Talk:History of rail transport in Ireland/Deleted sections

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Rationalisation

In the 1950s and 1960s large swathes of route were closed in the Republic but evidence is still visible in the landscape, as are more significant features like bridges and viaducts. Notable was the loss of the entire West Cork Railway network. Most branch lines in the Republic were also closed. By and large the main route network survived intact, with a relatively even distribution of cutbacks. The main routes from Dublin to Belfast, Sligo, Galway and the West of Ireland, Limerick, Cork and Kerry, Waterford and Wexford survived. The cross country route from Waterford to Limerick and onwards to Sligo survived for a time, although services would later cease on almost all the route. The North Kerry line from Limerick to Tralee survived until the 1970s. One notable closure was that of the Dublin & South Eastern Harcourt Street railway line in Dublin, despite being regarded as an important commuter artery. In 2004, part of the route reopened as part of the new Luas tram system. South of the current terminus, decisions taken by CIE and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, to sell the trackbed through Foxrock and allow houses to be built on it near Shankill respectively will make integrating this route into any future Metro or Luas system difficult.

The Ulster Transport Authority is particularly reviled in railway circles. In a few short years, a large network across Ulster was shut down, leaving only Belfast to Derry, Dublin and branches to Larne and Bangor. CIÉ, the transport company in the Republic, had no option but to close their end of cross-border routes. Today a gaping hole remains in the island's rail network, with a distance of 130 miles from Derry to Mullingar untouched by railways, and no rail service to large towns such as Letterkenny and Monaghan.

Steady as she goes

The 1970s and 1980s saw a long period without substantial investment in the rail system, with the notable exception of the DART. Most rail and rolling stock had enough of a working lifespan remaining to get by. However, upkeep and maintenance also suffered, leading to a deteriorating quality of service and reliability. Safety also suffered, to the point where decisive action was required after a nasty rail accident on the route to Sligo.

1976 saw the introduction of a small fleet of 18 high-speed diesel-electric locomotives built by General Motors Electro-Motive Diesel at La Grange, Illinois. These 2475hp units, CIE class 071, were capable of speeds of 90 miles per hour and immediately began operating express services such as the Cork-Dublin line.

August 1, 1980 saw the worst transportation disaster in recent times with 18 people killed and 62 injured in a rail accident in Buttevant on the main Cork-Dublin line. A train carrying 230 passengers was derailed when it crashed into a siding at 70 MPH. This accident led to a major review of the national rail safety policy and resulted in the rapid elimination of the wooden-bodied coaches that had formed part of the train. The passengers who were most severely injured or killed were seated in coaches with wooden frames. This structure was incapable of surviving a high speed crash and did not come near to the safety standards provided by modern (post 1950s) metal bodied coaches.

In the aftermath of Buttevant, both CIE and the Government were under severe public pressure to improve safety and to modernise the fleet, eliminating the wooden bodied rolling stock that had failed so badly during the incident.

The decision to purchase a new fleet of modern intercity coaches based on the British Rail Mark 3 design was quickly made. These coaches, an already well proven design, were built by BREL in Derby, England and, under licence, at CIE's own workshops at Inchicore in Dublin between 1980 and 1989.
Other carriages to join the fleet in the 1980s were second-hand ex British Rail Mark 3s,

Cutbacks were also experienced, with the closure of the line to Youghal in County Cork and the removal of the North Kerry line.

The DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) was a bright light in an otherwise bleak rail era for Ireland. The north-south commuter route in and out of Dublin was electrified, and new frequent services ran from 1984 onwards. It was intended to expand the service, with routes to the west of the city, but economic conditions militated against this. In fact, the size of the DART fleet remained unaltered until the mid-1990s.

Rail revival

Fortunately, in the 1990s, the Republic experienced an economic boom (known colloquially as the Celtic tiger). This allowed substantial investment to be made. 34 new locomotives (designated 201 Class) were purchased from General Motors, including two for NIR. New De Dietrich carriages were also purchased for the cross-border 'Enterprise' service. Meanwhile the route network was also being upgraded to continuous welded rail (CWR) and old mechanical signalling was replaced by electronic signalling.

