The Future of Rail in Ireland

corktina

i don't know about any hitlist, but it seems odd to be complaining about a service that has been improved with new 22xxxx fairly recently,and is much better than many parts of the country have..take West Cork for instance, Surely there would be a list as long as your arm of closed lines that would be of more benefit to re-open that the North Kerry.

Judgement Day

That the North Kerry route and, indeed, the WRC survived long after the West Cork is a reflection on the intelligence (?) of those involved in the closure of the latter - FF again - Erskine Childers and his stooge Todd Andrews.

monument

Judgement Day wrote: »

As far as I know the Luas is the only 'railway' in the country that is currently turning a profit.

There's a massive difference in accounting practice / who pays for the infrastructure between Irish Rail and the RPA.

And I'm finding it hard to believe you did not know such.

Judgement Day

monument wrote: »

There's a massive difference in accounting practice / who pays for the infrastructure between Irish Rail and the RPA.

And I'm finding it hard to believe you did not know such.

I am aware that there are a myriad of different ways that profits/losses are calculated on CIE/Luas etc but the fact remains that an operating profit was made by Luas in 2008. http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/luas-makes-836422m-profit-despite-drop-in-passengers-1981837.html

saywhatyousee seemed to think that the Sligo line was profitable, in fact, the most profitable line in the country and I was trying to bring him back to reality.

monument

Judgement Day wrote: »

I am aware that there are a myriad of different ways that profits/losses are calculated on CIE/Luas etc but the fact remains that an operating profit was made by Luas in 2008. http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/luas-makes-836422m-profit-despite-drop-in-passengers-1981837.html

saywhatyousee seemed to think that the Sligo line was profitable, in fact, the most profitable line in the country and I was trying to bring him back to reality.

Operating profit by Veolia Transport Dublin Light Rail Ltd running the services. That's all. That's not the Luas making profit, that's one company doing so. What about costs at the RPA etc?

Judgement Day

monument wrote: »

Operating profit by Veolia Transport Dublin Light Rail Ltd running the services. That's all. That's not the Luas making profit, that's one company doing so. What about costs at the RPA etc?

I never disputed this but the fact remains that the Veolia/Luas made a 'profit' in 2008 and it is probably circa 1910 that any railway company in Ireland made a profit - I can't be bothered to go looking. One thing that I am quite certain of is that the in no way can the Sligo line be considered profitable and as things are heading will one day be closed west of Maynooth.

monument

Judgement Day wrote: »

I never disputed this but the fact remains that the Veolia/Luas made a 'profit' in 2008 and it is probably circa 1910 that any railway company in Ireland made a profit - I can't be bothered to go looking. One thing that I am quite certain of is that the in no way can the Sligo line be considered profitable and as things are heading will one day be closed west of Maynooth.

Veolia are not a railway company, they are a services company. Railway companies run railways, companies which just operate trains are different.

e-sull

I'd never suggest a possibly re-opened north kerry line should ever follow the route it had before.. that was way too indirect! Something more along the N21 route would make a more direct journey. the part of the line that is a walkway is the old route towards ardfert and fenit back rock street in tralee.. that was going west which would make no sense if heading towards limerick.. it could follow most of the line towards farranfore and turn off around ballymac.. There was a LOT of talk of reopening the line by the Greens last election but..... Well yeah.. No more need be said on that! :rolleyes: even still.. west cork and even the lines on the kerry peninsulas would have a HUGE tourist potential during the summer months.. And on the matter of the 22k sets.. Yeah they hype up all that but nothing about the all too common but non mentioned signal failures.. A lot of the time you'll get an atrocious service on the line for the price paid. (provided someone is dumb enough to buy their ticket in the station! )

corktina

e-sull wrote: »

