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[article] Iarnrod Eireann urged to reopen tunnel

Needless to say this all started because Platfrom 11 made the d connector presentation

Quote:

Originally Posted by Irish Times

Iarnrod Eireann urged to reopen tunnel

Tim O'Brien

Iarnrod Eireann has reneged on a promise to reopen Dublin's Phoenix Park Tunnel to passenger services from Kildare to the new Docklands station in the financial services centre.

The twin-track route from west of Heuston station passes under the Wellington Monument, and the Garda Depot before emerging near the North Circular Road and serving Cabra, Glasnevin, and Phibsboro on its way to the docklands.

A spur runs into Connolly Station providing access for trains to Tara and Pearse stations. Iarnrod Eireann had proposed to reopen passenger services on the route as part ofit plans to integrate city centre stations.

Former managing director of Iarnrod Eireann ]oe Meagher told the Oireachtas Committee on Transport as far back as early 2004 that passenger services would resume following the opening of Docklands station.

However, Minister for Transport Martin Cullen who recently travelled the route with larnrod Eireann executives said he had been told the route was now considered secondary to the proposed Heuston, Pearse, Docklands interconnector which is not due until 2015.

While Mr Meagher had initially proposed to run services as early as 2006, Mr Cullen said he was now being told the route was longer than the interconnector and that capacity was still an issue in relation to accessing Connolly Station and the new station in the Docklands.

A spokeswoman for Iarnrod Eireann confirmed the company view that the link was Iess desirable than the route through Pearse Station.

But the campaign group Platform 11 said the issues was never supposed to be a choice between the Phoenix Park tunnel or the Heuston/Pearse route.

Labour Party spokeswoman on transport Roisin Shortall called on Iarnrod Eireann to resolve the issue and to immediately open the route to passengers "as promised".

Fine Gael transport spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell also said the route should be opened in the short term as the other interconnector was not due until 2015.

Quote:

Mr. Meagher: I will try to take the questions raised, and if I leave
anything out committee members can come back to me. The first related
to the Phoenix Park tunnel, and perhaps I did not explain myself well.
We certainly intend to use the Phoenix Park tunnel in the short term
to bring trains from the Kildare-Newbridge area into Spencer Dock
because there is a demand for that

Note to Irish Rail.....

IT WON'T GO AWAY YOU KNOW!

It's amazing how the Park Tunnel was hidden away to such an extent that it was almost an urban legend!!
Now that everyone knows about it they'll be hounded into using it.

Why are they so afraid of it?
Is there a big scary monster living down there?

I will never rest until I see it used as part of an integrated rail plan.

Facts as things stand now.

1. It can be used for Kildare line services on Sundays. (an IE manager told me at a public meeting last year that this would confuse passengers! A division of services is currently operating on the Maynooth line. Oopps I forgot, that suits them.)

2. It could have been used to route Kildare services to Docklands. IE promised this as per the info we gave to the Irish Times. P11 is determined to get answers as to why this didn't happen.

3. New stations should be provided in the areas of Blackhorse ave, Cabra and Phisboro.

4. If the interconnector is actually built, the PPT route allows these new stations to connect with the interconnector and metro. We open up huge areas of the north city to rail transport. Commuter services from the Kildare line and beyond can be divided between interconnector and PPT. Everybody wins. Integration would be vastly improved.

5. Both the SRR, PFC and Transport 21 have ignored the vast potential of the route. P11 continue to be the only transport body that recognises the merits of using this route.

6. The key to its success (Spencer Dock) has been compromised by CIE. It can be trully said that they don't appear to give a damn about communities along the PPT line. It will continue to be a missing link and may well haunt us long after the current crop of P11 people have departed.

Personally, this piece of infrastructure continues to niggle at me and Im gobsmacked by the attitude displayed towards it. It will always be a missing link in the apparent grand plan that is T21.

Is it all down to some sort of division of services?

Are Connolly services "not allowed" mix with Heuston services because "that's always been the way."

Is this the same way that you can buy tickets from all the machines on the "Southern & Western" (Heuston) division ticket machines to anywhere except stations that are served from Connolly. (i.e. you can buy Tullamore to any of those dodgy south Wexford Halts but not to Drogheda)

They also seem to run the Galway services as a completely separate entity from the Mayo services which means that the intervals between services is strange. Could this hark back to the fact that some of the services were Midland Great Western and some were Great Southern or something like that.....

enough of the conspiracy theories, just get the thing opened.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oisin88 (Post 19258)

They also seem to run the Galway services as a completely separate entity from the Mayo services which means that the intervals between services is strange. Could this hark back to the fact that some of the services were Midland Great Western and some were Great Southern or something like that.....