In the mid-1990s, the greater Dublin area continued to experience a population boom. Such commuter trains as existed were ageing slam-door stock on unreliable old locomotives (the better stock was for intercity use). The DART was limited in terms of capacity and route. New diesel railcars were ordered, and added first to the Kildare suburban route. The route to Maynooth was double-tracked and further diesel railcars ordered. Again, the North-South Dublin route saw new railcars provide services to Drogheda and Arklow. A number of orders were made for new DART carriages, the first in over a decade.

The DART and suburban stations were also upgraded, allowing disabled access with new elevators at footbridges and lengthened platforms to accommodate 8-car sets. Extra roads were provided out of Dublin, while the main terminals of Connolly Station and Heuston Station were upgraded (the latter completed in 2004, doubling its previous capacity). A new railcar servicing depot was built at Drogheda (Inchicore continues to be used for locomotives and carriages).

Northern Ireland too has experienced recent rail investment. Central Station has been redesigned, while a more direct route out of Belfast was reopened for trains to Derry. The line to Bangor was relaid. A new railcar fleet has entered service. The single-track line to Derry, north of Coleraine continues to be of a poor standard. A derailment in 2003 caused by cliff-side boulders falling onto the line, closed the route for some time. In the face of long journey times and a frequent (and generally faster) bus service, the route's future remains in some doubt.

In March 2007, as part of the Transport 21 initiative, Docklands railway station opened, the first new station in Dublin city centre since 1891's Tara Street.

The future

Iarnród Éireann placed orders for 67 intercity carriages in 2003 and for 150 "regional railcars" (DMUs) in 2004. These will mostly go towards meeting demand on the railways, although some older carriages are due for retirement, and at peak times, capacity is below requirements. It is suspected that Iarnród Éireann wish to phase out all locomotive hauled services other than those using the 67 new intercity carriages. The existing 100 newest carriages (only from the 1980s) may be phased out with capacity being taken up by regional railcars. More orders of suburban railcars and DARTs are likely, but the Dublin suburban routes are almost at capacity. “Four-tracking” of the route west to Kildare has commenced.

Some call for the expansion of the rail network in the Republic. The route from Limerick to Waterford is due to have a realistic service for the first time in decades. Nevertheless, this is the only non-Dublin intercity route in existence, which has earned the railway network in Ireland the colloquial title of "Paleways" or "Palerail" (derived from The Pale). A railway right of way exists from Limerick, up through the west, to Sligo. This has been titled the Western Railway Corridor (WRC) and some see it as a possible counterbalance to investment in Dublin. Parts of the line itself are of questionable integrity. The most sensible proposals are to extend from Ennis to Athenry, then from Athenry to Tuam, with an extension from Tuam to Claremorris to link up with the Westport/Ballina line to Dublin. The proposed WRC extension from Claremorris to Sligo encompasses a particularly bad section of track; although some WRC advocates suggest beginning with that section, this plan seems unrealistic, in the absence of dedicated action by the relevant local authorities to concentrate housing in towns served by the WRC.

There is no longer a railway system in Co. Donegal. The service stops at Sligo from Dublin, and at Derry from Belfast. It may be feasible to extend a line north from Sligo through Ballyshannon, to Donegal Town, Letterkenny and then north-east to meet up with a new line from Derry towards Letterkenny. This would link Donegal with the rest of Ireland and with important trade centres within Northern Ireland. A branch line west from Donegal Town towards Killybegs would restore the previous rail service closed in 1960. The population of Donegal is expanding rapidly and deserves to have a rail service, it would benefit many aspects of daily life, and also help to boost tourism, one of the major industries in the area. However, it would be not be economically viable. The cost to society would be much greater than the benefit.

Northern Ireland Railways look to continue to be in a precarious position. The new railcars, it is hoped, will boost the survival chances of the 'non-core network' (Coleraine•Derry and Whitehead•Larne). A so-called consultation process is ongoing as part of a suspected closure timetable by the Department of Regional Development (the direct-rule replacement for Northern Ireland's transport minister). The collaborative Enterprise service is also in some trouble. Infrastructure works to upgrade Dublin's rail network resulted in bus transfers for part of the journey until early 2005. At the same time, the rail fare is now a significant incentive to travel by bus or car, utilising the new Motorways between the two cities. As a final blow, reliability is at an all-time low, due to unresolved operational difficulties in locomotives supplying power to carriages (Head end power).