I'd never suggest a possibly re-opened north kerry line should ever follow the route it had before.. that was way too indirect! Something more along the N21 route would make a more direct journey. the part of the line that is a walkway is the old route towards ardfert and fenit back rock street in tralee.. that was going west which would make no sense if heading towards limerick.. it could follow most of the line towards farranfore and turn off around ballymac.. There was a LOT of talk of reopening the line by the Greens last election but..... Well yeah.. No more need be said on that! :rolleyes: even still.. west cork and even the lines on the kerry peninsulas would have a HUGE tourist potential during the summer months.. And on the matter of the 22k sets.. Yeah they hype up all that but nothing about the all too common but non mentioned signal failures.. A lot of the time you'll get an atrocious service on the line for the price paid. (provided someone is dumb enough to buy their ticket in the station! )

well do you think you'd get better service with a second line to Limerick and dublin? Worse Id say as the availalble funds and equipmnet would be spread just that bit thinner.

e-sull

true but, bear with me on this now its not 100% thought out, theoretically it would be better to have a terminus in killarney going though farranfore, south-east tralee (Manor) then on to limerick.. Would be a direct route, Killarney station would have to be moved out a bit and Rathmore, Millstreet and Banteer can be closed.. I was coming down from Dublin last night, 1 person got off in Banteer and we didnt even have to stop in Millstreet or Rathmore there was no point.. It would be so much faster than going through all that Mallow and north Cork part.. Would be ideal if there wasnt already a railway there.. If we were starting from scratch on the railway I could see Limerick being the first choice over East Kerry..

corktina

what about the people who want to go to Mallow or Cork? We dont all go back and forth to Dublin you know...

e-sull

true i suppose...! i DID say it wasnt 100% thought out...! :P

foggy_lad

e-sull wrote: »

true i suppose...! i DID say it wasnt 100% thought out...! :P

but keep thinking though as nothing ever gets done withoiut thought and that is surely lacking in CIE

KC61

As I've said in the Cork/Limerick line thread, there are a number of things that need to be done as a priority in order to deliver real improvements in journey times.

So far we have seen a huge number of level crossings eliminated and track on the radial routes renewed, new trains delivered and some work done in eliminating long term speed restrictions such as those at Portarlington and Ballybrophy.

However there needs to be a real focus on delivering full line speed to the maximum on both the Cork and Belfast routes, while reducing the potential for delays on single track routes by installing longer dynamic passing loops so that trains can pass one another on the move rather than waiting at fixed points as at present.

Personally I think that the real priorities in terms of the existing network (from an infrastructure perspective) have to be:

Carry out whatever work is necessary to get the Dublin/Cork line up to full line speed of 100mph for the maximum distance possible
- this MUST be priority #1 above everything else.
- this will benefit all services to Waterford, Galway/Mayo, Limerick and Tralee.
- it will also mean that "up" and "down" trains will pass at about the same time at Limerick Junction eliminating long layovers for passengers between Limerick and Waterford and enabling a meaningful service to be introduced on the regional routes from Limerick Junction to Waterford and Galway.

- Similarly get the Dublin/Belfast route up to full line speed

On the busier single track routes install dynamic passing loops (i.e. much longer double track sections to allow trains pass while moving rather than waiting in stations) as follows:

Portarlington/Galway line:
- Install dynamic loops east of Tullamore to west of Clara; and from east of Ballinasloe to west of Woodlawn
- At the very least install a passing loop at Oranmore

Maynooth/Sligo line:
- Extend double track west of Maynooth towards Kilcock,
- Double Killucan to Mullingar
- Install dynamic loops that extend either side of Edgeworthstown and Boyle

Cherryville/Waterford line:
- Install dynamic loops extending either side of Carlow and Ballyhale (the existing loop near Thomastown)

Limerick/Limerick Junction line:
- Double track the entire route

Mallow/Tralee line:
- Install a dynamic loop in the section between Killarney and Rathmore

Finally, at the same time work to get rid of the ludicrous array of speed restrictions on the regional routes. The current 25mph restriction on the 12.5 miles from Killonan Junction (outside Limerick) to north of Birdhill on the Nenagh branch despite the line being relaid with CWR (although until recently not stressed) is farcical.