The March4Tipp group has reacted angrily to Tipperary County Council questioning the value of rail services in the County. In a recent local press article Pat Slattery, Council Director of Services for Economic Development was quoted as questioning whether Tipperary’s rail lines should remain open. Mr Slattery was quoted as questioning the annual spend on the line. Click below to read more.
Reacting to the Council’s questioning of the viability of the line, Barry Walsh who is a March4Tipp candidate in the local elections asked why the Council isn’t lobbying to have the Limerick Junction to Waterford line developed as commercially viable public transport infrastructure. “The timetable is pretty much the same as when the train used to connect with the boats in Rosslare. That day and age is well gone, but we still have a timetable where you can’t get anywhere in time for work and even if you could, you can’t get home in the evening after work. In the case of Tipperary Town, you have rail connectivity to two major employment hubs – Limerick and Clonmel, but you can’t commute to either for work. The timetable needs to be changed to suit our modern needs”.
Rail services are generally regarded well when it comes to carbon footprint when compared to private road transport. Lisa McGrath, also a March4Tipp candidate said that it “beggars belief that our Council would be talking down potentially valuable public rail transport at a time when the country is under enormous pressure to reduce carbon emissions. The scheduling and pricing of services should be remodelled so it is more attractive for people to commute by rail rather than using cars”.
March4Tipp candidate Annemarie Ryan said that her family had long standing connections with the railway at Limerick Junction but that her vision isn’t clouded by sentimentality. “My vision for the railway line is very sharp as I see it as an economic asset to the region if it is set up properly. Irish Rail appear to be managing the line, rather than promoting and developing it. For example, given Tipperary Town’s central location on the rail network, the town could be a tourist hub where visitors can travel by rail to all of the major cities in the country, as well as to tourism hubs like Cahir, Killarney etc. The lack of vision by Irish Rail and by Tipperary County Council in failing to realise that rail services are an essential factor in the County’s future is very disappointing”.
The March4Tipp group is calling on the Council CEO Joe McGrath to outline the Council’s future intentions for the County’s rail services and is calling on the Council to begin discussions to discover how the County’s rail services could be harnessed to drive economic development.
