Waterford/Rosslare Strand Railway reaches the buffer stops (again)!

save the rail

ahlongsdnbhd wrote: »

I only hope that savetherail is not bluffing, and what she states is a reality.
.

Bluffing about what?

steamengine

dowlingm wrote: »

and what does not banning them do? I bet the Information Minister quakes in his boots at the thought of us here. :rolleyes:

Don't know! - Certain posters have returned with new usernames and low post counts - now why do I have that feeling of deja-vu.

Judgement Day

Usual 'incisive' piece from the paper of record 20/9/2010

Waterford to Rosslare rail service ceases after 100 years



MICHAEL PARSONS in Waterford

AFTER OPERATING for more than 100 years, the rail line linking Waterford city and Rosslare has finally ceased service. From this morning, passengers on the route, which served villages along the south Wexford coast, will have access to a new bus service operated by Bus Éireann.

There was sadness and nostalgia at Waterford’s Plunkett Station on Saturday afternoon as passengers arrived for the final departure at 5.20pm. Train driver Michael Hanrahan (54) who has worked with the railways for 36 years said it was “a sad day”.

Irish Rail had added extra carriages in anticipation of heavy public demand but just over 100 people boarded the last train which left half-full. No mention of the well known fact that all day Saturday IE's website was showing the train as fully booked!!

Passengers included Mary Curtis-Doyle (52), Ferrycarrig, Co Wexford, a regular user of the service, who had “decided to leave the housework and come to say goodbye”. She would “reluctantly” use the replacement bus service but will miss the train which “is a much nicer way to travel”.

Rail enthusiast Mark Merrigan (40), a member of the Irish Railway Record Society, had driven down from Dublin for the occasion because it was the only line in Ireland he had never travelled on before. He was saddened by the closure but hoped that “like the Western Rail Corridor it will come into its own again”.

Bridget Power (85), Cheekpoint, Co Waterford, recalled taking the train for the first time in 1946 and her brother-in-law Dick Power (86) said his mother was on the first train in 1906.

Kieran Cronin (46), accompanied by his son PJ (6) and daughter Jina (3), from Ballycullane, Co Wexford, remembered travelling into Waterford as a child every December 8th for the Christmas shopping.

On the platform, Irish Rail customer services official Pat Stephens said the scene was “like the cowboy film Last Train from Gun Hill ”, a reference to the 1959 Western starring Anthony Quinn and Kirk Douglas.

Irish Rail said the service, which had operated with just one train a day in each direction on weekdays only attracted a daily average of 25 passengers and had lost most of its freight business.

Tanya Fenelon, a spokeswoman for Save the Rail Group, who made the final journey, said there was still some hope that a private operator might take over the service.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0920/1224279263998.html

foggy_lad

I'd bet if the line between galway and limerick was restricted to one service per day it would have less passengers!

mickydoomsux

Judgement Day wrote: »

No mention of the well known fact that all day Saturday IE's website was showing the train as fully booked!![/COLOR]

This is because there is only a certain limited allocation of online bookable seats on every service, say 40 for example. Once those seats are gone then the website will show the service as being fully booked.

It doesn't mean that customers turning up at the booking office will be turned away or anything because there will still usually be plenty of room on the train.

dowlingm

Bit much to expect yer man to take the train - he would have been late!

save the rail

mickydoomsux wrote: »

This is because there is only a certain limited allocation of online bookable seats on every service, say 40 for example. Once those seats are gone then the website will show the service as being fully booked.

It doesn't mean that customers turning up at the booking office will be turned away or anything because there will still usually be plenty of room on the train.

you never could book this line online so that was pure lies that it was booked out, typical stunt to try keep numbers down

save the rail

This campaign brought all the key players together to save the rail line. The Save the Rail Group represented members of the community who either used the line, or would have used it if the timetable made sense. However, the local and regional authorities, chambers of commerce and so many others put in a huge effort into saving the line.’


‘Despite the best efforts of Irish Rail to run down the service over the years, the NTA has looked at the bigger picture. Although Irish Rail has suspended services, the line will remain open, Irish Rail have to maintain it and facilitate a Community Rail Partnership. The way now has been paved for a private operator to come in and run a better service.’

‘We have started work on the Community Rail Partnership Model. We met with the NTA and Minister Cuffe last Wednesday and are very happy with the support offered both for the new company and for the CRP.
The above was the quote given to Irish Times and all local papers

Cookie_Monster

foggy_lad wrote: »

I'd bet if the line between galway and limerick was restricted to one service per day it would have less passengers!

between X and Y. do that to any line in the country and it'd be fooked also. How long do you imagine Dublin Cork would last one one train a day?

