Quote:
Originally Posted by Thomas Bibby
You've obviously taken some time to investigate some of the issues associated with commuting south of Galway. Why not offer to do some work in fleshing out what you've just described into a coherent, justified plan which could form part of the submission that Thomas Stamp has already said would happen?
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OK challenge accepted. Initial thoughts detailed here. Happy to help - please get in touch Mr Stamp.
The line between Ennis and Galway is direct for more than half the distance (to Arhrahan), but then sweeps away East through Craughwell to Athenry before turning and coming back into Galway. Road and rail map Map here
http://www.galwayproperty.com/images/galwaymap1.gif
So the tracks are in good locations at the Northern end from Galway out to Oranmore, and at the southern-end from Ennis to Ardrahan (just North of Gort) - but then do a crazy diversion out to Athenry and back in to Oranmore. Now guess what, over the next 5 years or so a dual carriageway (N18) is being built running Gort to Oranmore. Isn't this a once in a lifetime chance to do good forward planning and build the rail lines alongside the new N18, linking Oranmore to Gort more directly by not diverting inland. Intercity service can then serve Galway > Limerick > Cork, commuter services can serve Murrough, Oranmore, new town of Ardaun, Gort and others (possibly Clarinbrige, Kilcolgan), not hamlets like Ardrahan.
It seems that at the moment, Government plans are to simply resurrect the old lines running out to Athenry and back. West On Track are only lobbying for the old lines to be ressurrected. The McCann report of May 2005 only looked at the resurrection of the WRC, and did not comment on this crazy routing. (I know little about train/stations/tracks but doesn't it also save re-routing loads of lines in/out of Athenry station? as described at
http://forum.platform11.org/showpost...5&postcount=45)
Is this a chance for P11 to inject fresh thought to a tired old debate? The C.P.O.'s for the dual carriageway are being saught now. The tender of development plans for the new town of Ardaun are out now. The Ennis -Athenry line is timetabled for completion in 2008. The time to inject this thinking is now. When's Mr Stamps submission due?
Another rail map here
http://www.wdc.ie/ourwork_rail.html
N18 route maps here...
http://www.galway.ie/en/Services/Roa...s/n18orangort/ (click on Interactive Map - North is left, South is Right)- you can see the rail line intersecting the proposed road at the 2km mark between Athenry and Oranmore (right where the new town of Ardaun is proposed) before heading off inland and re-crossing the road to run alongside it between the 21-22km marks just to the North of Gort). So why not just run alongside the road from the 2km mark to the 21km mark - just 19km of new track?
or something like that !