We'll it was vaguely comparable before any train lines were built.
My point was simpler. At this point in time Kerry has existing infrastructure Donegal has none. No point comparing them now.
https://donegalrailway.com/railways-of-donegal/
Lack of trains and lack of catering on trains.
- Thread starter ArthurMcB
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We'll it was vaguely comparable before any train lines were built.
My point was simpler. At this point in time Kerry has existing infrastructure Donegal has none. No point comparing them now.
https://donegalrailway.com/railways-of-donegal/
Perhaps if we were trying to invest in rural Ireland Donegal might get some investment to that end like roads or hospitals. But the reality we are stripping services from rural areas and creating a mega city in Dublin.
That said urbanation is global shift. People are moving out of rural areas to the cities.
That said urbanation is global shift. People are moving out of rural areas to the cities.
We spend vastly more per capita in rural areas than in urban areas and that gap is only increasing. That's the way it should be but it's nonsense to say that services are being stripped from rural areas. We've closed down small, inefficient and dangerous rural hospitals, with a resulting improvement in clinical outcomes for all patients, including those in rural areas. That's not stripping services, that's stopping doing something stupid.
BIG-notorious
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The idea that Dublin could be regarded as a mega city is laughably ridiculous. The UK alone has several cities with larger populations than all of Leinster.
Yes but viability seems to be predicated on cost/population which makes sense. But i think the cost is what is is and the population is arguably there for it if following a route along key urban centres through Monaghan, Omagh, Strabane and on to Derry i.e the NW.
Rail and/or motorway.
The people of this region dont have this and they should. Period.
I think that's a Dublin perspective. Not someone traveling two days for a hospital appointment or treatment in Dublin.
It's hyperbole. Didn't think that would be explaining.
There's a push to get a 10 min Dart. The rest of Dublin has 30-60 mins between trains. Rural areas worse again.
A lot of that is political influence.
That's a characteristic of population density.
That's not a reflection of funding priority or strategy that perhaps you're implying.
We'll it's too much. It's always been too much in the case of Donegal. Railways struggled to be viable even in the golden age of rail. That ship has sailed.
But we've allowed ribbon development in rural areas. We've not concentrated rural development in towns. As a result services and infrastructure cannot be economically concentrated or collated.
But that's the trade off in living rurally. You just won't get the infrastructure or services you get in a population center.
No, that's a clinical best practice, best outcome for the patient, best value for money for the State perspective. If I was knocked down near Naas Hospital I'd ask the ambulance to bring me to St. James's.
I'm stating that's it's a characteristic of population density. We agree.
People shouldn't expect the same access to services in rural areas that people get in urban areas. That's part of the trade-off for more space and lower cost housing in rural areas.
Agree with this. Why, though, is the north west treated so differently to other rural areas that have excellent access to rail and motorways.
Same question keeps getting asked but no good answer is ever given. Cost..population again and again. Both of which are paramount but doesnt explain why the NW has been so neglected.
Again - nobodys suggesting that donegal gets a dart, a luas or a childrens hospital.
Why is the north west so neglected compared to similar parts of the country, rural areas, that have access to vital infrastructure. Infrastructure that is needed for an area's prosperity. Let me guess - cost, population, history, politics.
People need to open their minds and hearts to this matter and call it for what it is.
No, not what I said at all. I was implying the presence of a train service, no matter how good it is will never mean young people will choose to stay in a locality with limited 3rd level education options and more limited employment prospects in many sectors, and little prospect of that changing.
It's population, demand, value for money, efficiency of delivering a service. If Donegal should have all the services that every other region has then I presume you think it should have a fully capable international airport, every town should have local bus and light rail service, and we should scrap ideas like the National Children's hospital and build fully capable facilities in each county or region?
Well it does.
Pretty much everyone is saying the same thing. You just can't accept it for some reason.
It's not special either. There's are lots of towns and areas in Ireland that aren't getting the attention they might like.
How much of is subjective though.
Is rural Ireland really dying? What the facts and figures tell us
The question of whether rural Ireland is dying or not, is complicated, and requires nuanced geographic analysis
Perhaps the simplest answer is that for any proposed service, no government can make a compelling case for the potential value per service user.
Working from a limited budget, investment should be heavily weighed in favour of options that deliver the greatest benefit. So while €10bn or more on an extension of the rail service to Donegal might be nice, when you consider how little that service would be used and what other projects the money could be put towards, it would be political suicide to sign-off on such a project.
Like the Galway B&Bs that make all their money from Donegal people attending hospital appointments
Not when they die in transit