Well holy god folks, its already started up in Meath. Original alignment emerges as preferred route and then the headbangers come out from the woodwork. From the Meath Chronicle. So hot it burns!
Quote:
THE announcement by Iarnrod Eireann that its "preferred route" for the restoration of the Navan-Dublin rail line is the original 1860s route has been criticised by a Meath councillor who described the route as "non-viable".
The rail company had agreed the terms of reference fore a scoping study with Meath County Council and had examined nine possible routes, opting eventually for the original route, with some minor deviations.
The study has now been finished and was due to be submitted to Meath County Council.
Independent councillor Brian Fitzgerald said that the viability of the route preferred by Iarnrod Eireann was in question. "If it is true that this is the preferred route - and I strongly hope that it is not - I hope the Government does not approve it. I don`t believe it will be viable," said Colr Fitzgerald.
"The possibility of development, including housing and industrial, has not been planned or provided for on that old route. It is not in the plan for the next 20 years," he added.
He maintained that the only possibility of making the rail line a viable proposition lay in providing a service from Dublin, and bringing in a service to areas like Dunshaughlin, Ratoath and Ashbourne, before travelling on to Navan.
He also said that if Dunshaughlin was to be serviced by the rail line, it would be necessary to make sure that the rail line would go under the M3, which is now under construction. "This is a critical aspect of the whole thing and the time to do that is now," he said.
He added: "Dunshaughlin is set to become a moderate growth town and would grow to a population of 10,000. A feeder service could be provided from Ratoath, which is another area undergoing growth."
Colr Fitzgerald said that there was provision in law for a part-funding of the rail link by Meath County Council but he believed this could only happen if the line was supported by populations along its route. "The advice was given to us by Martin Cullen when he was Minister for Transport - `come up with a proposal for funding that I can`t refuse`. The choosing of the old route for the railway line is a recipe for ensuring that it never goes to Navan," he claimed.
He called on Transport Minister Noel Dempsey to "stand up to Iarnrod Eireann and do the right thing for the county and not allow them to dictate to Meath that it should have a route which is not viable."
Colr Fitzgerald also said that the National Roads Authority (NRA) should not be allowed stand in the way of providing a route that was viable.
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Considering how Meath CC were so supportive of the rail line....yeah right!..sure didn't they lash an oul sewer main along part of it....wouldn't you think that they'd have "planned" for the eventuallity? They didn't, because they didnt care. The M3 was their project to such a degree that not only was it demolishing megalthic tombs, but it was pounding through the original rail alignment until An Bord Pleanala stepped in. This latest outburst from a "thick" councillor is just what the Government need. Watch it unfold before your eyes.
In the west of Ireland, planning means nothing. In the east, its the ****e that binds together not much and nothing at all.
The Banjo will have cobwebs on it and certain rail people will be eating their words. Its politics in Ireland and its very predictable.