Irish Rail

[Crankycorner]

Hopefully the quiet carriage on my next commute to Dublin will be quiet.

 

[Ogre Moran]

What this report does show is that this is the way the current FFFGGP government treats Cork, in favour of sucking up to a part of the UK. As bad as it is, can you imagine how bad it would be under the Belfast controlled SF (ROI) ? It would be a continuous asset strip back to the mother country.

It would be even worse inside a UI, all efforts at creating a counterbalance to the Dublin monster would be gone, in favour of the Dublin Belfast corridor.

And to think that Cork had three cabinet ministers (and quite senior ones at that date) for the past four years.

 

[flyingspud]

The existing old West Cork line is being turned into a greenway to Kinsale from the Kinsale Road in the next few years.

Not if residents and farmers have anything to say about it.
If there was a fraction of the enthusiasm about greenways for railways we would be in a better position to reduce cars.

 

[Stacky]

Not if residents and farmers have anything to say about it.
If there was a fraction of the enthusiasm about greenways for railways we would be in a better position to reduce cars.

The farmers and residents do not own the land where the former railway ran (See other greenways progressing across the State).

Currently Irish Rail do not have a business case for re-instating rail on those routes and they can revert to rail in the future if required and the need is there.

 

[ElderBerries]

The farmers and residents do not own the land where the former railway ran (See other greenways progressing across the State).

Currently Irish Rail do not have a business case for re-instating rail on those routes and they can revert to rail in the future if required and the need is there.

You sure about that?

The reason I ask is it's been related previously that strips of land from farms would have been sold originally to the railroad and said strips of land then were owned by the railway company. BUT many years subsequently, after the railways were no longer being run, in many cases farmers took adverse possession of the land. The railway companies didn't care much about strips of land that were of no use once the railways stopped running there, and didn't kick up about people using land which belonged to the railway, and after I think it's 12 years unbroken possession the farmers in question had "squatters rights" and would need to be compensated to relinquish said strips of land.

 

[Stacky]

You sure about that?

The reason I ask is it's been related previously that strips of land from farms would have been sold originally to the railroad and said strips of land then were owned by the railway company. BUT many years subsequently, after the railways were no longer being run, in many cases farmers took adverse possession of the land. The railway companies didn't care much about strips of land that were of no use once the railways stopped running there, and didn't kick up about people using land which belonged to the railway, and after I think it's 12 years unbroken possession the farmers in question had "squatters rights" and would need to be compensated to relinquish said strips of land.

Depends on which line and what if any legal agreements took place at the time. The Western Greenway had lots of these legal issues especially at crossing points but they were all resolved one way or the other be it financial or legally. You can even walk some of these old rail corridors to this they as they are still in existence more so in areas like Cork where they were shut in the 1960's but still used for excursions/freight into the 70's or 80's.

 

[flyingspud]

The farmers and residents do not own the land where the former railway ran (See other greenways progressing across the State).

Currently Irish Rail do not have a business case for re-instating rail on those routes and they can revert to rail in the future if required and the need is there.

They do.
CIE sold it to them when the west cork was closed and lifted.
It's theirs fair and square.

 

[Stacky]

They do.
CIE sold it to them when the west cork was closed and lifted.
It's theirs fair and square.

Not all of it though and a lot of the farmers just took the railway tracks and sleepers* as they could not afford to buy it all outright in the 60's.

Why bother when you can just graze etc on it for free?

Now they will get the same deal as the farmers got on the Western Greenway.

 

[flyingspud]

Not all of it though and a lot of the farmers just took the railway tracks and sleepers* as they could not afford to buy it all outright in the 60's.

Why bother when you can just graze etc on it for free?

Now they will get the same deal as the farmers got on the Western Greenway.

No, CIE lifted and took those for reuse or sale.
There was nothing left for farmers to "take". They wanted the trackbed off their hands and remove their liability. Adjacent landowners were invited to purchase the sleeper and rail less land for a nominal sum.

If you mean the Achill greenway, you are comparing low value bogland and rocks where the old trackbed still existed physically to prime farming land where in many cases there is nothing but disjointed scraps of the old railway route left. Even there, there was an objection in Newport, you can't go through the old tunnel, you have to go around it.

 

[Dogwide]

Irish Rail pays out €31,000 for train delays

The average refund was just over €17, but Irish Rail said that in the period since January 2023 99.9% of services ran without major delays

www.irishexaminer.com