Councils press for rail line to stay open

LOCAL AUTHORITIES in the southeast and midwest regions have called on Iarnród Éireann not to close the Rosslare to Waterford railway line.

A decision on closing the service is expected next month from the National Transport Authority.

Councils in Carlow, Clare, Kilkenny, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford have jointly submitted a report prepared by “international consultants” and which claims the service could have a future if it was marketed properly, ran a more frequent service and attracted more freight business.

Cllr John Cummins, chairman of the South-East Regional Authority, said the proposed closure was “a half-baked, short-sighted decision that flies in the face of a range of public policies” such as “balanced regional development”, “sustainable travel” and “switching from road to rail and from cars to public transport”.

But Iarnród Éireann claims the line is losing money, attracts an average of only about 25 passengers per day and has lost much of its freight business since the demise of the Irish sugar industry for which it used to transport beet.

The service operates one passenger train in each direction daily. The company plans to launch a replacement bus service on the route, to be operated by Bus Éireann. Ciarán Cuffe, the Green Party Minister of State responsible for sustainable transport, has declined to comment on the closure and said it was “an operational matter for CIÉ in conjunction with the National Transport Authority”.

The local authorities have proposed the establishment of “a community rail partnership, a concept that involves the rail operator partnering with the local authorities and local communities to operate, promote and market the railway and its services”.

They say this approach has been adopted successfully for several lightly used rail lines in the UK.

But they acknowledge that the proposal would only be viable if Iarnród Éireann continued to run the trains and the infrastructure.

Their idea has the support of campaign group Save the Rail. Spokeswoman Tanya Fenelon said members of the group’s committee had travelled to Fishguard to meet the community rail officer for southwest Wales, and discussed the possibility of securing EU funding to support a community rail partnership initiative.

She said the group, “unlike certain Ministers”, had funded the trip to Wales out of their own pockets and had travelled by rail and ferry, which was “the kind of proactive, consultative approach which Irish Rail has failed to take”.

The National Transport Authority is considering various submissions before making its decision. These include a proposal from a British transport company to replace the existing train service with a light-rail system. But funding such a service would require investment by the State.

Business leaders in the southeast also support retaining the railway line and backed the Community Rail Partnership proposal. Eric Barron, chairman of South East Chambers of Commerce, suggested such a partnership would comprise Iarnród Éireann, the local authorities, representatives of local rail users and the business community.

While Iarnród Éireann would continue to have responsibility for running the trains, as well as for all maintenance and safety issues, he said, time-tabling, marketing and promotion of the services would be the responsibility of the partnership.

Involvement by communities, he said, would ensure the train service met people’s needs, was well publicised and well supported. “The model could also be used to ensure the success of the rail lines that are about to be reopened along the western rail corridor,” he added.

There are fears that if the Rosslare to Waterford line closes, then the Waterford to Limerick line may also be threatened.

The full report, Socio-economic and Business case for the Maintenance of the Rosslare-Waterford-Limerick Rail Corridor, is available on the website of the South-East Regional Authority: sera.ie