having a good Laffey (sic) about it!!!!:D

westtip

eastwest wrote: »

The WP has long been a mouthpiece for the failed railway campaign, and tends to present a very one-sided view unless it is challenged.
The new owners of the paper (assuming the sale is ratified) might prefer more balanced reporting, on issues brought to their attention, always assuming they retain the title and don't just throw it back into the small pond in which it currently flounders.

Thank goodness other regional media outlets are telling the full story

https://galwaybayfm.ie/online-petition-athenry-sligo-greenway-gathers-10-thousand-signatures/

eastwest

I was beginning to think this thread had faded away!
Otherwise I would have posted an interesting observation, that the landowners who had voiced such vigorous objection to the extending of the Great Southern Greenway have withdrawn their objections following a visit to the Deise Greenway in Waterford.
It seems that their visit, and conversations with farmers living alongside the closed Waterford-Dungarvan line convinced them that their fears about marauding cyclists molesting their animals and carrying off their crops were unfounded. The fact that Deise farmers not only had crossing points maintained across the greenway but also had their land fenced to an extremely high standard by Waterford County Council made them realise that all their fears were groundless and that the greenway has actually increased property prices, created jobs and kept local pubs and shops open. So they are on board, finally.
Maybe if the Greenway campaign in Tuam put a certain politician in the back of a car and brought him to Kilmacthomas, he might change his mind about a lot of things, or maybe he likes East Galway just as it is, with voters standing helpless as their funds go to Waterford and Kerry, or indeed anywhere but Galway and Mayo.

Corca Baiscinn

https://www.tg4.ie/ga/player/baile/?pid=5757277526001&teideal=Beidh%20M%C3%A9%20Ar%20Ais!&series=Beidh%20M%C3%A9%20Ar%20Ais!&dlft=35

Last nght's episode of Beidh Mé Ar Ais, TG 4, (on player above or repeated on Wednesday) had a snippet towards the end, re the plans for a Greenway on the Collooney section of the WRT. It featured interviews with three supporters, Pat McCarrick, Pádraig Neary and Larry Mullen and footage of the abandoned line. Programme also featured the short demonstration section of the old SLGNR line in Dromahair

eastwest

Corca Baiscinn wrote: »

https://www.tg4.ie/ga/player/baile/?pid=5757277526001&teideal=Beidh%20M%C3%A9%20Ar%20Ais!&series=Beidh%20M%C3%A9%20Ar%20Ais!&dlft=35

Last nght's episode of Beidh Mé Ar Ais, TG 4, (on player above or repeated on Wednesday) had a snippet towards the end, re the plans for a Greenway on the Collooney section of the WRT. It featured interviews with three supporters, Pat McCarrick, Pádraig Neary and Larry Mullen and footage of the abandoned line. Programme also featured the short demonstration section of the old SLGNR line in Dromahair

Thanks for that, I wouldn't normally be a regular TG4 viewer but that entire programme is a lot better than many of the ones produced by RTE. Good piece on the greenway in Sligo and Leitrim.

serfboard

eastwest wrote: »

the landowners who had voiced such vigorous objection to the extending of the Great Southern Greenway have withdrawn their objections following a visit to the Deise Greenway in Waterford.

It seems that their visit, and conversations with farmers living alongside the closed Waterford-Dungarvan line convinced them that their fears about marauding cyclists molesting their animals and carrying off their crops were unfounded. The fact that Deise farmers not only had crossing points maintained across the greenway but also had their land fenced to an extremely high standard by Waterford County Council made them realise that all their fears were groundless and that the greenway has actually increased property prices, created jobs and kept local pubs and shops open. So they are on board, finally.

The difference, between the Western Rail Trail and the Great Southern Trail is that it's not farmers/adjacent landowners who are objecting to it, but a tiny, and very vocal, group of rail enthusiasts.

At least in the case of Kerry, the farmers went to the Deise Greenway and saw the light. I don't hold out the same hope for members of WOT ...

westtip

serfboard wrote: »

The difference, between the Western Rail Trail and the Great Southern Trail is that it's not farmers/adjacent landowners who are objecting to it, but a tiny, and very vocal, group of rail enthusiasts.

At least in the case of Kerry, the farmers went to the Deise Greenway and saw the light. I don't hold out the same hope for members of WOT ...

But how much longer can the greenway campaign be virtually ignored by Lord Ross? At least the media in the west are telling the tale, more coverage in western media of the 10k landmark for greenway petition

http://connachttribune.ie/online-petition-for-athenry-sligo-greenway-gathers-10-thousand-signatures/

JCX BXC

eastwest wrote: »

fears about marauding cyclists molesting their animals

Jaysus.....I suppose Mayo is a strange place

eastwest

serfboard wrote: »

The difference, between the Western Rail Trail and the Great Southern Trail is that it's not farmers/adjacent landowners who are objecting to it, but a tiny, and very vocal, group of rail enthusiasts.

