[Article] Blog post from local councillor Joe Ryan on the lack of services on line

[ThomasJ]

Those of you in wexford-waterford might be interested in this,a piece from labour councillor Joe Ryans blog, Ryan represents wexford

http://cllrjoeryan.blogspot.com/

When I started this blog last year the first issue I raised was the lack of public transport in Wexford. I focused on rail because the county still retains a lot of its rail infrastructure unlike many other counties and its something I want to see developed in terms of passenger and freight.
So the forthcoming rail timetable is a document I pour over as closely as a programme for government. I want to see how my town is affected for good or for bad. A timetable reveals what management believe is important. Publishing a timetable outs the management to the travelling public. The forthcoming timetable sees increased trains to Wexford from Dublin. I welcome that and it’s good to see that. Wexford is becoming a destination which allows a speedy turn around and return. Trains only take in revenue when they run, so keep the train moving is my motto. Which is why I’ve always pressurised management to run trains to Waterford. When I came to Wexford in the mid 90’s there were 3 return trains between Rosslare and Waterford, now we’re done to one train. The south Wexford line was particularly busy with sugar beet, now it’s a quiet back water since the demise of that industry.
The absence of freight presents huge opportunities to Irish Rail. To be fair to them they introduced a connection between the town and Waterford in response to my lobbying. I've travelled on the train myself one morning last year. Imagine my surprise when the train stopped in the middle of nowhere, the driver got out, crossed the road, opened the gates, drove the train across the road and the dismounted oncemore to shut the gate before resuming the journey to Waterford. But next month will see the retreat from Wexford as the service is scalled back.

The new timetables for implementation in September shows that while Irish Rail will provide a commuter service to Wexford to Waterford there will be no return service in the evening. While trains will leave Rosslare Europort as the connecting ferry service is docking at the pier making it impossible for passenger to connect as the rail company re-located the rail station about 600 M from the ferry terminal. The new timetable as a total mess.
The new timetable fails not just to integrate trains with ferries but even trains with trains. It’s incredible, a child could do better. Irish Rail has failed to promote in the local media the Wexford Waterford commuter link even though the return fare is cheaper than Bus Eireann. Next year rail services to the west will be extended but the chance to integrate to Wexford has been lost. Students who wish to commute to Waterford IT will find themselves marooned at Rosslare Strand on the return journey having missed the last connection to Wexford by 20 minutes. As a timetable it’s unworkable and will result in fewer passengers taking the train. When I heard about the potential cutbacks to train service I wrote to the 2 Green Ministers and the Transport Minister Noel Dempsey. The best response I got was that it had been referred the matter to Irish Rail who replied from Hueston Station to advise that the CEO was on holidays!

I’m also astounded that Irish Rail spent over €30K in 2008 taxiing train crews from Rosslare Europort to Waterford rather than running an evening service back to the city from Rosslare Europort. Given the low customer base in South Wexford, incurring such a high overhead on staff transport insured from the outset that the Rosslare Waterford rail service could never be viable, cutting the service in half insults the travelling public. This is a service that was set up to fail. Coupled with the severing of the New Ross line from the network, I wonder what is the commitment to the future of rail services out of Waterford? When will Irish Rail learn that we all don’t want to go to Dublin?

[finnyus]

so will he be doing anything about it? or can he do anything about it?

[Mark Gleeson]

At least we emailed a list of changes to IE which would improve the connections and actually save them money

But of course thats too sensible, so it won't be done

[PLUMB LOCO]

I have already written to Dick Fearn (CEO Irish Rail) about this nonsense but nothing is going to change with the utterly useless local TDs - including Brendan Howlin!

I suggested the following modification to the timetable but I'm sure that it will be ignored as the railway is operated to suit IE management and staff and not the travelling public.

Operate the 0535 Rosslare/Enniscorthy as shown but formed by the set of the 0625 Rosslare/Wexford/Waterford, rather than the ICR off the previous day's 1830 from Dublin.

0535 from Rosslare set to return from Enniscorthy at 0622 serving Wexford (0645) and Rosslare Strand (arr 0702), thence to Rosslare for an 0710 departure to Waterford.

0720 from Wexford to start from Rosslare at 0655 and operate as shown for Saturdays, formed by ICR set. ....

This maintains the boat connection for both the Dublin train and the Waterford one, and gives a through service from Enniscorthy to Waterford.

[Mark Gleeson]

Problem is you might be able to get to Waterford from Wexford in the morning but you can't get back in evening!

Our morning solution is identical but Enniscorthy to Wateford via Rosslare Strand, Rosslare Europort has only a single platform so running to Rosslare Europort not practical, connection from Rosslare off the 6:55 giving about 9 minutes to cross the bridge

The morning solution is actually cheaper to run!

Evening changes get a connection to Rosslare off the 16:30 ex Dublin and a connection to Dublin on its return at Wexford

[PLUMB LOCO]

Yes - I had mentioned the one way nature of travel from Wexford to Waterford in my letter and asked if IE were catering for the emigration market from Wexford to Waterford! You can go to Wexford any time you like (well 06.50 actually) but you can never leave.....sounds like a lyric from 'Hotel California'.

[ThomasJ]

Originally Posted by PLUMB LOCO

asked if IE were catering for the emigration market from Wexford to Waterford! You can go to Wexford any time you like (well 06.50 actually) but you can never leave.....sounds like a lyric from 'Hotel California'.

That would be like going from the frying pan to the fire!
[ducks for cover!]

[Cllr Joe Ryan]

Originally Posted by finnyus

so will he be doing anything about it? or can he do anything about it?

