How CIE/IE Can make savings: Your ideas.

A number of good ideas above that make sense, such as retaining MKs and moth-balling rather than scrapping engines.

Mine are probably somewhat more controversial, but I reckon given McCarthy's recommendation of cutting 240 km of lines, there is something much more fundamental than just tinkering and advocating efficiencies.

Railusers Ireland, and Platform 11 before them have made many sound suggestions over the years - and while I wouldn't agree with them on every stance - regrettably Irish Rail seemingly haven't listened to them at all when it doesn't already suit them.

In my opinion, and I would regard myself as politically left-of-centre and pro-rail, Irish Rail exists primarily for the wage-paying of its members - rather than providing services to the greater community, be it public or freight.

I have come to the conclusion that not only has Irish Rail had an exit-freight strategy, but now with the exception of Dublin Darts, they also would appear to have an exit-rail strategy.

Colm McCarthy's recommendations to close lines such as Rosslare - Waterford and Waterford - Limerick jcn regrettably make a lot of sense - precisely because Irish Rail run only one service each way each day to Rosslare, while the service to Limerick jcn is woefully under-marketed so that many of inhabitants of towns such as Clonmel (Pop. 15,000) are not even aware of their train services. 40 minutes wait before connecting to trains linking into Limerick at the jcn makes sure there is no interest.The recent kite flown by IE to axe signaling on the route and replace trains with a minibus-on-tracks is laughable as it is dangerous in that it indicates their anti-rail agenda. Note how there would still be staff needed and paid wages; it is very hard to escape the conclusion that essentially IE view the traveling public as an inconvenience.

The downgrading of ancillary services, such as good quality restaurants, shops, on-board catering, and bike-carrying capacity is also symptomatic of IE's exit-rail strategy. Fast track parcels axed, as well as An Post allowed to go some years ago, also seems part of this.

IE had between 3 - 5% of freight market 10 - 15 years ago; any haulage company would have given their eye teeth for this; yet IE decided to get out. Now that that's done they can get on with the rest of their exit-rail strategy :mad:

So what I propose for IE/ CIE to make savings is to shut them. Close them down. Get rid of them... And replace them. Hand Irish Rail over to a company such as Ryanair or what could be RyanRail™

Let's have a company that would chase up opportunities and look to provide services, as opposed to the subsidy subculture. For 10 years, Dell shifted over 10,000 computers a day from Limerick to Rosslare - and not once as far as I am aware did IE go looking for the business. Similarly the CEO of Foynes port in Limerick sought for years to be able to use the existing branch line - but "never, never, never" was the attitude of Irish Rail. Where was Irish Rail when the M3 was being proposed; certainly not advocating that the existing line from Dublin via Drogheda could be used for commuters. Instead Irish Rail much rather a car-dependent park-and-ride siding into Dunboyne; meanwhile the supposed future Navan route gets compromised by pipe-laying and also the bridge at Cannistown.

The bus-on-tracks kite that IE has recently proposed for Rosslare - Limerick jcn is not a new idea; Northern Ireland Railways used one 25 years ago on the Portrush line; why haven't IE previously floated such a notion before for other unused lines, such as New Ross or parts of the WRC? Because they weren't interested in generating business, simple as - and for me it is impossible to escape the idea that this is a way of starting the real closure of that line, making it incompatible with taking traffic from any other line. Happily for IE, this of course then undermines the potential viability for other lines.

And then of course there's the Phoenix Park tunnel line from Heuston Station, going through some of the most densely populated areas in the state. Six years ago, writing under the handle of CoCo, I posted a hoax press release on Irish Rail News, which seemed to spark off some debate regarding the line; jokingly I suggested that by a "Shock Discovery", Irish Rail had discovered another line they could close. A debate got going about it around the same time, and subsequently in an address to Dail Transport Committee, February 25th, 2004, Joe Maher, then CEO of Iarnród Éireann stated "We certainly intend to use the park tunnel in the short-term to bring trains from the Kildare/Newbridge area into Spencer Dock because there is demand for that." Five years on there is still no service, however happily IE run trains on the line - provided it isn't carrying passengers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvgt_02WQv4

Save Irish Railways by abolishing Irish Rail. Otherwise it'll continue to be death by 1000 cuts, with incrementally decreasing services until there's nothing at all. For too long the culture has been one that has rewarded stagnation and penalised innovation, where the traveling public and business has been an inconvenience for these people; Irish Rail as an organisation need to be relieved of any such further burden - I don't blame the individual workers themselves, but overall it is clear that it is now time to dismantle Irish Rail rather than any more Irish railways.

Such is the clear and realist implication of the Bord Snip report, suggesting 240km of the country's lines to be shut saving €55m, while all IE are interested in is spending €2000m+ in building 7.5km of new line, in many respects duplicating the Phoenix Park Tunnel/ north inner city lines.

No more pointless Booze Allen Hamilton type reports; hire up Michael O'Leary instead if he is willing and turn it over to a Ryanair-type operation.

Anything else at this stage is just tinkering with the edges of a monolithic Lemming-on-tracks that just isn't interested.

trad wrote: »

Stop digging the big hole under Pearse Station (Interconnecter?)

The only was to survive is to put in the interconnector. The biggest problem Irish rail has apart from the management is the lack on connection pre luas days Hueston Station may as well been on an Island as to it location and 775 million was spent on the Luas and still this is limited in its destination path Only for Dublin Bus offering a prtty good service Hueston station might as well have closed. Why the largest station was left like this is beyond me. Any commuter lines under construstion at the moment will revive revenues for the company i.e Dunboyne and the Midelton line. The WRC has a question mark over it as to whether it will even break even let alone make a % return it is lifetime. One other thing that could be done to raise revenues for trains is to sell tickets on Dart/Commuter services at breakeven value to pull in customers and if this was sucessfull put 50c onto each ticket after a six month trial

Nostradamus wrote: »

Superb post.

When P11 began I can recall this being the top of the agendas of P11 after the PPT and that was to create a situaiton were Irish Rail would have all their credibility undermined to the point were their actual existence would be unsustainable.

At the first meeting were P11 was formed I (and Derek Wheeler) got a lot of applause from the gathering regarding everything we said, until I mentioned that Irish Rail needed to be taken out. There was a wall of silence among the trainspotters in the room. Losing their black and orange locos was a price they could not pay. This got worse when I suggested and put up on a Powerpoint Presentation that IE were not only "the worse rail operators in Europe, but one of the worst in the world". Did not go down well at all. I was a mad bastard who went too far.

Looking at both WoT and IRN now, the penny seems to have finally dropped with them. But alas too late.

How dare you mention my name. I had absolutely nothing to do with that mad bastard you tell of and his P11 spin machine.:D

In fairness Thomas is right, as is ODS. You cannot deal with CIE/IE in a mutually respectful fashion. Engaging with them by letter or cosy monthly meetings will achieve nothing. They will always display this hidden distain for you. Its over 50 years of culture, much like a fungus. It was always the P11 intention to go for them like a rabid dog and that worked. An unrelenting media and public attack that chronicles their failures and exposes their unforgiveable shortcomings is and will always be the only effective method to ensuring that they are eventually dumped on the scrapheap.

Sorry Judgement, your letter to Dick Fearn will have no impact. I know you've been around a long time, but the original P11 approach is the most effective. Look at the impact it had in the space of just 2 years. Nail them in the media week after week and not about technical ****. Hit them with the issues that ordinary passengers can relate to. The sad thing is the country is still in dire need of a rail lobby with balls. The existing one got castrated.