Will Navan Man deliver?
 

:D :D :D :D :D :D

Cullen gone and another muppet on the self destruct button in place. Being a "local", can he deliver Navan rail? I say no. If it happens by 2015, I'll walk its length naked playing, "Workin on the railroad" on the banjo!!!!!

You can play banjo?

He'll be able to learn before the railway to Navan is open....

Is he there to deliver the rail link or the M3?

Text saved.

The song is Working on the Railway, Derek......... kids today, eh?

You're wrong senor Stamp. I have a copy of the tune in my library for P11TV.

So that will be me strummin on the banjo in Drumree, if Dempsey proves me wrong, because even up to a 2 and a half year cabinet review, he will have to start the project, if its to be completed anywhere near 2015.

Just got word from T Stamp that he watched Patsy Watchorn (a HE, not a SHE) sing it every Saturday night in the Lower Deck. So both Stamp and Watchorn are wrong.

which banjo?
you might get tired strumming all the way to navan.
especially if you're blowing your horn.

Im stoppin off in Drumree to get the Banjo tuned and apparently there's a fine lady up there who's into naked banjo players!!!!

Naked banjo players and blowing of horns. I'm shocked at you all. Definite proof of the absence of trainspotters...

In terms of if Navan Man can deliver the Interconnector, I am still a bit sceptical but the first step of action is admitting the problem/situation. This could be a good thing:

Taken from the programme for government 2007. I got this from the Green party website it is contained in the full document.

giving that during the election campaign the Green party mentioned fast-tracking some elements of the interconnector including the electrification of the Maynooth and Kildare lines. Might they have pushed for this???

Actually, it was this song:

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/pogues/..._20109774.html

Poor Paddy Works on the railway/ working on the railway.

Oh, and Patsy Watchorn is a little known minor musician who led a never heard of it band called The Dublin City Ramblers and this very day leads a group of nobodies called The Dubliners. He also had this song written for him:
http://www.lyricsmagnet.com/song/IRI...cs_clirrz.html

but you wouldn't expect these Kildare heads to know that sort of thing.

I apologise for not knowing such an obscure railway related song (Derek's one) however, the P11TV Greatest Hits of the Railway presented by Derek "Preservation" Wheeler will be in the bargain bin of all bad record shops, and IRN, soon.

Jayze Mr. Stamp, I'd hardly call "I've Been Workin' On The Railroad" obscure, it's a quite famous American folk song! One of the few songs I learned in national school and can still sing 15 years later (obviously they never taught us the last verse in school).

Anyway, I'd advise you to get yourself up to speed with this FAMOUS song, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27ve_...n_the_Railroad. I have been known to reference it in conversation, and it really annoys me when folks don't get my references

Oh Jesus this is getting worse..........

Nurse, the Screens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would say "Back on Topic" but I cant remember what the topic was.

We some outfit, arent we? Eight posts about a bloody railway song. It's a sad day.

It's Monday.

It's ok Brian. Its nice to know that, despite threads like these we're held in high regard by the public.

Bow

its ok Brian. Its nice to know that despite threads such as this we're held in high regard by the public.

Bow Wow Wow.

Nice Dogie.

We were talking about whether Noel Dempsey would be capable of delivering on the Navan railway.

I doubt it, and thats judging on past event, although I hold him in higher regard than Martin Cullen or Seamus Brennan.

I think the Greens might have more of an impact on the Navan motorway and rail line than Dempsey will.

It might be too late for them to stall it but the rail line could get up and running quicker because of them.

That was it!

Yes, oh about that............we have a plan.............

See its not all sarcasam and tomfoolery here.

Very valid point. Let's see what happens.

And poor oul' Dempsey is from Trim btw - really localises the whole rail issue now

Meathontrack MIGHT need to change its strategy, and follow the Westontrack strategy. Westontrack have been very clever, if you look at a particular angle.

They demand the reopening of the line from Ennis to Collooney. They'll get a lot less, but they'll get whats actually needed, which is Limerick to Galway direct.

Westontrack could demand the reopening of the Navan line all the way to Kells and Cavan and the reopening of the branch to Trim.

By demanding more than is needed, perhaps they could get the line to Navan.

Its just like an auction. Lobby for more than you need, and you'll get some of what you wanted in the first place.

