100 years ago, Ireland had a vast railroad network. All corners of the island were served by 5'3" wide tracks, an unusual gauge agreed by the various railroad companies in the mid-1800s.
Today, very few lines exist. Overpasses gather moss.
The Celtic Tiger's economic boom has seen a 247% increase in freight traffic over the past 15 years - all on Irish roads.
As part of the RTÉ News special series On The Move: The Future of Transport, Environment Correspondent Paul Cunningham looks at how those unused lines could help reduce traffic on our roads and pollution in our skies.
RTÉ.ie Extras:
This map shows Ireland's rail network in 1906:
Right click here to download map
This map shows Ireland's rail network between 1925 and 1930:
Right click here to download map
This animation shows how Ireland's rail network has declined over the past 100 years:
What are other cities doing?
Amsterdam conducted a pilot programme earlier this year called City Cargo. It uses a special train running on existing urban tram tracks, like the Luas lines in Dublin, and small electric trucks to distribute goods throughout the city.
Links:
Wikipedia's History of rail transport in Ireland page
