Closure on the cards. A wanton throwaway of an asset whose potential is being ignored

[Mark Gleeson]

The logic is for through trains Galway Rosslare, any other country would have them, but as is the practice Irish Rail is trying to kill the route by making it impossible to use

[dowlingm]

So I'm a private operator. I want to use existing stock - oops, IE have scrapped so much of theirs that their railcars are maxed out. I want to use their tracks - well, I suppose I can trust them to charge me an appropriate amount given that they are a vertical operator. And there's no fear of IE unions refusing to operate signals or sell tickets on my behalf or other similar shenanigans. On top of that, I'm operating on the lines they don't want because they are *******ed/manual signal/manual LCs/all of the above.

Where do I sign?

[Jister]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

The logic is for through trains Galway Rosslare, any other country would have them, but as is the practice Irish Rail is trying to kill the route by making it impossible to use

I would have thought Ballina - Wexford Town would be the long term logical plan. Rail tourism playing a big part, along with Ballina-Waterford freight and other freight flows to help carry the cost.

[Colm Moore]

Originally Posted by Jister

I would have thought Ballina - Wexford Town would be the long term logical plan. Rail tourism playing a big part, along with Ballina-Waterford freight and other freight flows to help carry the cost.

There is already an under used railway along that route.

[crc]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

The logic is for through trains Galway Rosslare, any other country would have them, but as is the practice Irish Rail is trying to kill the route by making it impossible to use

Likewise, I was thinking that Galway-Dublin should use the old Athlone-Mullingar route (especially now that Cork-Galway can be done via Limerick). With Westport-Dublin continuing on the Athlone-Portarlington stretch it would open up many more route combinations.

But it seems to me as if IE done want to have a network, just a series of single routes between Dublin and provincial cities.

[dowlingm]

Athlone-Mullingar would be:
a) tricky because of the location of Athlone East station and the amount of development in between the two lines to make a connection further east
b) pretty pointless without double tracking most if not all of Mullingar-Maynooth first to get their service level up to a point where it would be worth sending excess service over to Athlone rather than turning it back.

Retrenchment is the name of the game now -maximising passengers carried per euro of capital spend and that really means PaleRail. I'm even starting to wonder if the electrification of Interconnector/Hazelhatch will be followed by dieselising south of Fairview because they won't be able to afford the necessary numbers of EMUs to service the two lines at once and there is no electric only section to worry about.

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...267894916.html

Waterford-Rosslare rail services to close
TIM O'BRIEN

IARNRÓD ÉIREANN has confirmed it is to cease passenger services on the Waterford to Rosslare line in the southeast.

The company said it will explore the possibility of keeping the line open as a tourist/heritage railway, but it maintained that with passenger numbers at 25 per day, the route was “unsustainable”.

A closing date for the line, which was one of those identified for examination by the recent McCarthy report, is expected to be announced by Iarnród Éireann soon.

Iarnród Éireann said yesterday that it plans to maintain services on other routes identified in the McCarthy report and has cut staff costs, length of trains and timetabled services in a bid to keep lines open.

But CIÉ chairman John Lynch told the Oireachtas Committee on Transport the Waterford to Rosslare line had not been supported economically and did not serve a large population.

The company had frequently warned of falling passenger numbers while the sugar beet freight business, which sustained the route, ceased in 2006.

A trial extension of the passenger service from Rosslare to Wexford was underutilised Mr Lynch said.

A recent survey of passengers indicated most users were heading for Waterford Institute of Technology. Accordingly, the company said a bus service would replace the train, taking passengers to the institute, in about the same time, for about the same price.

Iarnród Éireann said there would also be environmental benefits of running a small bus, as opposed to a train.

It is understood that discussions have taken place with staff working on the route who may be interested in redeployment within Iarnród Éireann. Voluntary severance is also to be offered.

The company said rail transport was “a volume business” and the passenger numbers spoke for themselves.

The closure was however immediately criticised by public representatives in the southeast. Wexford councillor Joe Ryan said Iarnród Éireann had done its best “to provide an unviable service”.

“The existing service has been set up to fail as it is poorly timetabled and marketed, with only one train a day. For the community to support the railway, a usable service needs to be provided. No effort has been made by the company to enhance or promote the route despite the availability of a modern diesel railcar which remains unused for eight hours a day parked up in Waterford.”

[Mark Hennessy]

When was the last time a passenger carrying line was shut in Ireland?

Late 1970's?

[PLUMB LOCO]

The Western Rail Corridor (Claremorris/Limerick portion) in 1976. I thought we had moved on from here! I must say I am disappointed, but not surprised, by the low profile adopted by RUI on this closure. Where is the usually ominipresent Mark Gleeson on radio??????

[Mark Gleeson]

We met IE last week and discussed the matter and others (at IE's invitation I might add), in fact we where the the first in to discuss, the crew from Wexford only met IE last night.

Press release issued, positive response on that but the problem is we are not the producers of the radio news. Though the issue of through services from Galway to Rosslare was on the 1 O'Clock on iRadio West on WRC opening day I got interviewed about the WRC and related issues, not WOT.

With NAMA going through there was little interest in the media with a little railway line in Wexford, several print media pieces got deferred or dropped. We have been in communication with the group in Wexford, and indeed with others in Waterford and our proposals met with positive feedback but no one has the money to front the cost of the investment.

Closure of the line is not a done deal, IE might think they are free, but there is a complex set of legal loops which have to be got through which could buy an extra 18 months, by which time we should have a new national timetable, again something Irish Rail has invited us to work with them on. Unlike many others we actually have made positive and proactive proposals to build a proper integrated regional system and the basic idea we have pitched is something Irish Rail seem to accept as the way, but it doesn't have the money.

Money is the problem, a massive problem. The sole reason things have come to a head is the WRC needs 2.5 million. Sure we might risk a high court injunction to shut the WRC for a possible breech of the Transport Act but that is hardly going to win any friends is it? not to mention the legal fees

[Thomas Ralph]

It's shown up on http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/i...ne-453076.html now.

[ThomasJ]

it doesn't suprise me that this is happening with the current transport minister in place others would not have allowed this.

It wouldn't surprise if cutting the current connolly-rosslare services back to wexford is also on the agenda.

Its a shame my thought was that at worse extend the current heuston-waterford intercity services to wexford and rosslare as a result people at campile etc would still have a proper service, people south of heuston could get to wexford and rosslare without having to travel through dublin and so on it was different! Its a pity irish rail have no creative thinking in them!

[Jister]

Originally Posted by ThomasJ

It wouldn't surprise if cutting the current connolly-rosslare services back to wexford is also on the agenda.

That sounds like something Irish rail would do alright, disconnect their port from their railway system.

Presumably Irish Rail want this line shut before the summer in case tourists use it.

[Mark Gleeson]

Irish Rail have changed their stance and it sounds like something is afoot
http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/i...re-453309.html

For the record the last passenger line to close was Athlone-Mullingar in 1987

[Mark Hennessy]

Originally Posted by PLUMB LOCO

The Western Rail Corridor (Claremorris/Limerick portion) in 1976. I thought we had moved on from here!

Ironic, the greens are in govt and we get rail closures and bus cutbacks all over the country.

Any chance we'll see Cuffe and O'Brolchain making a self-promotional video on the day of the closure?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CcbiWSo-Kg