Navan already has a railway line

by Meath on Track Tue Apr 18, 2006 22:20 Meath

The Navan Drogheda line last passenger service was to Dublin for the All-Irelands in 1996.

Navan - Drogheda - Empty of passenger traffic since 1996

by MOT Thu Apr 20, 2006 21:00

Train leaves Navan on the way to Dublin, easily passing over rush hour traffic on the N3.

Skipping the traffic on the N3

by commuter Tue May 16, 2006 17:33

At least Navan commuters are immune to train strikes...

by wichi-tá linesman Thu Apr 19, 2007 22:09

so it goes - we look around to proudly mimic s.o. else's big idea, needing validation from somebody else because we're still the irish body politic too fianna failingly, fine (no point) gaelingly, labouring inside the box when we should be brave enough to think outside of it. so, reinstate the piece of track for passengers to Drogheda. Let the north-east and its hinterland in cavan breathe easy in the short term, and for the long term breathe out less garbage into the atmosphere. Question really is - which politico's particular interest is being treaded upon in bypassing the road traffic? Some road constructioneer? Who's been back-pocketed this time? If there was a war on the military wouldn't hesitate to commandeer such a line for easy evacuations. Well guess what, there is a war on the collective nerves of the citizenry and just as our greasy-tilled, halfpence-to-the-pence politicians euphemised The Emergency and The Troubles in the past, they are busy euphemising the present war. 'That Celtic Tiger is a divil. Sure, its new to all of us..and it has its good side too, you know... Ah, the eternal countryside of the soul, wherever the grass grows.

by Stephen M Wed Jun 10, 2009 10:39

Entering "train" and selecting "large images" in google search returns this picture of a train quite high in the results. Looks like some enterprising soul on the Ahmadinejad campaign in Iran found it and used it in a mildly ironic fashion.

by Tara Tara Tara Thu Jun 11, 2009 18:27

Developer led infrastructure- no surprise from Dempsey. TTT

Meath Chronicle
Published: Wednesday, 10th June, 2009 9:34am

'Go west’ rail option conflicts with council
by John Donohoe

Transport Minister Noel Dempsey with a map showing the two Navan-Dublin rail route options around Dunshaughlin.

The recent decision by the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, to select the route west of Dunshaughlin for the Dunboyne to Navan rail route, route A, conflicted with the choice of Meath County Council, which preferred the route B option east of Dunshaughlin.

In his response to an Iarnrod Eireann submission to the Draft Local Area Plan for Dunshaughlin, Meath County Manager Tom Dowling said that the policy approach in the railway company’s submission would “support the council’s preferred route B as it will generate a greater catchment, given its proximity to existing and proposed residential areas and to lands that are serviced within the compact urban form”.

Also supporting route B was Menolly Developments, the Seamus Ross-owned development company which owns a substantial bank of land at Bonestown. The summary of the company’s submission on the draft plan states that the approach of creating a compact urban form by the appropriate siting of the rail line is welcomed.

The submission enclosed results of a survey confirming that route B is the best option for the rail line in terms of better planning.

The submission also seeks the rezoning of additional lands to the north of the development area boundary for employment and amenity/recreational use (10-12 acres) on the basis of their proximity to the town centre and the proposed rail station on route B.

Menolly said that a report by The Railway Consultancy Limited maintains that significant savings can be made to route B by reducing the number of road crossings; route B would also generate greater patronage and would generate greater development levies. Menolly said that, in the event that route B does not proceed, the council should reconsider the policy of not zoning any additional lands for residential use.

The manager’s response was that it is not sustainable to zone additional lands in the event that the rail project is not advanced.

In a response on a submission from Maplewood Developments, Mr Dowling said that the council is fully supportive of option B and, in this regard, it is not proposed to change the draft plan.

Castlethorn Developments welcomed the support for the eastern route for the rail line in the interests of compactness but noted it is more expensive as it involves numerous road crossings, and pointed out that route A is located close to the national road network which would better facilitate passenger drop-off and a park and ride facility. Castlethorn, owners of the Killeen Castle gold development, has a large development site on the Drumree Road.

Irish Rail recently submitted the feasibility study on phase two of the Navan rail line to the Department of Transport. The study examined two possible routes in detail - option A, which runs along the original railway alignment, and option B, which is a new route to the east of Dunshaughlin.

On the basis of the detailed analysis carried out by Irish Rail, the preferred option which has emerged is option A. The feasibility study concluded that option A is preferable for a number of reasons: it was the preferred option from the public consultation carried out by Irish Rail - with over 80 per cent indicating a preference; it has a shorter journey time to Dublin of 59 minutes as opposed to 62 minutes for option B; it provides a better economic rate of return for the State’s investment, and it can be provided at significantly lower cost.

It is understood that option B would have cost in the region of €100 million extra due to the number of crossings of the M3 motorway which would be required and link roads that would be necessary.