Quote:
Originally Posted by Colm Donoghue
It's funny how IÉ never whinged about building the line from Ennis to Athenry like this.
I'd say once the dual carriageway from Barefield to the M17 is built, coaches like BÉ or citilink will be quicker from Limerick to Galway.
The only road built that is profitable is the section of the M50 from the N3 junction to the N4 Junction.
Why is there this big concern about the capital cost?
Two people who worked for the government who were involved with this profitable road have served prison time having been convicted. One of them is of course completely innocent.
Another person who worked for the government and was involved in shennanigans nearby this profitable road served prison time too. but as Liam Lawlor said "Liam Lawlor never did anything wrong"
When the M3 is built and the M3/M50 junction finished and if the opw let busses and coaches use the phoenix, what will journey time for a coach to
the city centre from Navan be? compared to projected train times?
|
IE did complain about the WRC. They put forward similar arguments against it over the last 5 years. The Strategic rail review said the same. The only thing with Navan, in my opinion, is that the capital cost is an easy way out for government. (The WRC was a lot cheaper and less complicated)
IE don't want any of these new routes because they probably fear that subvention will not be increased to cover growing infrastructural costs. They are also aware of the demands on exchequer funds for new rail projects. I am not against navan. I have been one of its biggest supporters. But there has always been the possibility that it can become far too political and detrimental to whats most important - the interconnector.
A simple example is this. The WRC Ennis-Athenry is going ahead, while 2 existing lines are slowly dieing. (Limerick junct - Rosslare and Ballybrophy - Limerick.) This is because politicians are interferring and making the wrong decisions when they do interfere. Does it make any sense for existing lines in similar areas to the WRC to be treated this way? No it doesn't and its very poor management of infrastructure. The decision making process for the entire nation should have been taken out of the hands of CIE and Government. A dedicated agency free from the baggage of CIE and politics may well have been the preferred vehicle to decide whats what and where.
But back to Navan. Its a lot of money. So what? Well it can be used by the DoF as an excuse. The M3 may well be used as an excuse. Don't mind Dempsey. He'd say mass. There's more evidence against Irish Governments for breaking promises than keeping them.
I would suggest that post M3 and M50 interchange completion, journey times from Navan to Dublin will be decreased considerably. This may dilute public demand for a railway and be used by Government as yet another "excuse".