Cork to Limerick Motorway

[ProfessorPwn]

Call me old fashioned but i don't want Limerick nearer to Cork.

Disaster waiting to happen

 

[Persil]

The motorways are the only decent thing FF have done for the country. Despite them being privately owned and we having to pay toll charges on top of our yearly car tax.

 

[ANVIL]

As anyone who has driven from Cork to Dublin will tell you the new road is like a ghost trail.
Hardly any traffic uses it.
The whole point in investing in major infrastructure like this is for the movement of freight rather than the feller having a quick spin up on a Saturday for the match.
So why on earth anyone would conceivably spend one billion euro on a fast road to Limerick is beyond me.
What's the point ? Shannon Airport will soon be nothing more than a great runway to learn to land on by trainee pilots, Limerick's death rattle was heard the day Dell pulled out and the whole Galway region is now just a faux diddly-eye stop on the tourist trail.

 

[Linedancers Delight]

I agree with you Anvil. It does seem a bit ostentatious for little old Ireland. The present road could be upgraded and improved surely at a cheaper cost. In the long term view though I suppose we can't complain about it.

 

[poulgorm]

In the last 30 years, the train times between Cork and Dublin have not shortened. This is despite that serious money has been invested in upgrading the line, signalling system and new trains. Not to mention the annual subsidy.

A lot of trains are still taking up to 3 hours or more to travel between the two cities. 170 miles!

Rubbish service. The inter city buses will nearly be as quick when the final section of the M8 is finished.

Close the railways down - apart from the commuter ones. Out population numbers cannot justify both motorways and rail links.

 

[aghabullogue 1890]

€1bn seems a huge amount of money for the road. This has to be looked at again. I never knew the railway ran directly from Charleville to Patrickswell years ago

 

[jd26]

Have you got the figures on that?

No specific figures, but it was built on a Light Railway Order rather than a Railway Order. This means that all the infrastructure is unsuitable for the weight of modern trains and will have to be rebuilt from scratch.

At that point all you gain by using the old alignment is the avoidance of CPO costs (assuming the land has not been sold on as it often has been). Given that a new route can target areas that can provide higher revenues and also may offer cheaper engineering options, it's no real advantage.

 

[Some user]

I'd argue that any two population centres that can justify being connected by motorway can also justify a rail connection. If we actually built the rail connection and motorway at the same time, it would slash the costs involved.

In fairness that would involve the widescale cooperation of the Rail Procurment Agency and the NRA as well as a host of other state agencies.

In Ireland that just isn't possible as it would drive costs mad. They'd all want pay rises and handjobs.

 

[Youghal Exile]

It's up to us all to oppose this.This city will be ruined if Limerick is made closer to us.

 

[storysham]

Big huge waste of money on a road that isnt needed. 1 billion could be better spent elsewhere.