EU grants to move freight off roads

Victor

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0318/1224266513060.html

EU grants to move freight off roads
TIM O'BRIEN

THE EU Commission has launched a €64 million grant scheme aimed at moving freight from roads to more environmentally friendly transport forms such as rail or short-sea crossings.

The financial support under the EU Marco Polo fund comes as Iarnród Éireann confirms it is considering closing services on the Rosslare Port to Waterford line.

An Iarnród Éireann spokesman said no freight had been transported on the Waterford-Rosslare line since the closure of the State’s sugar business in 2006, and services on the route now amounted to one passenger train in each direction each day.

Passenger numbers averaged 25 and revenue was 2 per cent of costs. The company is also looking at low-cost options for passenger services between Waterford and Rosslare.

However, the spokesman said the company was interested in freight business and had recently increased services between Ballina, Co Mayo, and Waterford.

He said anything which would help make it cost-effective for commercial customers to use rail freight would be looked at, and it would be looking at the Marco Polo fund.

Announcing the €64 million “call for projects”, Ruth Deasy of the European Commission Representation in Ireland said: “This financial support is available under the Marco Polo fund during the start-up phase of operations.”

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/marcopolo/calls/2010_en.htm

dowlingm

Great news - maybe they can unscrap some of the 181s :rolleyes:

Run_to_da_hills

A good reason to retain the Rosslare to Waterford line.

dowlingm

Which freight would the Rosslare-Waterford line carry now? Is there anything east of Belview to be shipped in that direction?

JHMEG

Are live cattle still exported via Waterford?

Run_to_da_hills

This might encourage them to reintroduce Fastrack again, if they do they will have to remove a few seats on the 22000's to make room for it.

FlameoftheWest

A complete non story really. Means nothing, pure extrapolation and blowing smoke based on nothing really meaningful. Bit like claiming that NASAs next moon mission will affect the cheese export sector in Ireland.

Another Irish Times clueless idiot inventing "issues" to justify his job on a slow news day.

GM071class

FlameoftheWest wrote: »

A complete non story really. Means nothing, pure extrapolation and blowing smoke based on nothing really meaningful. Bit like claiming that NASAs next moon mission will affect the cheese export sector in Ireland.

Another Irish Times clueless idiot inventing "issues" to justify his job on a slow news day.

I must agree FlameoftheWest,

To put to rest the freight traffic issue's mentioned above, Iarnród Éireann just isn't interested in carrying anything other than passengers!

When the Diageo contract was sabotaged by IÉ, (and yes I do mean sabotaged) they took all of 2 - 3 weeks within ceasation of the 'Liners' to chop up every wagon able to carry the black stuff!

When the Cement traffic dropped they did the same again, this time with all the little 4-wheeled 'Bubbles'.
How they can have such a neck as to say "we're interested in Freight" - it's horse excrement!

IÉ inherited a fairly healthy business in containers from IR, and CIÉ.
However, bit by bit, it's been axed, and reduced.

Unless someone Calls the Freight office in IÉ and say's I want to start moving large numbers of something, enough to fill a train, they won't even entertain it.

Anyway, even if they wanted to run Freight,
They've hacked the network to bits in certain ways to make running it impossible.
Shortened/Lifted passing loops on single line workings.
Removed and sold off freight yards, and
Reduced their own means of mechanically operating anything other than fecking poxy railcars, and a few Locomotives.


Regards,
Matt,

FlameoftheWest

GM071class wrote: »

Iarnród Éireann just isn't interested in carrying anything other than passengers!

as Bus Eireann customers if they were honest about it.