Sir, – The possible closure of rail lines is a shortsighted move. Once closed, rail lines are practically impossible to reopen.
Fianna Fáil, among other governments in the past, dismantled a fine network of rail lines across both the capital city and the country. It’s worth considering how different travel might be today if this network still existed.
If the problem with rail lines is commercial then find more funding. Current governments are following a shortsighted “let the markets decide” policy on this form of travel, and have failed to grasp that “public” is the key word in the term public transport.
Too much emphasis on car use has largely been to blame for this laissez-faire policy, along with poor regional planning. A rail line can be the basis for the beginning of new growth, but not if it has been ripped up.
We used to have a Rail Procurement Agency but that was disbanded last year. Perhaps this is a bad omen.
Closing rail lines is an admission of failure.
– Yours, etc,
DECLAN KENNY
Leixlip,
Co Kildare.