Midland Railway Action Group
Encyclopedia
Mullingar
Mullingar is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act of 1542, proclaimed Westmeath a county, separating it from Meath. Mullingar became the administrative centre for County Westmeath...
rail line re-opened, in order to serve the Midland Gateway towns of Athlone, Tullamore
Tullamore
Tullamore is a town in County Offaly, in the midlands of Ireland. It is Offaly's county town and the centre of the district.Tullamore is an important commercial and industrial centre in the region. Major international employers in the town include 'Tyco Healthcare' and 'Boston Scientific'. In...
, and Mullingar with a passenger and transportation corridor that answers the future and current requirements while remaining Kyoto friendly. More generally, other towns they claim would positively affected by the desired re-opening of the Athlone -Mullingar rail link are Cavan
Cavan
Cavan is the county town of County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland. The town lies in the north central part of Ireland, near the border with Northern Ireland...
, Clones
Clones
Clones is a small town in western County Monaghan, in the 'border area' of the Republic of Ireland. The area is part of the Border Region, earmarked for economic development by the Irish Government due to its currently below-average economic situation...
, Longford
Longford
Longford is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 7,622 according to the 2006 census. Approximately one third of the county's population resides in the town. Longford town is also the biggest town in the county...
, and Monaghan
Monaghan
Monaghan is the county town of County Monaghan in Ireland. Its population at the 2006 census stood at 7,811 . The town is located on the main road, the N2 road, from Dublin north to both Derry and Letterkenny.-Toponym:...
from the MRAG.
Willie Allen is currently the M.R.A.G. spokesperson.
Rail Track Costings (at 2004 prices)
- Normal one track (no via-ducts nor bridges) = 5 to 10 M€
- Bridges and Viaducts priced per kilometre = 30 to 50 M€ (one of two tracks is 0.6 of total cost)
- Tunnels for 21 century needs at 270 km/h mono-tube or one track per tube 100m square 30M€ to 50M€
- Tunnels that exceed 500m to 1 km, special security furnishings, 45M€ to 75M€ (averaged to 1 km for 3/4/7/10 km tunnel)
- TER Typical 21st. century costings for regional rail transport are also available here.
Political Commitment
The minister of Finance Brian CowenBrian Cowen
Brian Cowen is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 7 May 2008 to 9 March 2011. He was head of a coalition government led by Fianna Fáil which until 23 January 2011 had the support of the Green Party and independent TDs.Cowen was also leader of Fianna Fáil from 7 May...
, proposes in his speech of 2 March 2007 mentions an allocation of 300M Euro for the best and most Suitable projects. According to the Indecon Strategic Development Framework for the Midlands Gateway, It is essential to invest seriously within the significantly insufficient infrastructure. Refer to this, detailed on page 124 125.
An Irish Rail spokesman said the services on the WRC would be operated by commuter rail-cars rather than Intercity trains. In fact, the only line being campaigned for which could see the use of Intercity carriages is the Athlone-to-Mullingar
Mullingar
Mullingar is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act of 1542, proclaimed Westmeath a county, separating it from Meath. Mullingar became the administrative centre for County Westmeath...
line, which was once part of the main line to Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
.
While local Midland Railway Action Group, and representatives of A.I.T campaigners have focused on the line’s potential as a commuter route, some believe it could cut half an hour from rail journeys between Galway and Dublin. The 2003 strategic rail review found that restoring the line would cost €154 million, but this estimate has since been cut to €84 million.
For Irish Rail Transportation, See also
- Iarnród ÉireannIarnród ÉireannIarnród Éireann is the national railway system operator of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann . It operates all internal intercity, commuter and freight railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and, jointly with Northern Ireland Railways, the...
- Rail transport in IrelandRail transport in IrelandRail services in Ireland are provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland.Most routes in the Republic radiate from Dublin...
- History of rail transport in IrelandHistory of rail transport in IrelandThe history of rail transport in Ireland began only a decade later than that of Great Britain. By its peak in 1920, Ireland counted 5,500 route kilometers...
- * Rail Users Ireland - Ireland's National Rail User organisation
- Transport 21Transport 21Transport 21 is an Irish infrastructure plan, announced in November 2005. It aims to greatly expand Ireland's transport network. A cost estimate of €34 billion was attached to the plan at the time....