CIÉ urged not to close Rosslare-Limerick link

Iarnród Éireann has been urged not to close the Rosslare-Limerick Junction rail line because it is a vital link for the entire South East region.

Waterford Chamber of Commerce is calling for the introduction of a more commercially viable and passenger-friendly timetable to ensure the future of the rail line.

The board of CIÉ agreed last month to a request from the Minister for Transport, Seamus Brennan, to defer a decision to suspend rail services on the Rosslare-Limerick Junction and Ballybrophy-Limerick lines and to withdraw from unprofitable rail freight operations.

The deferral will allow the Government and the CIÉ board to consider the matter further following the publication of the Strategic Rail Study early in 2003.

The National Spatial Strategy refers specifically to the Rosslare to Limerick transport corridor as being of 'particular relevance' and speaks of the importance of facilitating more direct access to the seaports at Waterford and Rosslare.

Frank O'Regan, President of the Chamber of Commerce, said it was vastly preferable to direct heavy freight traffic away from the inadequate road network and onto the under-used rail network, especially at a time when the road-building programme was running behind schedule.

'If the Government's commitment to balanced regional development and spatial planning is to have real meaning, State agencies cannot shut off vital arteries within and between regions such as the south-east and the mid-west,' Mr O'Regan said.

While acknowledging the financial plight of the rail company, Mr O'Regan said, 'They can hardly argue that the current timetable lends itself to maximum passenger throughput. In fact, there is little incentive for passengers to use the line at all.'