Cookie_Monster

Community Rail Partnership

to me this term is still utterly meaningless.
Anyone care to explain it?

KC61

This website should tell you all that you need to know...

http://www.acorp.uk.com/

schemingbohemia

save the rail wrote: »

This campaign brought all the key players together to save the rail line. The Save the Rail Group represented members of the community who either used the line, or would have used it if the timetable made sense. However, the local and regional authorities, chambers of commerce and so many others put in a huge effort into saving the line.’


‘Despite the best efforts of Irish Rail to run down the service over the years, the NTA has looked at the bigger picture. Although Irish Rail has suspended services, the line will remain open, Irish Rail have to maintain it and facilitate a Community Rail Partnership. The way now has been paved for a private operator to come in and run a better service.’

‘We have started work on the Community Rail Partnership Model. We met with the NTA and Minister Cuffe last Wednesday and are very happy with the support offered both for the new company and for the CRP.
The above was the quote given to Irish Times and all local papers

Explain to me exactly how Wexford County Council supported the line in it's county development plans over the years?

Cookie_Monster

KC61 wrote: »

This website should tell you all that you need to know...

http://www.acorp.uk.com/

I mean in a Irish context. In the UK you have the needed parties, stock, support, infrastructure, laws, insurance etc to do that no prob.
Here? I can't see it tbh.

foggy_lad

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

I mean in a Irish context. In the UK you have the needed parties, stock, support, infrastructure, laws, insurance etc to do that no prob.
Here? I can't see it tbh.

imagine irish rail being responsible for delivering a train to waterford for your scheduled service at the correct time every day:eek::D:eek::D

where is that flying pig gone?

they would not be able to do it consistently with their current setup of staff and managers, they couldnt run the line they had so i cant see them setting up a service for anyone else, not because they dont want to but because they are basically inherently incapable!

purplepanda

So with the return of severe winter snow conditions the people of South Wexford now have no public transport due to cancelled bus services & impassable local roads & the withdrawal of passenger services on the South Wexford rail line since September.

This line should never have been closed, the same scenario happened last winter but the rail line still carried passengers around the region whilst local roads were blocked.

Now no public transport & limited road access for car commuters means that the whole region is completely cut off from the rest of Ireland :mad:

save the rail

Bus Eireann were contacted serveal times on Sunday to find out if 6:40am monday Rosslare to Waterford via Wellington Bridge was running, they finally answered at 7am monday to say it was cancelled, they were informed that an answer was needed asap as a chils was to go to hospital :mad: At least if the train was running it would not have been an issue

Cookie_Monster

save the rail wrote: »

At least if the train was running it would not have been an issue

I thought that was your job these days, not IE's

Judgement Day

I was just wondering how people formerly served by the South Wexford line were coping with the snow - why am I not surprised. :rolleyes:

steamengine

purplepanda wrote: »

So with the return of severe winter snow conditions the people of South Wexford now have no public transport due to cancelled bus services & impassable local roads & the withdrawal of passenger services on the South Wexford rail line since September.

This line should never have been closed, the same scenario happened last winter but the rail line still carried passengers around the region whilst local roads were blocked.

Now no public transport & limited road access for car commuters means that the whole region is completely cut off from the rest of Ireland :mad:

Rail once again has proved to be the most dependable all-weather public transport service we have. I wonder sometimes if the logic gene is missing amongst those who are responsible for such negative decisions as the closure of a rail service from a ferryport to the major city in that region, and the integral local passenger service it provided. :mad:

KC61

save the rail wrote: »

Bus Eireann were contacted serveal times on Sunday to find out if 6:40am monday Rosslare to Waterford via Wellington Bridge was running, they finally answered at 7am monday to say it was cancelled, they were informed that an answer was needed asap as a chils was to go to hospital :mad: At least if the train was running it would not have been an issue

While I take your point regarding the rail line, I would have to say that on the specific issue of whether the bus would operate or not, that there is no way the bus company could give a definitive answer until the morning when it would become clear what state the roads were in.

This is the same all over the country.

save the rail

KC61 wrote: »

While I take your point regarding the rail line, I would have to say that on the specific issue of whether the bus would operate or not, that there is no way the bus company could give a definitive answer until the morning when it would become clear what state the roads were in.

This is the same all over the country.

I totally agree with the above apart from the fact they would have known that the bus was not leaving Rosslare, they should have put it up as soon as they realised, the bus was due to arrive in bridgetown 40mins after it left Rosslare so they could have given 40mins notice and not left it until 20mins AFTER it was due in Bridgetown.

Partizan

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

I thought that was your job these days, not IE's

Quit the cheap ass sniping Cookie. :mad:

The latest weather conditions have highlighted the total and complete farce of suspending services on the line. As a previous poster has rightly pointed out, in conditions like this, the train has proved to be most reliable and dependable yet IE think otherwise.

