Transport21's On-Going Mutation

[Nigel Fitzgricer]

Is Transport21 a real plan, or is some esoteric concept? Consider some recent unexpected diversions and alterations which have been happening to Transport 21 of late:


The Athlone-Mullingar railway line is being studied for possible reopening by a working group overseen by Iarnród Eireann. This came cmpletely out of the blue and was so far off the T21 radar sceen. Now it is back.

There has been talk of 220kph trains on the Dublin and Cork lines by both CIE and Translink directors.

A new orbital motorway stretching from Drogheda to Carlow is the centrepiece of the Progressive Democrat's transport plans for the next election.

Recent mutterings out of political ether now demands that the Navan rail line has to serve Ashbourne and unforeseen “scooping� work will have to be undertaken delaying the project for years if this happens.

The Luas meanwhile, is apparently going to Saggart now and maybe Bray town centre.

Northern half of the WRC well and truly back on the cards.


None of the above were in Transport 21.

Add to this. Where is the new Dublin Transport Authority, why are Meath politicans suddenly backtracking on building up density along the rail line to Pace? The 200 new buses for Dublin are coming afterall, maybe... The smart card is as distant as ever.

We seem to be back to "if's, ands and maybe's" again. What happened to the timetable held up at Dublin castle and the projects in it. Was any of it ever real to begin with?

I can see the Metro and Luas extention going ahead as private money is behind it, but I worry the Interconnector is in real danger. That PD orbital motorway has not only arrived on the scene and out of the blue, but has moved right to the top of the T21 food chain. It's like the 1973 original DART plan and 1997 CIE Light Rail project all over again. A solid plan we were assured, has been anounced and then something completely differently, and less ambitious replaces it.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

[Colm Donoghue]

transport 21 is fixed in stone and anything not includes in it cannot be built until it finishes in 2015.
unless you are the new leader of a political party that got zero votes in the last parlimentary election held in this country. and you want to throw out any old vote grabbing idea. as if you've been unable to understand collective cabinet responsibility despite being in cabinet for the last decade or so.....

[Thomas J Stamp]

NF, you and me both know the political doublethink that will come into play before the next election. T21 will appear in every bit of election literature. At the same time every candidate will tell you that they will "rule nothing in nor out" at the doorsteps.

Sure that's the way.

[Mark Gleeson]

The Athlone-Mullingar railway line is being studied for possible reopening by a working group overseen by Iarnród Eireann. This came cmpletely out of the blue and was so far off the T21 radar sceen. Now it is back.Its been floating around for ages nothing new nothing committed, that said a rather obvious missing element from T21

There has been talk of 220kph trains on the Dublin and Cork lines by both CIE and Translink directors. Again nothing new here and its 200kph, The translink 200kph is not offical its was the opinion of a senior manager on where they should be going in the future, the IE 200kph line was in fact triggered by an excited journalist who picked up on the fact the Mk4 coaches could do 200kph (they can't actually), the fact the Mk3 can was missed. IE where asked if they where going to exploit that and the usual engineering wishlist was rolled out. Funding has not been sought and it was clearly stated as a long term project post T21, 2017 is a fleet decision point for IE so it makes sense

A new orbital motorway stretching from Drogheda to Carlow is the centrepiece of the Progressive Democrat's transport plans for the next election. This did the rounds before T21 didn't get in

Recent mutterings out of political ether now demands that the Navan rail line has to serve Ashbourne and unforeseen “scooping� work will have to be undertaken delaying the project for years if this happens. It won't be going via Ashbourne its merely a stall to ensure its left open during the next election

The Luas meanwhile, is apparently going to Saggart now and maybe Bray town centre. The entire cost of Luas A1 to citywest is paid for by private interests, they pay it gets built. Jim Mansfield put up the cash, no change here

None of the route options for Bray Luas B2 go through Bray town, the routes where well known before T21 was published. Nothing has changed here

Northern half of the WRC well and truly back on the cards.Until you see the works order it isn't happening, Navan was promised for 2010 didn't happen its the same thing leave it vague enough for the election then walk away, note Enda Kenny's seat is Mayo and Pat Rabbitte is a Mayo man and you understand why it is the way it is

Talk is cheap and means nothing until you see action, that said no one actually has the list of all the T21 projects those we know about don't add up to the magic 34 billion number

[Jister]

When was Ennis-Athenry originally supposed to be up and running, 2007 I believe? Of all the proposals in T21 it could have started literally the day after the announcement and be running by the election.

I keep hearing an announcement is imminent but Bertie was in Ennis today and was able to announce that the Ennis bypass would be opening on December 14th AFAIK nothing about the railway but it may not have made the headlines.

[Mark Gleeson]

IE submitted the proposal to the DoT a month or so ago, it is likely to contain 2 options

1) Restore as is i.e. slow (thats the McCann report number)
2) Midleton style 21st century standards kill level crossings bring speeds to 70-75mph

Obviously you want option 2 but it will cost a lot more and take a lot longer

[Jister]

IE submitted the proposal to the DoT a month or so ago, it is likely to contain 2 options

1) Restore as is i.e. slow (thats the McCann report number)
2) Midleton style 21st century standards kill level crossings bring speeds to 70-75mph

Obviously you want option 2 but it will cost a lot more and take a lot longer

I can't see why they don't do 1 & 2 together. The exisiting Ennis-Limerick was rebuilt piecemeal, a few miles at a time and regular freight and passenger movements most of the time. They are still upgrading it, closing farmers gates, installing new crossing gates etc.

Ennis-Athenry should be a lot easier as it has no traffic at the moment so they could belt away at it.

