View Full Version : Cork-Cobh rail line to close for 5 weeks!
fullastern
09-09-2008, 17:12
Today's Evening Echo is reporting that the Cork to Cobh commuter rail line is to close for five weeks from 3rd October until November 10th for maintenance works and works related to the Midleton line re-opening.
Can you imagine if this was to happen on one of the Dublin commuter lines ? - there would be an absolute uproar - and rightly so.
Of course Irish Rail have a job to do and there have been calls for many years for the re-opening of the line to Midleton (and Youghal too, but that's not happenning). But this takes the biscuit. The Cobh line is one of the few double tracked lines outside of the mainline system so I for one would question why they cannot leave one line open while they work on the other. It happens all the time on mainline rail. Huge amounts of work has been taking place on new stations near Adamstown and Clondalkin on the approaches to Dublin and with one or two short-term exceptions it has been done without fully closing the line.
According to the report in tonight's Echo said that Cobh Mayor John Mulvihill Jnr was seeking a meeting with Irish Rail to discuss the concerns of the town council - I should think so too!
Bullshit -what we all were told at mondays meeting was that Mr. Andrew Roche stated that he was willing to meet with the Cobh Councillors, any time ,any place while these works are going on.
We will meet him, as we have many times in the past, but it will be like meeting George Bush to discuss hurling, he'll promise the world and tell us anything we want to hear but will deliver nothing. Watch this space -because I'll tell you now that the 5 weeks mentioned will atleast be 9 weeks and probably more!
Ned Kelly
10-09-2008, 11:48
I reckon they should close it down permanently!
fullastern
10-09-2008, 12:06
Why Ned? It is an essential service for the people of Cobh and other communities along the rail line.
Hi Fulla, while the station is closed what other transport will be in place? Locals, Visitors, Workers using the system, what are they to use.....a taxi into Cork is around 25/30 euros, I think...who can cover that even once a week:( cheers Katy
fullastern
10-09-2008, 18:41
There will be buses but the replacement service in the past has been terrible. They don't send enough buses and people get left behind waiting for the next one - the buses also get held up in traffic so the journey of 25 minutes by train becomes 45 minutes to an hour. I was talking to a taxi driver yesterday and he had a large smile on his face because he knows that people who are tied to a timetable will have to get a taxi.
Oh by the way Katy, taxi to Cork now is nearer 35 Euro ! - and pensioners or those with disability passes aren't covered for taxis.
A con job and especially with the local and County Council elections only 9 months away, the Midleton line having priority will be the big issue!
Ned Kelly
11-09-2008, 11:41
Just doin a bit of blaguardin Fulla!!
The train is a vital link to the city for all commuters from Cobh onwards.
If it was in jackeen land it would never happen!
fullastern
11-09-2008, 11:48
how right you are - there would be uproar if it happened in Dublin and revolution if it happened in Dublin 4 !
And No new Fota Road either -but maybe plenty of more talk about one before now and next June!
Ned Kelly
12-09-2008, 11:37
No shillins in da budget for Cobh methinks or anywhere else for that matter!
Where da feck has the money disappeared to???
Hi Guys, anyone got an update on the train link..has the work started yet? cheers Katy:)
fullastern
28-10-2008, 08:41
Yes Katy, as far as I know the work has started. At any rate it's the bus to Cork these days.
Saw a pile of work going on at Rushbrooke Station last week, with ques waiting outside the dockyard for buses!
Cheers for the update guys......:)Katy
Saw a pile of work going on at Rushbrooke Station last week, with ques waiting outside the dockyard for buses!
Any idea roughly how many locals use the trains on a normal week.....not much fun waiting on a bus :( bet the journey time into Cork is terrible....
fullastern
10-11-2008, 19:01
would you believe that there were something like 700,000 passenger journeys on the Cork-Cobh line in 2007 (official figures) - this obviously includes people travelling twice a day as part of their commute but there are certainly thousands using the service every day.
I went up on the bus about a week ago - the station entrance in Cobh is blocked off - I think they have part of the line lifted at the station -but there was hardly any light and only the cold and dirty entrance porch open - not a very inviting place to have to wait, especially at night in this cold and wet weather.
It wouldn't happen in Dublin - they'd work around the clock and keep the line open like they did when they built a huge new station at Adamstown recently - there was a reduced service on Sundays and some delays but it was kept to a minimum.
Dont know how accurate the claim is but it was stated at a council meeting last night that there was a little more than a weeks work left on the line!
Wow! Fulla thats a lot of passengers...lets hope the work gets finished soon...cheers Katy
vBulletin® v3.7.3, Copyright ©2000-2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.