November 14, 2005
Western Corridor
The government seemed a bit put out that the country didn't descend into euphoria at the unveiling of their Transport 21 initiative - a plan to spend massive amounts of money on the country's infrastructure. And it is a lot of money - 34 billion euro over the next 10 years, or 9.4 million per day during that period. The public's scepticism might be just down to the fact that we are a nation of begrudging feckers. OR maybe it's because some of the projects have already begun, or is it because a government announcing grandiose plans for the next ten years just 18 months before an election might deserve a pinch or two or salt. Or maybe it's just because, at this stage, Minister Martin Cullen could announce the Second Coming with Jesus sitting beside him, and people would still find it hard to believe him.
After years of campaigning, the west will get not one, but two "Western Corridors" - a rail link from Limerick to Sligo, and a road link from Donegal to Waterford. Uh, Waterford? Ah yes, the so-called Atlantic Corridor is designed to link all the major towns and cities, from Donegal through Sligo, down to Galway and on to Limerick before finishing in Cork. And then it will continue on to the Minister's own constintuency. Which is nice.
After years of campaigning, the Western Corridor rail link will be re-opened, which will link Limerick (via Ennis) to Galway (via Athenry) and on up to Sligo (via Tuam) - see the map below. What makes people suspicious is the fact that the Corridor won't be completed for a decade (it will be one of the last parts of the Transport 21 Plan to be completed), despite the fact that most of the infrastructure is already in place). The rail line already exists, as do the stations - the line and signalling need some upgrading, but there will be no need for planning enquiries or compulsory purchase orders - usually the main cause of delays to major infrastructure projects. So the suspicion remains that the plan for the Western Corridor is as much aspirational as realistic. Say it ain't so, Martin.
The Minister has promised that no new road projects will have toll booths, which overlooks the fact that many of the road projects in the Transport 21 plan have already started (are therefore not classed as new). Tolling is a vital part of the Public Private Partnership model that the government has pursued to pay for these projects - private companies foot the cost of building the road infrastructure, and in return, levy tolls for a number of years. A similar policy in the UK has generated a lot of heated debate (particularly after the privatisation of the rail network was seen as a failure), but curiously little discussion has taken place here. In fact, most of the discussion centres around the toll-booths on the M50. Most Dublin commuters would like them removed since they are held responsible for huge traffic jams at rush hour (you can hear Olivia O'Leary having a roight auld whinge about it here). There are two problems with this campaign; firstly, the revenue that would be lost by removing the toll booths is roughly equivalent to the price of the Western Corridor (so where would the extra 350-400 million come from), and secondly, if the M50 is seen as a failure of the PPP model, why isn't there an outcry at the proposed introduction of toll-booths on other roads, such as the future Dublin-Galway motorway. Or maybe , for the largely Dublin-based Irish media outlets, it's only a problem when it's Dubs sitting in a toll queue. Hmmm....
galway,ireland, irishblogs,monasette
Posted by Monasette at November 14, 2005 08:44 PM