Reopen the railways

[seafoid]

Most freight has emissions levels that are no longer acceptable. Climate change will change everything. Rail is a relatively simple change unless for FG heads.

[Main Street]

I hear my train a comin', it's rolling 'round the bend (well almost),
I haven't seen a train since I don't know when.



And now
the signal shed is still in decent nick though the station could do with a once over.

[armaghniac]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0tMSgi0SGw

[Eamonnca1]

That Armagh-Keady line should be reopenable, and it would indeed go right beside the Atheltic Grounds where you could put in a halt. Most of the old route through the middle of Armagh is surprisingly clear. It'd be a bit tricky to get a new route past the houses on Rock Rd that were built on top of the old alignment, but not impossible. Might be better to just pick a new route to Keady, but it would be sensational to see modern trains running on the Tassagh Viaduct.

That line was one of the last to open and the section to 'Blayney was only open for 12 years. So it was probably the least feasible line in Ireland. However, I think the Tassagh viaduct was one of the first concrete railway viaducts in Ireland. If you reopen it then you'd have have a slight problem getting into the stand in the Athletic grounds.

Correct, I think it was the shortest-lived line. Times are different now though. There's a tourist industry that wasn't there when the line was operating, so connecting Armagh to Dublin via Dundalk would have more value today.

You could rebuild the line through the Lisummon tunnel and hope that the trains can go up the hill nowadays.
How many tourists go on the train from Dublin to Kilkenny each day?

The Lisummon tunnel is on the old Armagh-Newry via Markethill line. The only thing on top of that route is Hunter's shop in Markethill that was extended in the wrong direction. Markethill station is still there and I think it's a private residence now. If the Armagh-Newry road gets busy enough then you'd see more pressure to reopen that line, but reopening Portadown-Armagh would need to happen first.

[armaghniac]

That Armagh-Keady line should be reopenable, and it would indeed go right beside the Atheltic Grounds where you could put in a halt. Most of the old route through the middle of Armagh is surprisingly clear. It'd be a bit tricky to get a new route past the houses on Rock Rd that were built on top of the old alignment, but not impossible. Might be better to just pick a new route to Keady, but it would be sensational to see modern trains running on the Tassagh Viaduct.

That line was one of the last to open and the section to 'Blayney was only open for 12 years. So it was probably the least feasible line in Ireland. However, I think the Tassagh viaduct was one of the first concrete railway viaducts in Ireland. If you reopen it then you'd have have a slight problem getting into the stand in the Athletic grounds.

Correct, I think it was the shortest-lived line. Times are different now though. There's a tourist industry that wasn't there when the line was operating, so connecting Armagh to Dublin via Dundalk would have more value today.

You could rebuild the line through the Lisummon tunnel and hope that the trains can go up the hill nowadays.
How many tourists go on the train from Dublin to Kilkenny each day?

The Lisummon tunnel is on the old Armagh-Newry via Markethill line. The only thing on top of that route is Hunter's shop in Markethill that was extended in the wrong direction. Markethill station is still there and I think it's a private residence now. If the Armagh-Newry road gets busy enough then you'd see more pressure to reopen that line, but reopening Portadown-Armagh would need to happen first.

Also one of the first lines to close to passengers. Not many people want to go to Armagh.

[Eamonnca1]

I dunno, the roads in and out of it always seem plenty busy enough.

[AustinPowers]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy79zz88r2po

New rail plans

What you think?  Will  any of them happen?

[Milltown Row2]

Hoping the airport one goes ahead as that is a basic requirement for most major cities is to have a rail link to the city center from its main airport.

The railway to Letterkenny would be decent also but exploring the rest of Donegal still requires a car. Strabane wouldn't be a hot bed of activity  But the link between Portadown to Derry would be a decent new connection

[SouthOfThe Bann]

Derry for the 4th biggest settlement in the country is woefully serviced.

Imagine if there was a motorway from Derry through Donegal and down to Sligo; would do wonders for the wild atlantic way tourism and for trade between all towns along the west.

No Motorways in the counties of Cavan Monaghan, Fermnagh, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo or Donegal. Partition was a disaster for these counties.

[RadioGAAGAA]

It's (probably) all academic now anyway.

Rachel Reeves had to bin it all due to the Tories financial mis-management:

With regards to rail, Reeves announced the cancellation of the £500m Restoring Your Railway Fund – originally announced in 2020 as a way to start restoring rail lines and stations that had originally been shuttered in the 1960s and 1970s after the publication of the infamous Beeching report.

She said the fund had not been costed, and that the decision will save £76m next year alone. However, individual Restoring Your Railway projects will be reconsidered through a review by the transport secretary.

The last sentence gives a bit of hope, but the bar will surely be ridiculously high.

[RadioGAAGAA]

Most freight has emissions levels that are no longer acceptable. Climate change will change everything. Rail is a relatively simple change unless for FG heads.

I don't know if that adds up in somewhere the size of Ireland. (Or even GB for that matter.)

How many unload/reload tasks would typically happen from getting an article from docks to end customer* (shop, industry)?

While a lot of hauliers do indeed do groupage, do they not load once and drop each item off in the one journey? (Point-to-point)

If they do that, then there isn't a tremendous value in rail as a railway takes you from where you aren't to somewhere vaguely near where you actually want to go. Better to bet on (i) biofuel, (ii) H2 or (iii) battery powered trucks I'd think. (i) is here already, (ii) is 2025 in pilot trials with hauliers and (iii) needs better batteries IMO - current vehicle ranges aren't viable.


*Something Trailer might be able to give a rough guess on if I'm right about his line of work?

[Rossfan]

It's (probably) all academic now anyway.

Rachel Reeves had to bin it all due to the Tories financial mis-management:

With regards to rail, Reeves announced the cancellation of the £500m Restoring Your Railway Fund – originally announced in 2020 as a way to start restoring rail lines and stations that had originally been shuttered in the 1960s and 1970s after the publication of the infamous Beeching report.

She said the fund had not been costed, and that the decision will save £76m next year alone. However, individual Restoring Your Railway projects will be reconsidered through a review by the transport secretary.

The last sentence gives a bit of hope, but the bar will surely be ridiculously high.

Seeing it's an "All Island" thing we 26 Cos taxpayers will be paying for it

[Tony Baloney]

Just paper talk. We have seen how long even relatively basic infrastructure projects take here so I'm sure most of us will be pushing up daisies before we're on the train to Letterkenny or Clones!

[NAG1]

Just paper talk. We have seen how long even relatively basic infrastructure projects take here so I'm sure most of us will be pushing up daisies before we're on the train to Letterkenny or Clones!

And also China/ Japan currently developing personal drone taxis/ transport and we are still looking at trains 

[AustinPowers]

Just paper talk. We have seen how long even relatively basic infrastructure projects take here so I'm sure most of us will be pushing up daisies before we're on the train to Letterkenny or Clones!

I  tend to agree.  Simpler projects like  a stop at both   BElfast airports and Derry airport  haven't happened even though a  line already runs  alongside  all three.

 So, Expecting  a new line to Derry or Letterkenny is total pie in  the sky IMO