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Unread 11-12-2018, 13:32   #34
James Shields
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Drogheda, Ireland
Posts: 1,275
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I don't think there's any political interest in the Navan rail project in the current government, and I really don't think it has any chance as long as we have a FF/FG led government.

However, I do think it will resurface eventually.

The old alignment is still fairly intact, though there's not much trace of the railway to be found. There are a few parts that have been built on, and it would have to be evaluated whether it will be more viable to reroute or reclaim the original alignment. Using the old alignment should at least mean a level straight path a new trackbed can be built on.

A new alignment from the airport is an interesting idea, but I can't see it being considered with the current Metro plan as it would be 3-4 times the length of the line from the city centre, and would have radically different service frequency. If a Clongriffin-Airport DART extension was under consideration, then perhaps they could look at extending that to Ashbourne/Ratoath, and following the N2 past Kentstown, before joining with the Navan-Drogheda line to the east of Navan. It's hard to see this being the cheaper option, and it would probably need 4-tracking of the Howth Junction to Connolly section to cope with the traffic.

I think the only viable way a Navan line might happen in the shorter term is via the Navan-Drogheda line, which would need to be upgraded for passenger use. The problem is the Drogheda commuter line is already pretty busy, and fitting extra trains into the gaps between DARTs is getting increasingly difficult.
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