You couldnt make it up.

save the rail

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

I thought that was your job these days, not IE's

We are working on getting a service here - it is not sorted yet

schemingbohemia

steamengine wrote: »

Rail once again has proved to be the most dependable all-weather public transport service we have. I wonder sometimes if the logic gene is missing amongst those who are responsible for such negative decisions as the closure of a rail service from a ferryport to the major city in that region, and the integral local passenger service it provided. :mad:

So a train line that carried 25 people a day should be kept open for the 1 week in a year when there are severe weather conditions?

Given the isolated location of most of the stations on that line how much easier is it to get to the stations rather than just driving to the destination?

save the rail

schemingbohemia wrote: »

So a train line that carried 25 people a day should be kept open for the 1 week in a year when there are severe weather conditions?

Given the isolated location of most of the stations on that line how much easier is it to get to the stations rather than just driving to the destination?

The snow highlights the issue that if the service was run at appropriate times people would use it, there was standing room only this time last year. Employers give a bit of leeway due to the snow and allow staff to go early, something which they could and would not do everyday of the year.

Partizan

schemingbohemia wrote: »

So a train line that carried 25 people a day should be kept open for the 1 week in a year when there are severe weather conditions?

Given the isolated location of most of the stations on that line how much easier is it to get to the stations rather than just driving to the destination?

Another throw away lazy comment.

I suggest you engage your brain before polluting the internet with your stupidity.

1) Train run at inappropriate times which made it impossible or unsuitable for potential commuters, i.e. no link up with majority of ferries, Dublin Heuston, Dublin Connolly or Limerick Junction trains.

2) No Sunday service - automatically excludes students, tourists and day trippers

3) 45 mph speed limit not helped by lack of investment in the line.

Now you see why the train only had "carried 25 people a day". Again if you engaged your brain, it was more than 25 people a day.

Christ on a bike with bells. :rolleyes:

schemingbohemia

Partizan wrote: »

Another throw away lazy comment.

I suggest you engage your brain before polluting the internet with your stupidity.

1) Train run at inappropriate times which made it impossible or unsuitable for potential commuters, i.e. no link up with majority of ferries, Dublin Heuston, Dublin Connolly or Limerick Junction trains.

2) No Sunday service - automatically excludes students, tourists and day trippers

3) 45 mph speed limit not helped by lack of investment in the line.

Now you see why the train only had "carried 25 people a day". Again if you engaged your brain, it was more than 25 people a day.

Christ on a bike with bells. :rolleyes:

So I'm stupid for stating facts?:rolleyes: I'm not stating for one instant that the service provided by IE before the closure was ideal but the fact remains and you don't bother to refute it, only 25 people a day were using it in the months before it's closure.

Can you show where you and your colleagues down there submitted amendments to the county development plan to ensure housing was focussed on the area around the railway line? The fact is that the county council wasn't concerned with increasing the population of the hinterlands of the stations, they allowed housing everywhere else instead of refusing it so they've been hoist on their own petard and are now crying about it when they did nothing to save it at the time.

Lifelike

schemingbohemia wrote: »

So a train line that carried 25 people a day should be kept open for the 1 week in a year when there are severe weather conditions?

Given the isolated location of most of the stations on that line how much easier is it to get to the stations rather than just driving to the destination?

But if the line is supposedly being maintained anyway, what's stopping Irish Rail from running a temporary service on the line while the bus can't operate?

save the rail

schemingbohemia wrote: »

So I'm stupid for stating facts?:rolleyes: I'm not stating for one instant that the service provided by IE before the closure was ideal but the fact remains and you don't bother to refute it, only 25 people a day were using it in the months before it's closure.

Can you show where you and your colleagues down there submitted amendments to the county development plan to ensure housing was focussed on the area around the railway line? The fact is that the county council wasn't concerned with increasing the population of the hinterlands of the stations, they allowed housing everywhere else instead of refusing it so they've been hoist on their own petard and are now crying about it when they did nothing to save it at the time.

You are obviously not familiar with South Wexford or you would be aware most of the villages HAVE had big estates built there, Bridgetown alone had 2 estates with 100+ houses each and 2 estates with approx 20 each in

-Chris-

Partizan wrote: »

Another throw away lazy comment.

I suggest you engage your brain before polluting the internet with your stupidity...

..Now you see why the train only had "carried 25 people a day". Again if you engaged your brain, it was more than 25 people a day.

Christ on a bike with bells. :rolleyes:

I suggest you engage your self restraint before you get an infraction/ban for insulting other posters.

Attack the post, not the poster. Thanks.