Western rail corridor (WRC) - Capital Plan

dowlingm · 21-07-2019, 14:30

The balancing of Dublin's growth can come from strengthening western and southern urban centres, but Athenry-Claremorris is the middle or end of that process, not the beginning.

Athlone-Mullingar got greenwayed despite being materially more significant infrastructure than Tuam-Claremorris.
M3-Navan can't get done,
Youghal-Midleton can't,
Tivoli/Blarney/Blackpool can't, (Blackpool plan won a planning award ELEVEN YEARS AGO)
no passing loop at Sixmilebridge,
Killonan-Limerick Junction, Portarlington-Athlone, Athlone-Galway and Maynooth-Mullingar still mostly single track,
Waterford-Limerick Junction with loops lifted and an awkward terminus at both ends, plus ancient signalling and manual crossings (see also Nenagh branch)

I would do something about all of those *before* I would touch the Tuam route. Why not fill B&B beds with leisure trippers in the meantime?

Meanwhile Ireland is staring down the barrel of no-deal Brexit and the possibility of having to create from very little resources and less time a railfreight capability from Dublin Port to Belfast as some kind of help to the catastrophe a road border regime would create.

The fact, Goods, that you can link to article after article (and growth rates of trains operating in low double digit loads) does not indicate the likely success of such a venture. It only demonstrates the truth of the old saying "(local) paper never refused ink"

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21-07-2019, 14:30	#30
dowlingm Really Really Regluar Poster Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,371	The balancing of Dublin's growth can come from strengthening western and southern urban centres, but Athenry-Claremorris is the middle or end of that process, not the beginning. Athlone-Mullingar got greenwayed despite being materially more significant infrastructure than Tuam-Claremorris. M3-Navan can't get done, Youghal-Midleton can't, Tivoli/Blarney/Blackpool can't, (Blackpool plan won a planning award ELEVEN YEARS AGO) no passing loop at Sixmilebridge, Killonan-Limerick Junction, Portarlington-Athlone, Athlone-Galway and Maynooth-Mullingar still mostly single track, Waterford-Limerick Junction with loops lifted and an awkward terminus at both ends, plus ancient signalling and manual crossings (see also Nenagh branch) I would do something about all of those before I would touch the Tuam route. Why not fill B&B beds with leisure trippers in the meantime? Meanwhile Ireland is staring down the barrel of no-deal Brexit and the possibility of having to create from very little resources and less time a railfreight capability from Dublin Port to Belfast as some kind of help to the catastrophe a road border regime would create. The fact, Goods, that you can link to article after article (and growth rates of trains operating in low double digit loads) does not indicate the likely success of such a venture. It only demonstrates the truth of the old saying "(local) paper never refused ink"