As a matter of interest what is the speed limit on sections where there are farmers gates and entrances to houses across a track?

[Nigel Fitzgricer]

The mutation continues:

Athlone-Mullingar reopening to be announced soon (to be added to NDP2).

Docklands Station to remain forever to serve National Conference Centre even after Interconnector is to be built.

Major Upgrade of track and frequency on Limerick-Waterford route.

[Mark]

Docklands Station to remain forever to serve National Conference Centre even after Interconnector is to be built.
.

Serve it from where? The land is too valuable to remain as a train station.

[Nigel Fitzgricer]

More "modualtions" to the plan as Bertie would say.

The Burma Road is to be reconnected to the Sligo line at Coolooney in the Spring. Turnout, signals and modifaction to Sligo line CTC all included. I have no idea why. Chances are it won't be for timber trains as Coillite is rumoured to stop hauling logs by train as it is cheaper to import them from Scotland by ship to Waterford.

The clearing crews were on the northern end of the Burma Road the other day and I was having a chat with them. None of them think the line is ever going to reopen and they have been told not to bother people who live next to the railways and work around their property.

This Transport21 funded Burma Road clean up is such a pointless waste of taxpayers money for no tangible reason. One has to wonder what could of been bought for the West of Ireland which people might have actually used with the same money. A bus or two to actually "transport" the public in the West of Ireland for real rather than taking us into land of railway makebelieve? I cannot see the logic, nor meaning, symbolic or otherwise behind such a waste of public money. It' must be running into the 100,000s of thousands of Euro at this stage.

Rather than fencing and weedspray, they could have restored some of the old station buildings and structures. Instead they are getting demolished to make way for fencepoles and wire. How on earth is this protecting the railway... a perfectly in-tact Victorian signal cabin was demolished at Tubbercurry by a Transport21 JCB when it should have been restored.

Or at least saved for some railway museum. Instead it is now a pile or rubble on the side of the tracks. I would understand knocking down such a historic structre if it was towards putting in a rail service - but for a bloody ugly fence and the chance for sunlight to shine on rotten sleepers and rusty rail. Well for a few months till it all grows back again.

[Navan Junction]

Has much else been bull-dozed?

[sean]

lol, leave it to Thomas S. to point out the rampant stupidity of the WRC 'overhaul'

That does indeed sound ridiculous.

[CSL]

Until May 2007 ... then down tools.

[Nigel Fitzgricer]

Until May 2007 ... then down tools.

Indeed. Athenry-Ennis will be started with a high proflile and that'll be all we'll every hear of the WRC apart from studies and small talk and the odd letter to Times claiming it connects Cork and Knock Airports.

Perhaps then the politicians of Sligo might then realise that we already have a rail line which is currently dying on its feet and offers the possiblity of a workable commuter service in the north west between Sligo and Boyle.

[Nigel Fitzgricer]

new "modulations" in last few weeks:

Cork City Council seriously considering a light rail orbital route in the City Centre

CIE's Kent Station Development on Cork downgraded to a few new shops and a bit of an oul clean up.

Dunboyne rail line now set back to 2010

Luas Bx Line back to the drawing board

Galway City Council planning an East-West "Metro" connect the new Docklands developement with Terryland. (yes, this is really on the cards)

DTA powers curtailled by Cullen due to CIE union pressure and property interests which led to the resignation of Dr Margaret O’ Mahon from the new body.

followed by...

Cullen's sop to the CIE unions and CIE property development agenda is now being challenged by Dublin Regional Authority


14 December 2006

Capital’s transport body plan bypassed

By �ine Kerr, Political Reporter
A CROSS-PARTY group representing the four Dublin local authorities has rejected proposals to establish the Dublin Transportation Authority and called for new proposals modelled on the London system.

Proposals for the new super transport authority, which would assume responsibility for overseeing all major public transport projects, were unanimously rejected at a meeting of the Dublin Regional Authority.

A motion calling on the Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen, to withdraw the proposals and engage in “real dialogue� towards establishing a body modelled on Transport for London was supported by the authority, on which all political parties are represented.

Yesterday, Labour councillor Dermot Lacey who proposed the motion, said Dublin needed a strong Transportation and Land Use Authority which would have the power and resources to deliver an integrated transport service.

“The rejection of these proposals in such a strong manner, following the resignation of the Interim Working Group Dr Margaret O’ Mahony and the deep criticism of the proposals by long time Fianna Fáil activist and Chairperson of the Railway Procurement Agency Padraic White must surely jolt Minister Cullen to his senses,� he said.

Director of the Dublin Regional Authority, Patricia Potter, said members were primarily concerned with the fact that the authority members would not be represented on the proposed new authority.

Instead, one member will be appointed to an advisory council, while the minister would appoint councillors to another separate board.

Fine Gael’s transport spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell said the proposals for the Dublin Transportation Authority remained very vague and failed to include a land use remit.

“It has been downgraded from what was originally envisaged. The proposals do not provide for the strong body that is required. I want to see a body with teeth,� she said.

Ms Mitchell added the legislation concerning the proposed authority was supposed to be brought before the Dáil before Christmas.

Under the proposals the Railway Procurement Agency would be subsumed into the new authority that would take over some of the functions of Dublin Bus and Iarnród Eireann.

However, Labour’s transport spokeswoman, RoisÃ*n Shortall, said it would be more effective to establish a body that brings the work of existing bodies together.


This Transport21 Saga Will Be Going on Longer than Coronation Street.

[markpb]

And around we go again :(

I guess there never was any hope of this happening, at least not in my lifetime.