Sir, - A recent business trip from Wexford to Dublin reminded me once again why I usually take the car. The early morning train had a single, dirty, unheated smoking carriage; there was no buffet car until an attendant joined the train at Arklow; there was no water in the washbasins; and of course we arrived late. The only mitigating factor was the politeness of a ticket-collector who apologised spontaneously for these various annoyances.
The standard of service on public transport seems to be aimed at the young, who will put up with discomfort to save money, and the old and poor, who have no alternative and are too meek to complain. Like a great many other people, however, I have the choice of using a car and I do not have to put up with Soviet levels of comfort and service.
I often have to travel from Wexford to Dublin on business, and when it suits my schedule I would prefer to go by train rather than drive. It would be less tiring and I could work on the train. But why should I? - Yours, etc.,
Michael O'Donovan, Bargy Commons, Murrintown, Co Wexford.