Kildare Route Project

No he’s not right. His claim that “30 year old computers are not worth talking about.” is absolute rubbish in the context of control systems.

The suggestion that simply upgrading the “old computers” and providing a passing loop would provide similar capacity benefits is silly. So your suburban commuter train pulls into the passing loop. Meanwhile, the Cork-Dublin train is ten minutes behind schedule, so the commuters have to wait in a stationary train for 10 minutes until the intercity can “overtake” it? Mixing intercity and suburban trains on a single line is o.k. when the frequency is low but once you try to increase the capacity/frequency, it’s a recipe for poor service as the northern line demonstrates. A delay in places as far away as Cork, Limerick, Ennis or Tralee would impact the commuter service between Kildare and Heuston.

The only point I would have any sympathy for is that the cost of project seems high for what it delivers. However, I’m not sure that his objection to the project is purely based on financial considerations since elsewhere on his site, he seems to support the western rail corridoor. His real fear seems to be that the four track section would work well with the T21 interconnector project and he seems to be using his “objection” to the KRP simply as another opportunity to attack the interconnector.

On this basis, it is not unreasonable to link the two and see what Irish Rail are doing as a crude mechanism to demand additional investment

This is an unreasonable assertion also. It effectively implies that IE is attempting to extract additional funding by stealth from the Govt by ‘gold plating’ an earlier project.

IE have been quite open about the overall planning framework within which this work will take place, its not an attempt to ‘extract’ funding, its part of a longer term project which includes the interconnector (which also happens to be Govt policy). I’m at a loss as to why strategic planning, and investing in infrastructure when its needed, rather than 10 years late, is a bad thing.

Secondly, he should probably be advised that the Dept of Finance, in particular, is well versed at withholding funding even after investment has been made in associated projects. Unfortunately,the construction of the KRP does not copperfasten or guarantee the Interconnector, it just means that the capacity will be there on the network if and when it goes ahead.

The increased frequency of intercity services and Arrow seem not to be fully addressed either, but the effect of that is well beyond my limited expertise.