They used to have scheduled trains from Galway running through the Phunnel up until the eighties (think it was the eighties) and on Dún Laoighaire (think it was there0

Other than capacity issues (are they real?) is there anything else stopping IE opening this route?

If i may play devils advocate for a minute...... Is there a danger in "politicians minds" it may become a choice between the PPT and the interconnector. Maybe (just maybe) IE are worried about this happening!!!

Maybe the best way of achieving P11's vision of an integrated rail plan involving the PPT, is for the Interconector to come first, then develop the PPT rout.

However, i do appreciate that the life of hundreds of commuters could be made much easier if it the rout was opened right now!!!...... I just don't want it to be at the expense of the interconnector, and a truly integrated system. Some politicians are only to willing to jump on any band wagon to damage T21.

Believe it or not back in the 1900's there was a service from North Wall to Sallins. Most people don't know that there was a previous station in the Docklands, its still there and owned by CIE in fact its where the new Docklands station was designed

Iarnrod Eireann are on record in the early 1990's stating Kildare line trains would serve Connolly, have that in writing

At the same presentation that Joe Meagher promised the Park Tunnel they also gave the interconnector plug. That was evidence before a oireacthas committee

The map which accompanied the Interconnector presentation given to the IEI had the park tunnel route on it

The investment program with the Park Tunnel in it was approved by the DoT back in 2004, again have it in writing

There is solid evidence that post Kildare Route Project 30% of all passengers arriving into Heuston will have no access to public transport to the city, why since the Luas and Bus are incapable of carrying the numbers involved diverting a number of trains via the Park Tunnel resolves this

So what we have is numerous on the record promises, the Park Tunnel route serves a completely different market to the interconnector since it takes in the north city. The cost was zero until IE screwed it up

I presume you mean by

a: not putting in a diamond of some sort at Cross Guns

or

b: changing the track layout just north of docklands so Drumcondra services couldn't get to it.

Glasnevin option is not a starter on capacity

It still appears with some minor property purchases the connection is possible in Docklands

Quote:

Originally Posted by Navan Junction (Post 19260)

They used to have scheduled trains from Galway running through the Phunnel up until the eighties (think it was the eighties) and on Dún Laoighaire (think it was there0

I have a vague memory of getting on a train in Dun Laoghaire and going to somewhere in Mayo and then getting buses to Knock. a very vague and distant memory. 70s probably. Also probably a special.

There was a scheduled Connolly to Limerick run through the PPT this morning...if the RPSI can do it without affecting scheduled services, how come Irish Rail can't?

Would if effect Capacity that much at rush hour to have 3/4 trains go from Dun Laoire to Kildare?

There must a good number of people drive from their home in Kildare to work in areas south of Pearse as there's no single form of transport to get them there.

No space south of Pearse for any extra trains, its already at its limit, no extra trains to run such a service exist

Would there ever be a point in the future there would be capacity south of Pearse to allow Dun Laoighaire to Kildare via improved signalling rearrange current schedule etc?

Out of curiousity how far a walk is it from the Luas stop at Heuston to the PPT platform?

half a mile or ~800m

Quote:

Originally Posted by colmd (Post 21120)

half a mile or ~800m

When they used platform 10 during the construction of platforms 6, 7 & 8 they ran buses between it and the main station.

kevin

What do you reckon the time difference would be to say Connolly by PPT versus normal stop at Heuston and Luas to Connolly?

Would be very handy for the airport/ industrial estates around Santry for Kidare passengers if DB could co-ordinate a bus service around the train. That is until Metro comes along and makes life a lot easier again!

There are some ground rules:

1. Any service which does use the tunnel, must be in addition to those currently scheduled

Why, as not to negatively effect those happy with Heuston, we will call them the Jervisites not forgetting those looking for a intercity connection

2. Any service which does run through the tunnel must operate via the Drumcondra line and serve Drumcondra

Why, rebuilding Glasnevin Junction is too expensive and not worth the little benefit it offers. Stop in Drumcondra enhances access to Croke Park, and north city with excellent bus interchange

3. Any train which operates through the tunnel cannot do so at the price of the cancellation of a service elsewhere.

Why, removal of an established and busy service isn't in the passenger interest

4. The only realistic option is Docklands

Why, space in Connolly doesn't exist at peak times.