The movement of freight, tourists and commuters who normally use Iarnrod Eireann services in the south-west each week has been severely affected by the unofficial rail dispute.

The passenger numbers between Cork and Dublin, the busiest route in the State, are down by as much as 50 per cent. Up to 6,000 travellers use the route in both directions each day, but since the dispute that figure has been halved.

According to Iarnrod Eireann in Cork, the skeleton service is providing some relief, but uncertainty as to whether trains will run on time, if at all, has forced many people to use the roads.

The commuter rail service between Cork and Cobh is also badly hit. The Cobh Heritage Centre depends on the rail service to bring visitors from Cork and, at a time of year when the graph should be showing growth, it is tipping in the opposite direction.

Similarly, the Fota Island Wildlife Park is one of the stops on the Cork-Cobh line and, as people have become less inclined to use an uncertain service, its visitor numbers have been affected.

Killarney and Tralee in Co Kerry, which rely heavily on the rail link, have suffered the brunt of the disruption caused by the action. There has been a dramatic fall-off in the number of visitors to Killarney. Estimates suggest that up to 1,000 visitors who would normally arrive in the town by rail each day are going elsewhere.

Their absence is being felt by hoteliers, pubs, taxis, guest houses and all the other elements in the tourism sector in one of Ireland's main tourist resorts.

"There has been a significant loss of business, both locally and nationally; there's no question about that," said a spokesman for Iarnrod Eireann. "People have now become used to making their own travel arrangements, however inconvenient. It means that when the strike is over we will have to fight to win back this business all over again."