Midland Railway Action Group

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Irish rail infrastructure in 1906 Map Rail Ireland Viceregal Commission 1906.jpg
Irish rail infrastructure in 1906

Midland Railway Action Group (MRAG) was established to improve the internal infrastructure of the Irish Midlands, in particular, Mullingar, [1] Tullamore, and Athlone.[ citation needed ] It is a pressure group striving to have the Athlone to Mullingar rail line re-opened, in order to serve the Midland Gateway [2] towns of Athlone, Tullamore, and Mullingar with a transport corridor that answers the future and current requirements while remaining Kyoto friendly.[ clarification needed ] More generally, other towns the group claimed would be positively affected by the desired re-opening of the Athlone -Mullingar rail link are Cavan, Clones, Longford, and Monaghan from the MRAG. [3]

As of 2007, Willie Allen was the MRAG spokesperson. [3] [4] [ needs update ]

Rail track costings (at 2004 prices)

Infrastructure, capacity and soil-occupation comparisons between rail and motorway systems 800 iii Infrastructure comparisson.JPG
Infrastructure, capacity and soil-occupation comparisons between rail and motorway systems

Priced per kilometre

Developments

The then minister of Finance Brian Cowen, [6] [ failed verification ] in a speech on 2 March 2007, mentioned an allocation of 300M Euro for the "best and most suitable projects".[ citation needed ] According to the Indecon Strategic Development Framework for the Midlands Gateway, it is essential to "invest seriously" within the significantly insufficient infrastructure. [7] Refer to this, detailed on page 124 125.[ clarification needed ]

An Irish Rail spokesman said[ when? ] that the services on the WRC would be operated by commuter rail-cars rather than Intercity trains. In fact, the only line being campaigned for which could see the use of Intercity carriages is the Athlone-to-Mullingar line, [8] which was once part of the main line to Galway.

While the local Midland Railway Action Group, and representatives of A.I.T campaigners[ clarification needed ] focused on the line's potential as a commuter route, some[ who? ] believe it could cut half an hour from rail journeys between Galway and Dublin.[ original research? ] The 2003 Strategic Rail Review found that restoring the line could cost €154 million, [7] but this estimate was subsequently cut to €84 million.[ when? ][ citation needed ]

See also

Further reading

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. "Written Answers - 29 March 2007" (PDF). March 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 November 2007 via debates.oireachtas.ie. A report by the Midland Railway Action group regarding the reopening of the Athlone to Mullingar railway line is being considered by my Department and Iarnród Éireann
  2. "Midland Gateway website". midlandgateway.ie. Archived from the original on 12 December 2007.[ failed verification ]
  3. 1 2 "Rail line re-opening goes off the tracks". Westmeath Examiner.[ dead link ]
  4. "Shannonside - Northern Sound News Archives » No Firm Commitment From Transport Minister On Midlands Railway". 1 February 2007. Archived from the original on 13 February 2007.
  5. "Structurae [en]: Large-Scale Projects: Project types: High-speed rail line". en.structurae.de. Archived from the original on 7 October 2006. Retrieved 11 December 2007.
  6. "Seanad Éireann - Volume 183 - 30 May, 2006 - National Development Plan: Statements". historical-debates.oireachtas.ie. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2007.
  7. 1 2 "Strategic Rail Review - BAH" (PDF). Booz Allen Hamilton. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 November 2006. Retrieved 10 March 2007 via transport.ie.
  8. "Strategic Environmental Assessment Environmental Report For Draft Westmeath County Development Plan 2008-2014 Material Assets Map" (PDF). Westmeath County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 November 2007.[ failed verification ]