Cyprus-Forum.com

[Oracle]

dwarling your brit bashing is becoming tiresome ... you asked how many brits to form your opinion? how do you know whose a recent arrival???
GCs in favour of a railway well theres only less than 700,000 here. how many of those did you ask?
the poulation of uk is 66 million so the railway has greater pressure on it in GB. it isnt as good as it used to be..but look at how long it takes to drive anywhere -
The indian railways carry vastly more people still and thats based on the System built by those imperial colonials you always bang on about (including the bloody scots).
Anyway your all wrong. the EU will cough up for the feasability study not Cyprus, then after much humming and harring a couple of oiks will produce the study that says its not feasible and it wont happen.. and the 300,000 will be gone - somewhere..
Oracle where are the tracks that are left in the ROC then ?

The tracks in the RoC went from Nicosia to Famagusta mostly and are all now in the Turkish occupied section. They have been destroyed by the Turks.

As for the rest of your diatribe, a little thinking will resolve it ...

[Gasman]

Perhaps they will fork out another 600,000 for a feasibility study in sorting it so people can put toilet paper down the loo instead of in some disgusting shitty bin. That would REALLY improve Cyprus.

[Gasman]

The tracks in the RoC went from Nicosia to Famagusta mostly and are all now in the Turkish occupied section. They have been destroyed by the Turks.

Says here ...

# During the Enosis riots in October 1931, 120 yards (110 m) of line were torn up, as the railway was regarded as a symbol of British colonial rule.

and ...

The Story of the Cyprus Government Railway
by B. S. Turner Mechanical Engineering Publications, London, 1979.

In 1945, the railway trains were still running to time, but then, new 6 ton diesel lorries appeared, against which the C.G.R. could not compete. Road haulage meant the end of the railway, and at that time the railway was faced with the problem of new engines, new tracks and carriages, because the whole system was already 40 years old. In 1935, there was much gossip that the railway was quite inefficient and that the Ford Motor Company wanted the railway to close down in order to boost their sales of motor vehicles. Very difficult to prove, but who knows, it may have been the major reason for the closure of C.G.R.

O seems to want to think it would still be running smoothly if it weren't for the events of 1974!

[Oracle]

Gassy, learn to read. You haven't got a clue about what we were discussing.

As for the Cyprus Mail ... always a bit late, but has made an effort to answer some of our questions ...



Trains in Cyprus?

By Patrick Dewhurst
Published on April 14, 2010


IT SOUNDS like a story that might have appeared a fortnight ago, but this is no April fool’s trickery; This week, the government set in motion a project that could see the return of an intercity railway network on the island in the coming years.
The Communications and Works Ministry, which is handling the project, will initially conduct a feasibility study and if this shows a railway is viable, construction could start in 2011.
Communication Minister, Erato Kozakou Markoulli said yesterday, “We have started the tendering process for a study into the feasibility of having a railway in Cyprus. This will assess the feasibility of various routes, but primarily it will look at routes between Nicosia, Larnaca and Limassol.”
The total cost of the study will be around €200,000, about half of which will come from the European Commission as part of a pan-European campaign to promote rail travel.
“Based on the results of the study,” Markoulli said, “We will decide how and when a possible railway will be built.”
Makis Constantinides, Communication and Works Ministry Permanent Secretary, said yesterday, “This study is a must, because we have to have a scientific basis to see whether such a project is feasible.”
He added, “There are some areas that really suffer from congestion, so we need to look outside the box and examine new options.”
Asked about the challenges of building a railway in Cyprus, Markoulli said that it largely depends on where it placed.
“If it is to run parallel to the highway, for example, it will be easier and cheaper (than going via villages en route).”
Any railway route that veers away from the highway is likely to incur the cost of buying the land. However, budget might not be the greatest challenge to planners. Active taxi and truck drivers unions are likely to oppose any project that offers cheaper, greener and quicker alternatives to consumers.
If the construction goes ahead, it will likely be in the form of a Built Operated Transfer, as in the case of the Larnaca airport. “In my opinion this is the most comfortable way to do this. It offers a long horizon to pay back the costs and will mean it is completed in less time.”
Asked about the threat posed by a railway to taxis, Athos Eleftheriou, President of the Taxi Driver’s Union was unwilling to comment until he had more information about the projects.
The ministry hopes to complete tendering process for the study in the next four months, and the study itself is expected to take one year to complete. The project will coincide with the launch of a new public transport system on July 5.
The last train to run in Cyprus stopped in 1951, when the route from Famagusta to Morphou via Nicosia closed, and is now on display in occupied Famagusta.

[Gasman]

Nah - they should definitely be doing something about the third world appalling sanitary arrangements before anything else.

They had a railway once. It didn't make money. They stopped using it.

They've NEVER had decent lavs.

[apc2010]

Trains still ran upto 1974 ,for mining..

[apc2010]

The railway cost something in the region of 250,000 pounds in 1905 for about 76 km ...cannot imagine the present day costs ...cannot see this as a viable project....

[repulsewarrior]

i like the idea of trains in cyprus, and because it is an island, a guage which suits its needs will be called for. indeed, for such a plan to work, convenience will be the big factor in decided to leave the car. if it were possible to travel at high speeds silently with a system that is operational at all hours island wide, it would be doubtful that the thought of it reviled. most important is the infrastructure beyond the train itself, such as waste, energy, water and land mangement. the train(s) itself will draw people to the urban centres (internally), tourists will enjoy the quick trips to the island's many parts. if it is futuristic, it will include closer relationships with other countries which allow cypriots to be part of a higher technology.

what it boils down to is what are our goals, if high technology design and engineering is a focus then the education this effort affords should be considered...

http://www.monorails.org/tmspages/MagShang.html

...of German design.

[Gasman]

Vorsprung durch technik repulse? That won't suit Lady Orifice. Those nasty Germans are threatening court action against her beloved muvverland tonight!

[Sotos]

I watched a documentary some time ago about buses that could run on an alternative form of fuel that was much more economical and greener and from what I remember it was not too difficult or expensive to install. Buses can use the whole road network and can pick people from several locations within the cities. To use the train you would have to go to the train station. And then when you arrive at the other train station you will again need some other form of transportation to go where you want to go. No Cypriot would bother to change 3 means of transportation just to go from Limassol to Nicosia. The only way that some Cypriots will use public transportation is if they can take a bus from somewhere near their home and then arrive somewhere near the place they want to go without the need to change bus more than once.