Links to Athlone and Portadown recommended in Strategic Rail Review
Eilís Ryan
The reopening of the rail line between Mullingar and Athlone and the provision of a rail link from Mullingar to Cavan and on to Portadown are two key recommendations contained in the All-Island Strategic Rail Review published last Wednesday.
The review also recommends the provision of a double track on the line between Maynooth and Mullingar, to allow higher frequency of services.
Mullingar was identified as having two “connectivity gaps” – the more local being that between it and Athlone, and the greater being between Mullingar and Portadown, which would open access to Belfast and Derry – and all the way to Portrush.
The reopening of the line to Athlone would enable rail users to travel from Mullingar to Ballina, Westport or Galway. It would also mean that by changing trains at Athenry and travelling to Ennis and Limerick, access to Munster would be opened up.
However, if implemented in its entirety as proposed, the plan would eventually make it possible for train users from Mullingar to travel to the airports in Dublin, Shannon, Derry and Belfast by train.
The cost of the electrification and dual tracking of the line from Maynooth to Mullingar is being estimated at between €700m and €1.2bn, while the reinstatement of the line from Mullingar to Portadown would, it is anticipated, cost €1.1bn to €1.6bn.
The reopening of the line between Mullingar and Athlone is being pitched to cost between €300m and €400m.
Funding
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Peter Burke has revealed that action is already beginning to bring the proposals to fruition: “Work is under way between the government and the European Investment Bank as to how we can move forward, as the total cost of carrying out all elements may well exceed €30 billion,” he told the Westmeath Examiner.
He welcomed publication of the review saying as someone born and raised in a town with strong rail links and many commuters, it was of particular interest to him and those he represents – “especially the discussion of linking Mullingar with the Athlone to Galway line, as well as linking us with the north via Cavan and Clones and double-tracking the line to Dublin, something I have consistently raised with Irish Rail”.
Minister Burke said making Mullingar to Maynooth a dual track made complete sense, as does increasing the frequency to Connolly. He added that reinstating the Mullingar to Athlone line also made a lot of sense: “It is a development I would like to see sooner rather than later,” he said, pointing out that it would increase connectivity to the west of Ireland from the midlands.
Overcrowding
“In the meantime, my priority is to get the new carriages which have been purchased added to the Mullingar to Connolly line as soon as possible, which are due to be installed by year end and will ease the overcrowding which we often experience,” Minister Burke said.
“I know in Mullingar station there is investment for real-time information displayed on the platforms, and help for visually impaired passengers and automatic doors are now in place.
“The numbers of young people now using public transport has massively increased, partially due to the reduction in fares, which have been halved, many travelling now to Dublin with an €8 daily cap. The free travel scheme is also a lifeline for many, as is our commuter rail.
“If we want to see more public transport being taken up, we need to provide value for money and see it being made available to the wider community, not just those who live in large towns.
“This plan when implemented will be transformative, but we also need to think of the steps we can take now and continued investment into current routes must keep pace.”
Capacity
The issue of capacity and overcrowding was also addressed by Deputy Robert Troy, who also welcomed the contents of the review. “From a regional and local perspective, it’s great to see an emphasis on additional capacity on the Dublin line – I’m also happy the review recommends a dual track to Dublin, which would be a major benefit to the town,” Deputy Troy said.
Describing it as “a framework for the future development of the rail network”, Deputy Troy said that as efforts are made to encourage people to avail of public transport, Ireland needs to improve its offering and its connectivity and capacity.
“The key now is to ensure the resources are put into executing the strategy,” he said.
‘Vital’
Delighted at the proposals for Mullingar, Cllr Ken Glynn said the opening of the Mullingar to Athlone line is a priority: “I think it’s absolutely vital that the two major towns in Westmeath are linked by rail,” he said, pointing out that it would be of enormous benefit in terms of opening access to the third level education facilities in Athlone but also in the sense that it opened up links from Mullingar to various towns in the west and north west of the country.
He was also pleased about the proposal to reinstate the line from Mullingar to Cavan and on northwards: “It’s not before time that an ambitious plan like this has been put forward for the rail system. We talk about trying to reduce car numbers on the roads and do this, that and the other, but this is certainly a positive.
“We’re seeing a step forward and all we need now is those additional carriages on the rail line to facilitate all the local users in Mullingar to use the rail system as it is.”
Timeline
Cllr Denis Leonard, while delighted at the inclusion of the reopening of the Mullingar to Athlone rail line and the provision of a rail line north from Mullingar towards Cavan, did have one criticism of the plan: “It seems to be high on ambition and low on a timetable,” he said.
“My basic view is it’s welcome, with that ambition, but it goes out to 2050 and really it needs a timetable and it needs to be built sooner rather than later, because the costs only escalate and climate change is a ticking time bomb. Because rail is accessible, it can be affordable and it can be timetable friendly for a lot of people and would give us access from the midlands to the wider areas of the country.”