Choo-Choo-Choose Railway: Ireland’s Struggle for an Improved Train Network
In 1920, the Emerald Isle boasted 5,600 kilometres of railways. Within a century, this number had decreased by two thirds. Whilst in this time the rest of Europe has experienced a boom in public transport, making it possible to travel easily from London to Brussels, from Paris to Madrid and from Moscow to Beijing, it is almost impossible to get from the east to the west of Ireland by train.
The first Irish trainlines opened in 1834, connecting Dublin City Centre to Dún Laoghaire, a coastal suburb south of the capital. The railways spread out quickly and extensively from there, soon covering every part of Ireland and hitting their peak in the early 1900s, operated by CIÉ (Córas Iompair Éireann) or independent regional lines.
The downward spiral of Ireland’s public transport was triggered by Partition in 1921. The division of the island cut trainlines short, damaged national cooperation, interrupted commerce, and caused administrative problems on the border. Then, during the Second World War, Great Britain could no longer afford to give Ireland coal due to rationing. As a result, the quality of Irish trains greatly diminished and as time passed, railways shut down. Modernisation also played a role in the decline of the railways. With the construction of roads and the growing popularity of cars after WWII, there was less demand for public transport. Further government cuts during a period of economic and political instability in the late 1970s and 1980s meant that there was no major investment in the trainlines. An exception to this is the creation of the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) in 1984, but overall, the twentieth century was marked by the continued closures of lines.
The architectural ghosts of time gone by are still evident today, with railway tracks overgrown by grass and weeds. Train stations stand abandoned, scribbled over with graffiti, their platforms littered with broken glass. Of Ireland’s four provinces, Ulster appears to have been hit the hardest. County Donegal now has no trainlines at all, contributing to its name as the ‘forgotten county’. It was formerly very well served, possessing the largest network on the island until the 1930s-50s, when the line started to be closed due to cutbacks, competition from cars and buses, and Northern Ireland’s reduced links to West Ulster. Donegal’s fondness and nostalgia for its trains is embodied in its a railway heritage centre which pays tribute to the infrastructure that once connected the county to the rest of the island.
The lack of transport connections across the island of Ireland is an understated matter. 36.09% of the country’s population is rural and beyond the Dublin/Belfast-centric lines. Buses are infrequent and don’t accommodate for working or social hours. Yet, the benefits to rebuilding the train networks could be huge. It would positively impact the environment by creating less dependency on cars and benefit mental health by better connecting individuals and facilitating visits to other cities and natural sites. A reformed trainline also has great economic potential by creating job opportunities, aiding local businesses, and encouraging tourism. Above all, it would reinforce a sense of unity, continuing to build peace and empathy between people from all corners of the island.
These are certainly the arguments made by politicians and groups advocating for an All-Ireland rail network. In April 2021, Northern Ireland's Minister for Infrastructure Nichola Mallon and Irish Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan outlined their priority to improve trainlines in the ‘All-Island Strategic Rail Review’. According to Ryan, this was a three-fold task: “To consider how the rail network on the island could improve to promote sustainable connectivity into and between the major cities, to enhance regional accessibility and to support balanced regional development”. Furthermore, on a local level, ‘West on Track’, a community-based campaign, is lobbying to reopen the Western Rail Corridor, a former 240km track from Limerick to Sligo, and the Atlantic Rail Corridor, linking Galway to Mayo.
However, the Irish government’s continued neglect of its trainlines portrays the fact that it isn’t fully on board with the idea of an all-island railway, unconvinced by its projected economic benefits. The stalemate caused by Brexit and Northern Ireland’s absence of a sitting government is also slowing down any chances of progress. Despite this limbo, the calls among the general public for an All-Ireland solution to the train deficit are strong.
The social, economic, environmental, and cultural advantages of rebuilding Ireland’s train network are clear, but the question of whether Ireland will in fact catch up to its European neighbours and be returned to its former railway glory remains unsure.
Image courtesy of Andrew Bone via Wikimedia Commons, ©2008, some rights reserved.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the wider St. Andrews Foreign Affairs Review team.
