Madam, - The article by Chris Ashmore on the Strategic Rail Review (The Irish Times, March 13th) was a good reminder to your readers of just what a wonderful rail network we inherited from the British. That the miles of track decreased by almost one third between the 1920s and 1960s is now but a matter of history.
The article omitted any mention of just who was responsible for the demise and destruction of the railways. The culprits were none other than Seán Lemass and Todd Andrews, often cited as the architects of modern Ireland, who not only oversaw the closure of railway stations but also allowed the tracks and supporting sleepers to be dismantled, thus ensuring that these rail lines could never be used again when economic times got better.
That political duo may have done a good deal for infrastructure generally, but the severing of our rail network legacy was surely their greatest act of folly and this should not be overlooked by transport historians. We must hope that their successors, Messrs Ahern and Brennan, will provide for the future a little better and show some foresight when deciding on the regional expansion of the rail services. - Yours, etc.,
JOHN LUCEY,
Dukesmeadows,
Kilkenny.