Midland Railway Action Group
Midland Railway Action Group (MRAG) was established to improve the internal infrastructure of the Irish Midlands, in particular, Mullingar,[1] Tullamore, and Athlone.[citation needed] It is a pressure group striving to have the Athlone to Mullingar rail line re-opened, in order to serve the Midland Gateway[2] towns of Athlone, Tullamore, and Mullingar with a transport corridor that answers the future and current requirements while remaining Kyoto friendly.[clarification needed] More generally, other towns the group claimed would be positively affected by the desired re-opening of the Athlone -Mullingar rail link are Cavan, Clones, Longford, and Monaghan from the MRAG.[3]
As of 2007, Willie Allen was the MRAG spokesperson.[3][4][needs update]
Rail track costings (at 2004 prices)
Priced per kilometre
- Normal one track (no viaducts 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)[5][not in citation given]
- Tunnels for 21st 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.[where?]
Developments
The then minister of Finance Brian Cowen,[6][not in citation given] in a speech on 2 March 2007, mentioned an allocation of 300M Euro for the "best and most suitable projects".[citation needed] According to the Indecon Strategic Development Framework for the Midlands Gateway, it is essential to "invest seriously" within the significantly insufficient infrastructure.[7] Refer to this, detailed on page 124 125.[clarification needed]
An Irish Rail spokesman said[when?] that 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 line,[8] which was once part of the main line to Galway.
While the local Midland Railway Action Group, and representatives of A.I.T campaigners[clarification needed] focused on the line's potential as a commuter route, some[who?] believe it could cut half an hour from rail journeys between Galway and Dublin.[original research?] The 2003 Strategic Rail Review found that restoring the line could cost €154 million,[7] but this estimate was subsequently cut to €84 million.[when?][citation needed]
See also
Further reading
- Johnson, S. (1997). Johnson's Atlas & Gazetteer of the Railways of Ireland, Midland Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85780-044-3 Search this book on
.. - Report to the Minister for Transport from the Chairman of the Expert Working Group on the Western Rail Corridor (WRC), May 2005 (2005) The Department of Transport
References
- ↑ "Written Answers - 29 March 2007" (PDF). March 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 November 2007 – via debates.oireachtas.ie.
A report by the Midland Railway Action group regarding the reopening of the Athlone to Mullingar railway line is being considered by my Department and Iarnród Éireann
- ↑ "Midland Gateway website". midlandgateway.ie. Archived from the original on 2007-12-12.[not in citation given]
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Rail line re-opening goes off the tracks". Westmeath Examiner.[dead link]
- ↑ "Shannonside - Northern Sound News Archives » No Firm Commitment From Transport Minister On Midlands Railway". 1 February 2007. Archived from the original on 13 February 2007.
- ↑ "Structurae [en]: Large-Scale Projects: Project types: High-speed rail line". en.structurae.de. Archived from the original on 7 October 2006. Retrieved 11 December 2007. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Seanad Éireann - Volume 183 - 30 May, 2006 - National Development Plan: Statements". historical-debates.oireachtas.ie. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2007. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Strategic Rail Review - BAH" (PDF). Booz Allen Hamilton. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-11-08. Retrieved 2007-03-10 – via transport.ie. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Strategic Environmental Assessment Environmental Report For Draft Westmeath County Development Plan 2008-2014 Material Assets Map" (PDF). Westmeath County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 November 2007.[not in citation given]
External links
- Railway Mobility Home Page [relevant? ]
- Platform 11 Transport 21 Information
- Rail Users Ireland - Ireland's National Rail User organisation
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