NRG on RTE News

[Mark Gleeson]

The Newbridge Rail Group have been invited to give an interview for RTE television news with respect to the impact of the Kildare Route project bad or good

Further details will follow

[Mark Gleeson]

The NRG crew have done very well

watch it there http://dynamic.rte.ie/av/2164785.smil

Cullen announces plans for Kildare rail route

13 August 2006 19:52
The Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen, has announced plans to spend nearly €360m on new railway stations and tracks on Iarnród Éireann's Kildare route.

Mr Cullen said the project would include three new stations and would double the number of commuter and other train services along the Kildare to Heuston section.

According to Iarnród Éireann, passenger numbers on the route will increase from 11,000 per day to over 36,000 per day in each direction.

The Kildare route project will involve increasing the rail tracks from two to four between Cherry Orchard and Hazelhatch in Kildare.

However, rail user groups in Kildare have criticised the plan.

They say the increased tracks will end at Hazelhatch and will have no benefit to commuters further down the line in Kildare.

Work on the project is due to be completed in 2010.

[Thomas J Stamp]

Well done to Garrett Cummins on RTE this evening. Funny how they interviewed both the minister and Barry Kenny, in August and on a Sunday to boot. Notice that the minister was interviewed just beside the Tower Hotlel in Waterford? Nice day out for the RTE lads there.

OK, why? I know that minister cullen likes to announce things again and again but why now and why this?

[Mark Gleeson]

Cullen was certainly in Waterford, Barry Kenny was in Howth

[Derek Wheeler]

So what about Cullen and Kenny?

The NRG lads did brill and put out a very important perspective from actual "customers". P11 has brought to the table, "an alternative and true commentary" on new projects that was lacking. Long may it continue and long may we be able to assist user groups.

[ACustomer]

I see that Frank McDonald in the ITimes had the basic cop-on to report what has actually happened, i.e. that Cullen made the Railway Order for the Kildate route project, whereas the bozos in RTE were telling us yesterday about an apparently new project. I know we get pissed off when projects get "announced" for the umpteenth time, but this is as much a fault of lazy incompetent journalists as it is of chancer politicians and their spin-merchants.

[Garrett Cummins]

Thanks Derek for the assistance in prepping for "interview" That's my 15 seconds of fame done with for now!!

[MrX]

I can't understand how we can justify spending billions on motorways but if you suggest laying a bit of new track there's suddenly no cash available. It's ridiculously short sighted. We can afford this infrastructure and it should go in properly.

There's more than enough space in west dublin to lay new lines if necessary. I mean, for example, why couldn't a new rail line have been layed (to DART specs) along the N7 as far as Portlaoise? While the road was build built. The extra disruption would have been minimal and the route is entirely flat!

[Derek Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Garrett Cummins

Thanks Derek for the assistance in prepping for "interview" That's my 15 seconds of fame done with for now!!

Maybe for now Garrett, but you'll be back. Well done. More ground breaking stuff for the cause of the rail user. Other parts of the country take note. NRG are on the map.

[Derek Wheeler]

Originally Posted by ACustomer

I see that Frank McDonald in the ITimes had the basic cop-on to report what has actually happened, i.e. that Cullen made the Railway Order for the Kildate route project, whereas the bozos in RTE were telling us yesterday about an apparently new project. I know we get pissed off when projects get "announced" for the umpteenth time, but this is as much a fault of lazy incompetent journalists as it is of chancer politicians and their spin-merchants.

Frank's a bit of a legend and has the intelligence to use all sources of information and not just the IE "spin".

We're always happy to help him, when he asks for it.

[IHIR]

howya, viewer of website here with particular vitriol for IRish rail, merely becuase of a long time commuting with them and being disgusted at how badly its run.

Just wanted to say fair play to the NRG guys for a)making it on to the RTE news and b) speaking very well, these things arent easy to do.

Delighted RTE finally put a consumer face up against the waffle of M Cullen and nonsense from B Kenny. You have to had it to B Kenny lads, how many years has he been able to talk about Irish Rail just completely denying the obvious consumer issues. Without being sarcastic, he's very good at what he is paid to do.