At least in the case of Kerry, the farmers went to the Deise Greenway and saw the light. I don't hold out the same hope for members of WOT ...

Part of the problem on the Athenry Collooney route does include the adjoining landowners, or at least some of them. WOT has persuaded them that a greenway would cut off access for landowners with land on both sides of the old track, conveniently ignoring the fact that a railway would create much more of a barrier. There has also been a lot of scaremongering to the effect that greenways are some kind of a source of rural.crime, a narrative also used by anti tourism campaigners on the Barrow towpath and on the Dublin Galway greenway. A year ir two back Fidelma healy eames was quoting some garda she met as saying that greenways equalled crime, and that was why she was opposed to.the athlone Galway greenway.
So it was good that a group of farmers who had effectively been brainwashed into opposing greenway development in Kerry were able to look at the reality of having a greenway alongside a farm, and that they were then able to come home with a view formed by examining the facts.
If farmers can change their minds based on seeing the evidence, it is likely that politicians can do likewise, although the timeframe would obviously be longer.

eastwest

JCX BXC wrote: »

Jaysus.....I suppose Mayo is a strange place

Not meant in that sense!
I was referring to the Collins definition of molest: 'to disturb or annoy by malevolent interference'.
There was a degree of scaremongering around the kind of people who would use greenways, specifically that they would damage crops and let animals out of fields etc.
But whatever you're having yourself!

Corca Baiscinn

westtip wrote: »

But how much longer can the greenway campaign be virtually ignored by Lord Ross? At least the media in the west are telling the tale, more coverage in western media of the 10k landmark for greenway petition

http://connachttribune.ie/online-petition-for-athenry-sligo-greenway-gathers-10-thousand-signatures/

Submissions on the Gov's Greenway strategy were requested last summer and the strategy was originally supposed to be published by the end of the year. Then it was to be the Q1 of this year and now Q2. There wil be funding for Greenways as per the Budget but nowhere near enough and afaik the first tranche will go to "shovel ready" projects. and I'm guessing too to ones which will attract significant numbers of tourists.

Not sure if WRT would qualify when only Sligo Co Co has funded the feasibility study and come out in favour. Of course the full length wouldn't be funded in one go/budget anyway so who knows?

AS well as the Kerry Great Southern, South KK also seems to have made progress. Saw something lately re just some ironing out with one landowner pending. Other sections of current greenays are ready for expansion. It appears that the south and east are nearer to a network situation than the west for now.

Shane Ross and Gov could certainly expedite the report and tell Sean Canney to get lost tho'

westtip

Corca Baiscinn wrote: »

Submissions on the Gov's Greenway strategy were requested last summer and the strategy was originally supposed to be published by the end of the year. Then it was to be the Q1 of this year and now Q2. There wil be funding for Greenways as per the Budget but nowhere near enough and afaik the first tranche will go to "shovel ready" projects. and I'm guessing too to ones which will attract significant numbers of tourists.

Not sure if WRT would qualify when only Sligo Co Co has funded the feasibility study and come out in favour. Of course the full length wouldn't be funded in one go/budget anyway so who knows?

AS well as the Kerry Great Southern, South KK also seems to have made progress. Saw something lately re just some ironing out with one landowner pending. Other sections of current greenays are ready for expansion. It appears that the south and east are nearer to a network situation than the west for now.

Shane Ross and Gov could certainly expedite the report and tell Sean Canney to get lost tho'

The WRT won't get funding in one go, it is a three phase project, it started in Sligo with the Sligo Mayo greenway concept on Facebook, from this grew the sligo greenway co-op the local group who are doing great work with sligo coco and hopefully will achieve phase one of the WRT. West on track have done all they can to undermine this project, including making presentations to sligo coco in which they tried to steer the council down the route of the velo-rail idea - they will do everything in their power to stop the rotting old tracks from being pulled up, however the greenway project is now within the system in Sligo coco, it is accepted it is going to happen and there will be a response to the call for funding. I am sure Canney and West on Track will still try to stop this but they will not succeed, for WOT and Canney things have gone too far in Sligo, the greenway is now the accepted word.

Phases two and three will be the Mayo and Galway sections. Both Mayo and Galway have active community groups campaigning for their own local section of the Western Rail Trail; things will start to happen, I believe in both counties, Canney is just sticking his finger in the dyke. Believe me this project will happen, it will take a bit more time, but yes it will happen.

eastwest

Corca Baiscinn wrote: »

Other sections of current greenays are ready for expansion. It appears that the south and east are nearer to a network situation than the west for now.

