Cross-border review of rail network officially launched

Same with underground rail. Anything any way expensive is to be avoided, even if it’s the best option in the long run.

That was a reeally good presentation by Paul Hendrick of Irish Rail. I hope the strategic rail review is similarly grounded in reality and not given over to Ballina-Rosslare nonsense. I would have liked to see electrification get more prominence: long-term it is essential for full decarbonisation on long-distance routes.

It's not an Irish Rail responsibility.

The map is wild. Trains from Belfast to Galway via Clones

I mean could we not have started realistic in the coverage aspect.

Then you have the main lines limited to 200kmh surely we should aiming for 250kmh to Cork and Belfast at least

If the review’s recommendations are implemented in full across the coming decades, the capital cost is estimated to be €36.8bn/£30.7bn in 2023 prices.

Of this, the estimated capital cost that would apply to Ireland would total approximately €27.6bn/£23.0bn. If this investment was split evenly across 25 years in 2023 prices, then it would amount to annual capital investment in the rail system of €1.00bn/£0.92bn per annum over and above existing plans. This is roughly equivalent to peak annual investment in the motorway network in the late 2000s.

Similarly, for Northern Ireland the total capital cost estimate in 2023 prices is €9.2bn/£7.7bn, which is approximately €0.37bn/£0.31bn per annum over a 25-year period.

Timelines

The Review’s implementation timelines involve three periods: short-term interventions to be delivered by 2030, medium-term interventions to be delivered between 2030 and 2040, and long-term interventions to be delivered between 2040 and 2050.

The review also considers whether developing a new, fully segregated 300km/h (186mph) high-speed rail network could be a viable option on the island. Analysis undertaken for the review finds that the benefits of delivering this would be significantly outweighed by the costs.

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CBA quote tagging all this, vanilla is a pain

When it comes to the fantasy sections I can't follow how they've dismissed some vaguely plausible fantasies and accepted really wild ones. For example, new railway serving large towns in west Cork where there is high demand already for trips to Cork City is dismissed out of hand. But a new train line from Portadown to Mullingar is considered perfectly fine??? The analysis isn't consistent.

I doubt it's even an Irish Rail wish list, I'd say they are far more realistic and would rather get basic improvements done instead of fantasising about new lines serving small towns through extremely difficult terrain.

It looks like absolutely everything made it into the report. Nothing was considered a bit too farfetched.

Claremorris to collooney was (rightly) considered too farfetched. As was various proposals for an Atlantic rail spine from cork to donegal.

The Mullingar to Portadown line is a strange one alright, the rest have some reasoning behind them.

also if the review came out and just said electrification, double & quad tracking, fixing a few junctions - people would be complaining that it wasnt ambitious enough!

People are already complaining because there's no Atlantic north south corridor, no direct Cork to Limerick line etc. And even a lack of a line to the Ards Peninsula.

Direct Cork to Limerick was pretty much ruled out in the M20 route selection debate. However seeing as how Mullingar to Portadown made it in, then the 35km or so from Charleville to Limerick should have definitely made it in.

Is that from the report.

Shocked to see Shannon raise its head again.

Personally as a frequent leisure rail user I don't think the Intercity lines from Limerick need more frequently but desperately need later services. I think it's around 6pm last train from Waterford/Galway and 7:30 for Cork (unless you want to spend an hour in the Bit & Bridle). The Castleconnell/Nenagh train has similar problems.