Wasn't aware of this thread till the past few days. About 3 years ago I put down a motion at Wexford Borough Council asking Iarnrod to put in place a service to Waterford to facilitate commuters. There is a need to provide a traffic on the line as with the colapse of the sugar traffic the future of the line will not be guraranteed unless new traffic is found for the line. One suggestion is to put in place a commuter train. It is limited and I am dissaponited that the service was not promoted in the local media nor was there an imaginative ticketting option taken to nurture traffic.

I cannot require the company to run a service however I've written to 3 govt ministers in the last month to set out my concerns and they don't seem to have any say so either. All I can do is highlight the need for a service to integrate Co Wexford with the line to Limerick Junction and ideally to Galway. If development strategy is to encourage links with other hub towns I cannot accept that you cannot run a succesfull rail service between Wexford and Limerick connecting about 220,000people in the towns along the line.
The interest in developing the service should be the job of the rail company. All I can do is point that out to them.

[comcor]

Joe,

I realise that you're a Wexford Town Councillor, so this is a little outside your scope, but if there's to be hope of retaining and expanding services on the line, you probably need to get Wexford County Council to start looking at the work done by Cork County Council on the Midleton line.

This involved rezoning lands along the railway line and treating the line a a strategic development corridor for commuting. At the moment, the stations betweem Rosslare and Waterford serve a series of small villages, which find it hard to provide the commuter base for a viable service.

Now, if they were small towns, it might be a different issue.

In Cork, two pretty substantial towns had to be developed on the route, but the situation in Wexford may be slightly easier as the line is already open, so shouldn't require the same level of investment.

The question is whether the locals would accept turning their villages into towns to retain the rail services.

Still, someone in Wexford should be putting that question out there.

[Colm Moore]

comcor, given the relatively peripheral location of south Wexford, building up the villages would be a retrograde step compared to providing the same development in either Wexford town or in the vicinity of Waterford city, where many services already exist - employment, shops, schools, leisure, etc.

Midleton is a "less bad" solution to the development of Passge West and Carrigaline, which have no railway, but a population of 20,000+. Of the 280,000 people who live in the greater Cork area, only 120,000 live inthe city as the county council has been sabotaging development in the city for decades.

[Cllr Joe Ryan]

Originally Posted by comcor

Joe,

I realise that you're a Wexford Town Councillor, so this is a little outside your scope, but if there's to be hope of retaining and expanding services on the line, you probably need to get Wexford County Council to start looking at the work done by Cork County Council on the Midleton line.

This involved rezoning lands along the railway line and treating the line a a strategic development corridor for commuting. At the moment, the stations betweem Rosslare and Waterford serve a series of small villages, which find it hard to provide the commuter base for a viable service.

Now, if they were small towns, it might be a different issue.

In Cork, two pretty substantial towns had to be developed on the route, but the situation in Wexford may be slightly easier as the line is already open, so shouldn't require the same level of investment.

The question is whether the locals would accept turning their villages into towns to retain the rail services.

Still, someone in Wexford should be putting that question out there.

Completely accept the points you make in some cases calling the villages are moe like hamlets.
A year ago when the town plan was in preparation I spoke about the need for goods and argued for zoning of land outside the town on the by-pass where a new goods yard should be located and that a new station be built on the surplus land here in town. I wasn't listened to then but in view of the economic reality since in particular in relation to freight and hte haulage industry its an idea worth pushing.

[ThomasJ]

Joe,

What would your opinion be on extending the current Waterford service to Rosslare Harbour to provide a ferryport connection for heuston side passengers?

[PLUMB LOCO]

ThomasJ - it doesn't really matter what the councillor Joe thinks as he is in the wrong party and his local TD never raises the issue of the railway from one end of the year to the next. Even if he were in a government party, the present useless Minister for Transport does a Pontius Pilate every time he is asked about anything to with CIE by saying it is an operational matter for the company.

[Cllr Joe Ryan]

Originally Posted by ThomasJ

Joe,

What would your opinion be on extending the current Waterford service to Rosslare Harbour to provide a ferryport connection for heuston side passengers?

nothing in principle against anything that brings passengers to the line however the station at Rosslare was re-located and passengers have to cross at a roundabout as traffic leaves the port. Its not satisfactory and will not attract foot passengers unless the train returns to the ferry terminal. I would like to see a return service twice if not 3 times a day Wexford Waterford, alowing Wexford passengers to go towards Limerick Junction and Waterford passengers connect with south Dublin while those who live in South Wexford who are losing their bus service to Wexford could take the train and alight in a shopping area. Is there any other station in the country with a major multiple store on the doorstep?
I feel use what's there to keep a service going. Its what I feel is important and its what I want to maintain.

[comcor]

Originally Posted by Victor

Midleton is a "less bad" solution to the development of Passge West and Carrigaline, which have no railway, but a population of 20,000+. Of the 280,000 people who live in the greater Cork area, only 120,000 live inthe city as the county council has been sabotaging development in the city for decades.

I can see your point, although Waterford suffers from similar problems. Places like Tramore and Kilmacthomas have seen population in recent years. At the same time development of Waterford City has been hamstrung by Kilkenny County Council. While the best solution to development in Waterford is probably to encourage future population growth onto the Kilkenny side of the city, as long as that doesn't happen, Wexford has an oppotunity there that can also boost population numbers along the railway line.

[ccos]

Welcome to the forum Joe.

I´m glad to see someone from the political classes getting involved here and I hope you´re but the first of a large group of politicians to give an input as well get some insights from the passengers on this forum.

[KSW]

Originally Posted by comcor

Still, someone in Wexford should be putting that question out there.

Believe me I have tried so many times with IE but you know what the company is like, They will write the first time but after that you will probably end up not hearing from them again.

I have given IE my thoughts and they sent me the new proposed timetable for 27sep at first glance it looked ok but its seriously messed up and needs the publics help if IE would just ask.

I do hope that the Sep27th timetable gets another look before IE publish it.