Woodlawn and Galway line

[ACustomer]

A letter form a lady in Woodlawn (that metropolis on the Galway line) in to-day's Irish Times shows us (a) that paper never refuses ink, no matter what is written and (b) that one might have just a little sympathy with IE when it comes to the complaints.

She complains that the trains are almost never on time (having also said that the rail service is a huge asset to the area) and goes on to assert that trains frequently fail sto stop when scheduled to do so.

Can this be so? Does she imagine that all trains are supposed to stop there? I should imagine that, while not unkown, failure to stop at a station is a very rate event, and usually attracts a lot of attention.

[Mark Gleeson]

Woodlawn only has one platform so if trains get out of sync as they do in a breakdown only one can stop, the single platform means limited service at best, few trains are planned to pass there anyway, the passing loop was added as part of the mini ctc, Woodlawn till then had a Limerick Junction esk reversal to get in and out of the siding

It is possible to commute in and out to Galway, one train arrives before 8:30 another before 10am, choice of 3 going home in the evening. Thats better than Nenagh gets and its a very large town, Woodlawn is a few houses

And yes you can go direct Woodlawn Dublin arriving 8:10 and return on the 19:15

Servce to Woodlawn is respectable and in excess of what many larger population centers get

[ACustomer]

Yes, I'm aware of the layout at Woodlawn, and the possible consequences of trains not crossing where scheduled.

I raised the issue because the Irish Times seems to specialise in OTT comments about the railway. God knows IE are not perfect, but some of their correspondents are dreadful ranters.

[Mark Gleeson]

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, I've read the full letter

A lot of this is because Irish Rail badly manage the release of information as to why things are they way they are, the truth is not politically safe. IE never explain the why.

IE got the signalman there to sell the tickets for a while but the cost in submitting the cash exceeded the takings, so they went unstaffed

The question has to be asked why the station even exists really, it must have the lowest catchment of any station in the country take the cost and spread it around to other stations in the region would have much greater benefit.

[Garrett]

Everyone is entitled to an opinion
yes, very true, sometimes painfully true, but true nonetheless :p

A lot of this is because Irish Rail badly manage the release of information as to why things are they way they are, the truth is not politically safe. IE never explain the why.
and they create a ticking timebomb because the truth always gets out sooner or later! It's all a question of IR managment being fearful of actually being responsible for their actions, me thinks. They should take a leaf out of Noel Brett's book of the Road Safety Authority. Throughout all the provisional license fiasco, Mr. Brett remained highly respected by the media because of his honesty and willingness to take responsibility. Of course, if the targets aren't met by July 2007 the media will probably devour him!

The question has to be asked why the station even exists really, it must have the lowest catchment of any station in the country take the cost and spread it around to other stations in the region would have much greater benefit.
I think a lot of blame has to go to Galway Co. Co. for this. Woodlawn is probably a perfect opportunity to zone land with some decent trasport infrastructure already in place. Pity.

[dowlingm]

There might be a railway but there aren't any roads.

Mark G - do I understand your comment correctly, that a train scheduled for Woodlawn might not stop there if it "got out of sync" due breakdowns? In that case, what is IE's obligation to any passengers on board - taxi back from next stop?

[Garrett]

There might be a railway but there aren't any roads.

As I said, Galway Co. Co. could have done a lot better. What's more, the new Galway-Ballinasloe dual carriageway will not be far from both Woodlawn and Attymon. Me thinks there's a lot of potential in that area, but I'm also not one to want sprawling housing estates springing up in countryside areas.
Anyhows, I suppose I'm guilty of crayonism, so until Woodlawn becomes a commuter town its kinda not very relevant to RUI.

[comcor]

Is there any legal obligation to stop in Woodlawn? In the UK, it was not unknown for large landowners to insist on a station and a certain number of daily stops in return for allowing the railway to cross their lands. That disappeared there with the nationalisation of the railways, but I'm wondering if there is some weird legacy that has left this in place in Ireland.

It seems odd to me that Woodlawn retained its station when some larger towns like Blarney, Monasterevin and Kilmallock lost theirs.

[Thomas Ralph]

Last I checked Monasterevin has a fully-functional station...

[Prof_Vanderjuice]

Last I checked Monasterevin has a fully-functional station...
Woodlawn never closed, whereas Monasterevin did (for a bit more than 20 years, I think).

[Derek Wheeler]

As a student of Irish Railway history, I often wondered why and how Woodlawn survived the sweeping closures of the late 50s/60s/70s. Same applies to Attymon after the Loughrea line bit the dust. These two stations are perhaps the most rediculous "inter city" stations in the world. It is true that Monasterevan, Sallins and even Clara, all had larger catchment areas, yet didn't survive the axe back then.

If history has recorded it somewhere, Im quite sure that Woodlawn and Attymon remain open due to parish pump politics and a political favour. Ironically the same kind that lead to the reopening of Monasterevan, devoid of actual trains.

I'd say the Times prints these type of letters because the editor in charge wouldn't be qualified to make an informed judgement. As a letter it sounds great, unless you know the real facts.

[Colm Donoghue]

I heard a story years ago about Woodlawn that the lease for the railway stipulated that trains had to stop or the lease would lapse.

[Derek Wheeler]

Wouldn't surprise me Colm.

The station was sited on an estate,if history serves me correctly. Its a rediculous stop and should be closed immediately as an intercity destination. If the WRC brigade want it they can have it as part of a Ballinasloe - Galway regional service.

[ACustomer]

In the 70s and 80s whan Woodlawn was apparently threatened with closure, the local primary school principal staged several sit-ins on the level corssing at Woodlawn. It appears that this transformed him into some sort of hero in our wonderful uncritical media. I reckon IE have been running scared of closing Woodlawn ever since.

Of course it's west of the Shannon, so none of the normal cost-benefit criteria apply.