Sir, – I was somewhat taken aback by John FitzGerald’s dismissal of the recent Strategic Rail Review (“The draft rail strategy is fun but most of it is fantasy”, Economics, Opinion, August 18th).
The existing Irish rail network is hugely deficient in terms of speed, train frequency, capacity and regional coverage compared with developed European countries with a similar population and often more dispersed settlement. Anyone who has recently visited such countries as Norway or Denmark will appreciate just how far behind we are.
Ireland’s huge motorway network massively facilitates dispersed settlement. What it doesn’t do is improve access to the centre of our towns and cities and indeed has accelerated their decline.
For example, if for some reason I haven’t taken the train directly to Galway, I will access the city centre via the train from Athenry to avoid the misery of driving. Electrification of motor transport (which I support) might reduce carbon emissions in Ireland, although it not yet clear that the overall net environmental benefit is hugely positive.
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While our population has increased hugely in the last two decades, our rail infrastructure has increased by only a few kilometres. We need to do much better.
Slow journey times on the Belfast line (up to 20 minutes slower than two decades ago) are in significant measure due to the flooding of the Dublin end of the route with slow-moving Dart trains.
Extending the Dart to Drogheda will greatly exacerbate the problem due to lack of adequate infrastructure investment. The same issue applies on the Wexford line and will do so soon on the Sligo line. – Yours, etc,
ANTHONY GRAY,
Drogheda,
Co Louth.