Dempsey on Questions and Answers last night suggested that now he's Minister for Transport Navan would happen quicker and if he could get the rail line to Navan done before 2015 then he would.

Martin Cullen told the country about how the railway order would be signed in a cupla weeks just before the election....

Seamie Brennan announced Middleton rail opening soon.
FF announced Terminal2 at Dublin airport would be open in2003...

Dempsey announced third level fees, electronic voting. proven track record if ye'll excuse the pun

(Minor slip of the keyboard corrected in italics).

As far as I know the Meath on Track website was demanding just that, as well as the immediate reopening of the Drogheda line with non-stop trains. However the current version seems a lot more moderate. Perhaps that was the wrong approach.

Also, the words "social justice" don't seem to appear anywhere on the front page. Clearly they got a result for WOT.

I love the smell of social justice in the morning.

That phrase, "social justice", really gets on my nerves.

We tried social justice in Ireland. In return, we got the Tallaght Bypass, Mass unemployment, Emigration, the IMF knocking on the door, Hoodwink, cute hoor, cash in hand, nod, wink, nixer and brown envelope.

Social justice works in some countries. Social justice is needed for the most vulnerable in our society, but it is NOT applicable in any shape or form to transportation.

How on earth will Limerick / Galway work without reversing at Athenry ?

Will "Dial-Up" Dempsey deliver? I doubt it.

Will he mess with Transport 21? I doubt it. He will probably be as slow as Cullen though quicker than Brennan at signing off things but I cant see his appointment causing any major upsets or surprises!

I think he's made his first boo boo though. He mentions in an article this week in the Meath Chronicle that he is expecting completion of the Interconnector in 2011..

Mind you it is probably only fair to acknowlege that he probably hasn't even physically been in his dept yet

Lets hope we see real progress over the lifetime of this govt

From the Meath Chronicle:

http://www.meathchronicle.ie/frontpa...ct-705410.html

Lots of diggers and clearing works at Clonsilla this morning anyway.

Thats a good article, some great quotes from MOT to appeal to the very local nature of Irish politics.

I noticed the diggers this morning. Thought i was seeing things. Good to see something happening. Out of interest how did the public consultation meeting in last night

Navan rail will compete with the M3 for passengers. The worse the road, the more popular the train and vice versa. With the M3 a certainty, the M50 upgrade and junction improvements coming soon, things ain't looking good for the train. You can spend all the billions you like on new track and trains but why bother when you're still going to get the same old 'don't care' attitude from the staff feeding into low quality of service. At least the road can't go on strike.

Is there no way to drive trains automatically? It can't be rocket science. Just stop and go, open the doors, close the doors.

Well regardless of the M3 and M50 the fact the traffic could move faster isn't actually that important its just going to get to a bottle neck on the Navan Rd or somewhere else

Doing some simply maths a annual ticket holder with tax relief on the ticket would pay less per day than a one occupant car in fuel and tolls.

60 mile round trip say you can get 35 mpg
1.7 gallons -> 7.735 litres @ 1.10 => 8.50 a day in fuel

Lets say the toll is 2 euro each way and assume free parking (unlikely or if the case you likely taxed on that)

Now at 12:50 at day

Annual ticket is currently for a 30 mile commute 1665

48 weeks work, 5 days is 6.93 a day before you get the tax relief on it which is significant, at least 20% so now at 5.50 a day, so even with 2 in the car train is still cheaper.

52 minutes to Dublin centre by train even with the motorway is going to be damn good, Drogheda has a motorway and avoidable toll, trains still are packed.

And yes trains can drive themselves, the DART was designed to do that but as this morning showed not a good idea in open countryside

Don't forget the PRSI that you and your employer save. I estimate that it costs me about €3 per trip to Tullamore (105km) It costs €2.60 for the toll!

That's me! Thanks Noelly!


Well that's funny, because his predecessor said that Docklands was the station for Navan trains and now the bould Dr. Lynch from CIE is citing Broadstone as the solution for Navan trains. It's all here lads across many posts.

My original ascertian still stands. Not by 2015 by the hair on my chiny chin chin!

The M3 should be fantastic for the journey from Navan to Blanch, and the M50 upgrade will make it easier to get around the city. But at the end of the day (well, actually, the beginning), most commuters will still need to find their way into the city centre, and unless you want to shell out €12 each way to use the port tunnel (as about 5000 cars are currently doing), that's still going o be a pain.