Iarnrod Éireann is to discontinue its practice of providing taxis for train-drivers between Dublin and Longford every day and running up huge bills as a new relocation programme comes into effect.
For the past three years the drivers have been using taxis between Dublin and Longford at a cost of around €270 a day.
Two drivers get one taxi every morning to Longford in order to drive the first trains to Dublin. At night a driver takes a taxi from Longford back to Dublin.
The practice has operated for three years, during which one early service has run each day. A second early train from Longford has been running since summer.
Yesterday the system, which was revealed by the Evening Herald, was defended by an Iarnród Éireann spokesman, Mr Barry Kenny, who said that in fact it would have been more expensive to have the train brought back to Dublin.
"The fuel for the train would have been the same as the cost of a taxi per mile. Then there would be the extra costs for keeping the crossings open and for staff to be kept on, so it would cost more to run a train back to Dublin," he said.
However, he said, in the next few weeks a relocation programme would come into effect. Drivers were being trained and would be based in Mullingar, which would render taxis unnecessary.
When the service began in Longford three years ago, negotiations were still continuing on reaching a deal with the drivers, Mr Kenny said. A new deal was agreed two years ago.
"We have been training up new drivers, and it takes about 58 weeks to do that. Some being trained are being relocated to our Mullingar depot so there will be no need for taxis to bring people back to Dublin," he said.