Sir, – On reading Conor Pope's article on the state of Irish Rail's service and the comments from disgruntled customers ("Customers rail against service on Irish trains", Pricewatch, March 3rd), one can only assume that many of the remaining rail services are destined for closure.
The mainline services between Dublin and Cork, Limerick and Belfast will probably survive the next series of closures, but the future of the only line that does not serve Dublin, the Rosslare to Limerick Junction, and Limerick Junction to Galway via Ennis, is already in jeopardy following the closure of the Rosslare to Waterford link in 2010, and the very poor timetable between Waterford and Limerick Junction currently in force.
Rather than running trains at times not always suitable to the majority of customers, Irish Rail needs to provide a better timetable that coincides with ferry crossings, commuter links and the needs of schools and colleges.
And in the case of the Rosslare to Limerick Junction link, to provide a through service that actually connects with other services on the mainlines to Waterford, Cork, Tralee and Limerick.
The Rosslare to Dublin service does not meet ferry arrivals, and as a commuter service is always overcrowded – so much so that commuters actually get off the train at Greystones to transfer to the empty Dart trains in order to get a seat for the last part of the journey.
The current three-carriage trains do not have the capacity to take commuters from Wexford to Dublin, and are usually full by the time they reach Arklow, and at this point the train should be increased to six carriages, and commuters advised which half of the train they should board for various stations.
A split train can provide double the capacity without having to change the times when it enters the Dart corridor; failing that, the train should run between Rosslare and Greystones only, requiring people to transfer to the Dart service to complete their journey.
Other services from Dublin serving Sligo, Westport, Galway and Waterford will probably be downgraded and ultimately closed, as the timetables will be cut to a handful of services, thus making travel by road the only viable option. – Yours, etc,
ROBIN D HEATHER,
Seapoint,
Dunbur Lower,
Wicklow Town.