[Article]Waterford commuter rail link 'would ease gridlock'

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http://www.unison.ie/wexford_people/...issue_id=14734

Waterford commuter rail link 'would ease gridlock'


Wexford Borough Council has called for a commuter rail link between Wexford and Waterford to help people avoid the nightmare gridlock in New Ross.
The proposal came from Cllr. Joe Ryan of the Labour Party at a Council meeting on Monday night. He said that with goodwill on the part of Iarnrod Eireann management, the service could be up and running within months.
Calling on Iarnrod Eireann to investigate the possibility, he said there was a significant number of people who would prefer this service rather than enduring daily gridlock at New Ross.
'I personally dread arriving in New Ross after 4 p.m. due to the delays. Commuters using the N25 spend at least 40 minutes most evenings stuck in New Ross', he said.
Cllr. Ryan pointed out that while Clonmel and Kilkenny are linked to Waterford by a regular train service, it is effectively impossible to travel the 50 km between Wexford and Waterford by train.
The South Wexford line has four stations at Bridgetown, Wellingtonbridge,Ballycullane and Campile. Trains do not link Rosslare Harbour to Cork or Kerry anymore and passenger numbers on the line are modest.
The Labour councillor said it made sound logical sense to link Wexford and Waterford using the present rail infrastructure. Without imaginative intervention to attract new traffic to the line, a question mark must hang over its future.
'I believe imaginative time-tabling would allow the restoration of links to the south west and the development of new ones through Waterford', he said.
According to Cllr. Ryan, rail cars that allowed a quick turnaround at Rosslare Strand could slash travelling times between the two towns to around an hour. 'The track is there. The stations are open'.
This would benefit students travelling to and from Waterford as well as shoppers from rural parts of County Wexford.
'As it is, the bus service to Wexford from rural parts of the county is poor and as a result, a car is a necessity', he said.
'With parking space at a premium and gridlock a regular feature in Wexford due to rising car ownership, extra traffic is not sustainable ito the future.'
Cllr. Ryan commented that Wexford was effectively forgotten by the Government in its Transport 21 proposals and said this was an opportunity to redress the imbalance.