Tension over future of Rosslare-Waterford rail route

...maybe cause a truly functioning and advanced rail network, simply doesnt exist, leaving the only real alternative, road, the only option!

...is that true! please explain?

...again, yes roads will still be needed, but now we need to rapidly expand alternatives such as rail, or else....

Get off the stage with the intel and trains thing. Intel make a very high value very low bulk product. Train transport simply isn't necessary or desirable.

As for moving people, employees etc intel couldn't give a toss how employees get to the site as long as they can do the job required of them when they get inside the gates. People's commute is of no concern to intel.

So there is you intel and trains arguement in flitters.

And I applaud that man in Kildare for going up against intel and winning. Fair play to him.

Its like this, ireland has a developed economy, or at least a large part of it is the high value economy. High value industries, when they produce physical products, have like intel, a very high value product with very low bulk. Think computer chips, pharmaceuticals, hi-tech medical devices etc. The low bulk means transport requirements are minimal, easily handled by road, and the infrasturture of rail is not at all necessary.

On the other hand, the less hi-tech parts of the economy produce a lower value product with great bulk. Think timber, mine ores etc. They might benefit from the great load carrying capacity of freight trains but then the cost of the dedicated infrastuture and operation of trains is enormous. But the product being shipped is low value and tight margin so trains could rarely be justified.

So either way, trains are not a viable option.

There's work going on somewhere on it nearly every night of the week, mostly resurfacing.

You can follow them on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/M50Dublin

or you can look at the https://www.m50concession.com/planned-road-works/

I thought I might find a discussion on Waterford-Rosslare railway here, but the thread seems to have drifted into outer space.

To relocate the discussion to what the title suggests, in the case of the Rosslare-Waterford line, absolutely it should be reinstated since it should still be reasonably serviceable. While I hear all that's being said about Rosslare-Limerick, but I'd wonder how much freight coming into Rosslare actually goes to Limerick, or even Cork for that matter - I'd think much of it goes to the Dublin region for distribution. The primary value of reopening the line would be a more light rail focused commuter service facilitating people living in south Wexford getting to Waterford. A colleague living not far from Wellingtonbridge has a 45 minute commute even taking into account the New Ross bypass. With a train connection he'd probably throw the bike onto the train and take that - probably wouldn't be much shorter, but he'd have had a bit of fresh air. What is crucial though is that it would be run properly, i.e., a regular service that gets people where they need to be, when they need to be, so proper services for morning/evening rush hours, several during the day. Not the nonsense that IE were practising in the runup to justifying closure of the line

As for the greenways and the sniping at the "cycling lobby", whoever they are, from some commentors, these are highly desirable revenue drivers for local authorities - just look at the Kilmacthomas. Putting them on disused railway lines makes absolute sense - trains don't like hills so they tend to take the flat option. They're also in public ownership - at least in theory. While South Wexford isn't in fairness the lumpiest part of the country, it does have its moments. Leisure cyclist just out for a spin with their kids or who only get the bike out a handful of times per year don't want to face into a series of 10% gradients with impatient motorists on their back wheel and close passing. There's a major European cycling trail (EV1) which runs all along the western and southern coast which is a major tourism driver elsewhere where it's more developed, and Wexford CoCo quite rightly want to exploit this.

As I said at the outset, it makes perfect sense to reinstate this line as you'd hope it hasn't deteriorated badly. Waterford-New Ross, and Waterford-Dungarvan would always have been very expensive to reinstate though, and are delivering/will deliver huge tourist benefits

Trains are easily viable! The mindset that "cars win handsdown" is frankly a backwards one that belongs in 50s America.And that is all you need to know about Wexfords obsession with ripping up the rosslare to Waterford line to provide tourism infrastructure for a handful of B&B owners.; Intel has plenty of rail infrastructure serving it. There would be a huge amount of more effeicient land use if the rail corridors were provided with the same level of funding as road infrastructure. Also a lot less damage to our towns and cities. The most uncivilized form of tramsport in existence has been the motor car. Its only real contribution has been urban sprawl and obesity.

That's great for all of the people who start work after 8pm and finish 8pm. In other words nobody. You must be the guy that made the timetables for the Wexford-Waterford commuter service a number of years ago. For the huge market of people who start work at 1130 and knock off at 1430!