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Unread 16-03-2010, 12:09   #23
TomB
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Limerick
Posts: 207
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson View Post
I have travelled on the Waterford - Rosslare once and the Limerick Junc - Waterford twice in recent years
Quote:
Originally Posted by PLUMB LOCO View Post
I don't know where you get your 90% figure from
Sorry, I probably didn't express that very well -- I wasn't making pot shots at posters here, merely making a wider observation that there will be the inevitable hoo-ha in local and national media about line closures and that lots of people will oppose closure based on the fact that rail lines are A Good Thing without any direct experience of the service in question.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson View Post
The ride isn't the greatest but people have quickly forgotten what 50mph on jointed track was like, that was the standard experience until quite recently. That CWR track is actually quite smooth and the 2700 railcars are the smoothest and quietest of the bunch.
I know ride quality can be very subjective so we'll have to agree to differ on this point. All I can say is that going down by train and back up to Limerick by bus, the bus was more comfortable for us.

My contention is that this debate has been going on for years and years and what we've ended up with for the past 30 years is a line which is kept open (by a thread), loses a lot of money, and which provides a service which isn't very good.

Take a look at this Dáil debate from 1977 -- it feels like absolutely nothing has changed:

http://historical-debates.oireachtas...702220056.html

This is, of course, what bloody annoys me about Ennis-Athenry -- Ballybrophy-Limerick and Rosslare-Limerick Junction are textbook examples of a train service on a single track line providing a rubbish service uncompetitive with bus, yet we're going to do it all over again with Ennis-Athenry.

Mark's point about the comparative costs of Ennis-Athenry versus Junction-Rosslare are interesting -- the tragedy is of course for the price of the two we could have had a decent Junction Rosslare service which would have provided a template for successful 'Regional Rail' in this country


Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson View Post
IE are the least likely organisation to take any form of postive action to address the problems
Sure, absolutely. Which presents a dilemma. We all know that a combination of Victorian work practices lower down and a dearth of customer focus higher up results in a rail system that can be woeful and expensive. Which is of course why an organisation like RUI is badly needed -- to give a kick up the behind to IE in both departments.

The genesis of RUI was in the proposed closure of these lines 7 years ago. I'm just wondering aloud whether another situation where the lines are 'saved' would really benefit anyone significantly, if nothing else changes. Could we still be having the same debate in another 30 years?
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