Rail Users Ireland (previously Platform 11) is a rail transport pressure group in Ireland whose agenda is centred on the idea that there is an economic case for expanding

rail transport in Ireland Rail transport in Ireland (InterCity, commuter and freight) is provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland. Most routes in the Republic radiate from Dublin. Northern Ireland ha ...

through better utilisation of existing infrastructure with only justified expansion of existing routes. Through press releases, lobbying and leafleting the group has promoted a number of rail projects. The group is a member of the European Passengers' Federation a European level representative body.

History and organisation

Platform 11 was founded in January 2003 at a public meeting held in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

As well as making the case for expanded commuter services in the

Greater Dublin Area The Greater Dublin Area (GDA; Irish: ''Mórcheantar Bhaile Átha Cliath''), or simply Greater Dublin, is an informal term that is taken to include the city of Dublin and its hinterland, with varying definitions as to its extent. As of 2022, its ...

, the group has advocated suburban rail for

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

and

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

if combined with a focused planning environment such as the

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

LUTS (Land Use and Transportation Study). They also advocate bus services connecting to railheads where rail is not feasible. They also support direct rather than connecting services to Clonmel.

Projects

The group has expressed opinions or lobbied in relation to a number of rail projects in Ireland. In relation to the proposed

Dublin Metro MetroLink is a proposed metro line for the city of Dublin. It was first recommended in the then Irish Government's 2005 Transport 21 transport plan. The sole line is proposed to run from Estuary on Dublin's northside to Charlemont on the south ...

, while supportive of the concept in principle, Rail Users Ireland expressed concerns that the original plans offered "insufficient interconnections" with other parts of the rail network. In the early planning phases of the

Luas Luas (pronounced ; Irish for "speed") is a tram/ light rail system in Dublin, Ireland. There are two main lines: the Green Line, which began operating on 30 June 2004, and the Red Line which opened on 26 September 2004. Since then, both li ...

project, Platform 11 raised doubts about the

Railway Procurement Agency The Railway Procurement Agency ( ga, An Ghníomhaireacht um Fháil Iarnród) was a state agency of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in the Republic of Ireland, charged with the development of light railway and the future metro inf ...

's assertion that 40-metre

trams A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ar ...

were not necessary on the red line to

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. The Railway Procurement Agency have since ordered the 10-metre sections to bring all 30-metre trams to 40-metre length as well as to commence work on the depot at Red Cow to accommodate an enlarged fleet. In relation to the

Western Railway Corridor The Western Railway Corridor is a term, used since , for a partly disused railway line running through the west of Ireland. Currently two sections of the line, from Limerick via Ennis to Athenry and from Collooney to Sligo, see regular servic ...

proposals, Rail Users Ireland took the view that it would only support projects they deemed viable. The Western Rail Corridor had support from other groups and politicians in the Mayo, Galway and Clare areas, and a considerable political profile in the West of Ireland, albeit with no meaningful follow-through such as local council planning. Supporters of the Western Railway Corridor project were angered that Rail Users Ireland opposed the project on cost grounds.

Criticisms

Rail Users Ireland are very critical of Irish Rail, the RPA (rail procurement agency) and the Irish Government, within the context of service provision, implementation of new projects and interference in the planning and development of rail transport based transport projects. Rail Users Ireland has changed policy positions dramatically since its formation in 2003 when it supported the Western Rail Corridor, opposed the

Interconnector An interconnector (also known as a DC tie in the USA) is a structure which enables high voltage DC electricity to flow between electrical grids. An electrical interconnector allows electricity to flow between separate AC networks, or to link sy ...

project and attacked Irish Rail for concentrating development resources in

the Pale The Pale (Irish: ''An Pháil'') or the English Pale (' or ') was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the Late Middle Ages. It had been reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast st ...

. It now claims to favour the sections of the Western Railway Corridor from Ennis to Tuam which are about to be rebuilt.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{Cite web, url=http://www.epf.eu/wp/members/, title=European Passengers' Federation – Members, first=Nicole, last=Müller, access-date=18 October 2019, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621120944/http://www.epf.eu/wp/members/, archive-date=21 June 2017, url-status=live

External links

Rail Users Ireland Website
Rail transport in the Republic of Ireland Political advocacy groups in the Republic of Ireland