There is no doubt that the South East, having come late to the party, are wiping the floor with everybody else. Waterford is currently getting ready to extend the Deise greenway to New Ross, and from there it's just a short hop to the Barrow Way which is linked to the Grand canal towpath. On the Dublin end this towpath is already complete out to Clondalkin, so a Dublin-Dungarvan greenway is on the cards, and soon.
The West assumed that the GWG was the B-all and End-all of cycling tourism, but they ignored the bigger prize of the long trails that bring long-stay tourists.
They're much smarter in Waterford.

Corca Baiscinn

eastwest wrote: »

The West assumed that the GWG was the B-all and End-all of cycling tourism, but they ignored the bigger prize of the long trails that bring long-stay tourists.
They're much smarter in Waterford.

Absoutely agree, have proponents of A Greenway ever looked at a map of European long distance routes and ondered why would a Geramn or French person come here to spend the week pedalling up and down from Westport to Achill?

Re your SE Network; also work going on in SW, Great Southern being extended and saw this am that South Kerry nearly ready to go to planning. And of course in NE Carlngford to Newry going ahead too but some glitch causing delay

Midlands NW has networking potential too when you link the ongoing or planned Blueways, Royal Canal to Longford, Shannon; Drumshanbo to Carrick on Shannon and Collooney to Athenry, not to mention the plans for Northern Ireland

eastwest

Corca Baiscinn wrote: »

Absoutely agree, have proponents of A Greenway ever looked at a map of European long distance routes and ondered why would a Geramn or French person come here to spend the week pedalling up and down from Westport to Achill?

Re your SE Network; also work going on in SW, Great Southern being extended and saw this am that South Kerry nearly ready to go to planning. And of course in NE Carlngford to Newry going ahead too but some glitch causing delay

Midlands NW has networking potential too when you link the ongoing or planned Blueways, Royal Canal to Longford, Shannon; Drumshanbo to Carrick on Shannon and Collooney to Athenry, not to mention the plans for Northern Ireland

It seems very hard for a lot of councillors to see any kind of bigger picture that includes any part of another county, and for TDs and Ministers to see beyond their home patch either. You can see that with Minister Ring, who appears unwilling to countenance anything happening outside of Westport.
But as you rightly said, the short stay market is catered for but the longer stay tourists are not encouraged to come to Ireland when we don't have the mileage needed to keep them pedalling for a week or two. Typically, such tourists spend a holiday in leisurely 40 mile segments, so a week long trip means at least 200 miles of connected trials. They won't get that in Ireland but they will in many other European countries.
The WRC is key to unlocking this market for the west, but many politicians there are asleep and so the business goes elsewhere. Waterford does it so much better.

westtip

eastwest wrote: »

It seems very hard for a lot of councillors to see any kind of bigger picture that includes any part of another county, and for TDs and Ministers to see beyond their home patch either. You can see that with Minister Ring, who appears unwilling to countenance anything happening outside of Westport.
But as you rightly said, the short stay market is catered for but the longer stay tourists are not encouraged to come to Ireland when we don't have the mileage needed to keep them pedalling for a week or two. Typically, such tourists spend a holiday in leisurely 40 mile segments, so a week long trip means at least 200 miles of connected trials. They won't get that in Ireland but they will in many other European countries.
The WRC is key to unlocking this market for the west, but many politicians there are asleep and so the business goes elsewhere. Waterford does it so much better.

Yes it looks like the west and north west is shooting itself in the foot again or at least certain politicians are doing a job on us here, making sure we won't have a greenway network in the west north west whilst the south East, South west and north east gets on with it. The importance of the western rail trail to connect to the Enniskillen-Collooney trail - which is in the pipeline, connect to the GWG via the Castlebar-Turlough house greenway and to the Dublin-Galway - Clifden greenway is now critical in the west north west greenway network. The blockers and detractors to this plan with delusional ideas of railways closed 40 years ago re-opening are the ones the finger needs to be pointed out. thanks Mr Canney. Mr Ring, Ms Chambers, Mr Calleary and Mr Kenny for stopping jobs in the west. You have no idea of the opportunity you are throwing away. hey ho.

Harcourt Street

Let’s be clear; the politicians aren’t asleep. They are wide awake to the tricks the Greenway promoters are up to. The bullying and the insults and talk of molesting cattle aren’t being ignored.

Topgear on Dave

Harcourt Street wrote: »

Let’s be clear; the politicians aren’t asleep. They are wide awake to the tricks the Greenway promoters are up to. The bullying and the insults and talk of molesting cattle aren’t being ignored.

"Talk of molesting cattle"

What? Any details on this??

Muckyboots

http://www.wlrfm.com/2018/03/26/48672/
This would have been far fetched when this thread initially started but it says loads that this is now a realistic prospect. Waterford study will look at establishing safe drone flight paths and landing sites. The Greenway network, including the WRC, could be just perfect with tracking technology embedded underground and a series of disused train stations offering perfect drone hubs. Waterford, the airport this time, ahead of the curve yet again.