Closure on the cards. A wanton throwaway of an asset whose potential is being ignored

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...267752832.html

Meeting to support rail link between Rosslare, Waterford
CHRIS ASHMORE

A PUBLIC meeting is being held in Wellingtonbridge, Co Wexford, tomorrow as the campaign to keep open the Rosslare Strand-Waterford railway line intensifies.

The future of the lightly used line is in doubt with only a handful of passengers using it and with revenue covering an estimated 2 per cent of costs.

For many years the line had a major freight flow with up to 300,000 tonnes of beet being carried by up to seven trains a day from Wellingtonbridge to the former sugar factory in Mallow. However, the demise of the sugar beet industry ended this important revenue flow.

The closure of the 35-mile line was recommended in the McCarthy report.

However, local people say the timetable does not encourage large patronage. There is only one train in each direction and none on Sundays. The service also fails to link in properly with other inter-city services and could attract more commuters with additional services, they say.

Labour councillor Joe Ryan says it is possible to travel from Wexford to Waterford, but not back in the same day. “The ticket machine at Wexford does not even have a Waterford option – but does have Sligo.”

If the line is shut it will also mean removing a link from the Atlantic arc linking Rosslare into the reopened Ennis-Athenry section of the Western Rail corridor.

Meanwhile, more than 1,500 people have joined a Facebook campaign to keep the line open.

The public meeting starts at 7.45pm.