Sir, - On Tuesday, October 30th, a little bit of history will go unnoticed by the majority of your readers. At 9.30 a.m. the last scheduled freight train will depart from the small railway station in Kingscourt, Co Cavan, with its final load of gypsum bound for the Irish Cement factory in Mungret, Co Limerick, resulting in the closure of the last railway in Co Cavan.
The railway to Kingscourt is not closing after 126 years because there is no gypsum left to be mined, but because Iarnr≤d ╔ireann has decided it is more economical to send it by road.
The official reason for the closure of this line is cited as "high maintenance" costs despite Iarnr≤d ╔ireann investing in a bridge renewal programme on the line since the beginning of 2000.
The significance of this closure is wider than just Co Cavan losing its last rail link. It is another step in the continual decline of our railways as a major freight carrier. In this day and age when the government is preparing to build a dual carriageway and motorway network across Ireland, it is allowing our national rail company to withdraw from being a freight carrier.
Surely we cannot allow this to happen as this will result in even more traffic on already over congested roads.
If the Government allows Iarnr≤d ╔ireann to withdraw as a freight carrier, the Minister for Public Enterprise must allow other operators the chance to operate freight trains on the national network.
In Britain and the continent there has been resurgence in rail freight because industry is encouraged to switch back to rail through tax breaks. It is about time that our own Government's attitude towards rail freight was changed. - Yours, etc.,
Hassard Stacpoole, Ballysteen, Askeaton, Co Limerick.