Improved Woodlawn - Heuston Connections

[Jamie2k9]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0426/woodlawn.html

A protest has taken place in the east Galway village of Woodlawn this morning by local people who are demanding improved train services in the area.

More than 200 people gathered on the platform of the railway station in the village.

They are demanding that the east bound Galway-Dublin train makes additional stops in the village.

At present the only east-bounds trains stopping at the station are the 5.20am and the 3.42pm services.

A local action group is demanding that Iarnród Éireann allow the 7.35am train from Galway to Dublin to pick up passengers at the station.

They say they are satisfied with the number of stops the train makes on the west-bound service from Dublin to Galway.

But they say the eastbound Galway to Dublin service is totally unsatisfactory.

The local action group said today's action was the first in a series of protests.

[Mark Gleeson]

Curiously I see four direct Woodlawn Athlone services, with three direct to Dublin not two

Can you get from Woodlawn to Dublin for a 9am start - yes
Can you get from Woodlawn to Galway for a 9am start - yes

There is a history of aggressive sit down protests led by one local and TD over the last few years

Woodlawn exists only due to the fact its a place for trains to pass so given a train is stationary you might as well let people get on/off. There is a very good by Irish Rail standard commuter service to Galway.

The station only has 1 platform which makes life difficult and no way on earth will a few million be spent on a second platform and the accessibility setup required

[ACustomer]

Woodlawn has 6 daily down services. That's about 6 too many in my book, given the need to accelerate intercity services to real places like Galway.

I wish I could share you optimism about the 2nd platform not being developed. Look at Crusheen for God's sake!

[comcor]

The question has to be whether an extra stop would pick up more passengers in Woodlawn than would choose not to take the service from Galway as a result of the extra time. I think we know the answer.

It always strikes me as bizarre that Woodlawn and Attymon even have a service considering the number of similar or larger sized settlements along the Dublin-Cork line that don't - Blarney, Buttevant, Kilmallock, Dundrum, Knocklong

Probably the real solution is to have a stopping service from Galway-Athlone to allow connection onto faster through services, but I guess that won't be happening in the current climate. Although, the severing of a direct service would no doubt prompt howls of complaint.

It's interesting to note that they currently have more direct services to Dublin than either Killarney or Tralee.

[Mark Gleeson]

Attymon is the real strange one as its no a passing loop so there is no reason to stop. Woodlawn at least 1 train has to stop when a passing move is made

Clara, Tipperary and Milstreet fall into the weird single platform with a loop routine as well

[Thomas J Stamp]

what got me about this was the fact that it was all over the news, and was a lead headline on the RTE radio one news.