[Mark Gleeson]

We coined the phrase "The Barry Kenny reality distortion field" look into my eyes a two hour delay is ok..................

The key to this is that everyone is singing from the same hynm sheet and the information is available to all

We have a few surprises planned for IE, they think they know what is coming they have no clue

[Derek Wheeler]

Originally Posted by IHIR

You have to had it to B Kenny lads, how many years has he been able to talk about Irish Rail just completely denying the obvious consumer issues. Without being sarcastic, he's very good at what he is paid to do.

Yep. I'd have to agree. He is indeed good at what he is paid to do.

Think it's time for the "Derek Wheeler Reality restoration Field".

[Derek Wheeler]

And a follow up from the Kildare Nationalist.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Fury over rail ‘upgrade’ that’s no help at all
By: Ashling Mackey

THE recent announcement by minister for transport Martin Cullen to allow Iarnród Éireann to proceed with plans to double the number of tracks on the Kildare line between Heuston Station and Hazelhatch, near Celbridge, is not good news for train users in South Kildare.

“The original plan was designed to bring four tracks all the way down to Kildare Town. We are not sure what’s going on and we have heard nothing from Iarnród Éireann,” said Garrett Cummins, spokesperson for the Newbridge Rail Users’ Group.


On completion in 2009, the number of tracks between Heuston and Hazelhatch will have doubled to four and with two dedicated lines for commuter services and two for intercity and regional services. The extra lines will double the service frequency from Hazelhatch to Dublin, serving all stations. It will also double the service frequency between Dublin and Sallins, Newbridge, and Kildare.


“They are building a new station at Adamstown, a town which has yet to be built, and that it will be operational next year,” noted Mr Cummins. “They are giving services in the hope of the 20,000 to 30,000 people that will live there in five years’ time, with no consideration for the people in Newbridge and Kildare Town.


“There are over 30,000 people in Naas and Newbridge and 20,000 in Kildare Town. These towns are growing at a faster rate than anywhere else in Ireland, but yet Iarnród Éireann has made no allowance for increases in passenger numbers from these towns.”


And he continued: “They should be trying to attract us on to their trains but instead they are just putting more passengers on an already crowded service. Over the next four years, we are going to suffer a lot of disruption with little or no benefit. We can only live in hope that when it is finished there will be some improvements, but we are not entirely convinced.


“Iarnród Éireann has told us that each stop adds seven minutes to your journey. There will be two new stops now; that is going to add an extra 14 minutes.”


Garrett started commuting 16 years ago, and at that time the trip took him 16 minutes. Now in 2006, in the socalled age of technology, the same journey takes 40 minutes. And it looks set to become even longer.


Making the announcement, minister Cullen said: “This Transport 21 project represents a •400 million investment to upgrade the railway infrastructure between Kildare and Heuston Station, aimed at significantly enhancing the frequency, capacity, reliability and accessibility of rail services between Heuston Station and commuter destinations in the Greater Dublin area as well as to intercity destinations in the south and west.”


But according to Garrett Cummins, “The service is as good or as bad as ever, depending on how you want to look at it. Iarnród Éireann has told us that by 2010 from Newbridge to St Stephen’s Green is going to take 30 minutes, but we’re not optimistic that this will happen.” It’s not just the Kildare to Dublin route that causes people problems. According to Garrett, it is easier for a Kildare person to fly to Cork than to take the train.


“We don’t understand where they are putting in all these investments. It’s certainly not benefiting the customer,” he said. “It’s much easier to get in your car and drive up the M50 and get a 30-minute flight to Cork. There is no direct train from Newbridge to Cork; the nearest stop is Thurles. It’s more comfortable and a lot quicker to fly.”

[Kildare Commuter]

I would wonder about the statement of a 16 minute journey, surely this is incorrect?

Also, is the work, laying sleepers etc, at Cherry Orchard the start of the work?

[Mark Gleeson]

Should read 26

[Kildare Commuter]

Cheers Mark. Has there been any further developments on the commitments from Irish Rail at the KRUG meeting or any advance info on the timetables etc?