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hungryjoe wrote:when I was a kid, I sailed from the Broomielaw to Dublin and back.
gap74 wrote:I've used the HSS from Stranraer a few times, and this move does seem a backward step in terms of trains to elsewhere - I realise it's pie in the sky and would be mightily expensive, but wasn't there talk of looking into re-opening some old branch line that went up that way?
I don't see why a summer service at least from Glasgow to Northern Ireland wouldn't be useful - having done the Waverley to Campbeltown, it's a mightily more pleasant way to travel down in that direction than flying, and the journey would be an attraction in itself.
During World War 2 Cairnryan military port and the six-mile Stranraer-Cairnryan military
railway were built to provide back-up in case Liverpool docks were severely bombed. The
railway closed in 1962, but in the 1970s P&O established a new ferry port for Northern
Ireland at Cairnryan. Until recently it had been anticipated that Stena would be shifting
their terminal from Stranraer to a new joint port operation with P&O, reducing the transit
time for HSS (‘High Speed Ship’) operation to the port of Belfast. However, Stena’s intentions
are now in the melting pot, and this has made planning for the future of the railway a more
difficult exercise.
The case for re-opening the Cairnryan branch has been examined, but the projected
cost and the circuitous routing make this an unlikely proposition compared to a direct bus
link from the ferries to Girvan station. Arguments based on freight traffic have struggled in the face of the fact that the Stranraer line has carried no regular freight since 1993.
IT IS STILL POSSIBLE to trace the route of the railway all the way from Cairnryan Junction to the Old House Point. Unfortunately it is no longer possible to walk it all the way. Like any other disused line in the region there are parts where bridges have been demolished or which are now private ground. Many places have been surrendered to the wild and have become impenetrable through rampant growth of whins and brambles and even young forest trees. On one stretch, tidal erosion makes progress difficult. However, it presents a worthwhile challenge. Walking is pleasant for much of the way and even where there are obstructions a reasonably fit person should be able to cope.
gap74 wrote:At the very least, they could lay on a free shuttle bus to take you to meet up with a train - any major transport infrastructure that goes ahead in this day and age with no integration is nothing short of a joke.
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