Rail Users Ireland Forum - View Single Post - Cork-Dub Vs london-Paris

MrX · 05-09-2007, 09:34

In terms of strategic importance, yes you could, but again the scale is quite different.

It's very comparable to similar services in Scandinavia though, most of which operate at up to 200km/h. Once the CDE gets its new power cars, and the track upgrades are complete, it should be running pretty fast too.

In Irish terms the Cork-Dublin service is by far the busiest in the country though and does justify investment. It's just that the population densities don't really justify TGV-type infrastructure. However, I seriously think the Government should start looking at reserving land banks for a future TGV line between those two cities. In 20 years time, Cork could be substantially bigger as could Dublin and the fuel economy may be very different too. So, a high speed link may be very strategically important.

If the route were worked out and the land bank reserved etc, it would make rolling out any future technology rather more simple.

05-09-2007, 09:34	#8
MrX Really Regular Poster Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 585	In terms of strategic importance, yes you could, but again the scale is quite different. It's very comparable to similar services in Scandinavia though, most of which operate at up to 200km/h. Once the CDE gets its new power cars, and the track upgrades are complete, it should be running pretty fast too. In Irish terms the Cork-Dublin service is by far the busiest in the country though and does justify investment. It's just that the population densities don't really justify TGV-type infrastructure. However, I seriously think the Government should start looking at reserving land banks for a future TGV line between those two cities. In 20 years time, Cork could be substantially bigger as could Dublin and the fuel economy may be very different too. So, a high speed link may be very strategically important. If the route were worked out and the land bank reserved etc, it would make rolling out any future technology rather more simple. Last edited by MrX : 05-09-2007 at 09:38.