Ireland 2040 - Rail Elements.

[Thomas J Stamp]

That means either restoring and probably improving the government subvention, or very hefty fare increases and probably closing all but the most essential lines. I suspect most here would favour the former.

IE have hit the upper limit of fares, which is why there are so many on-line discounted options, andy further upward trands will be counter productive.

Closing lines - there are some low hanging fruit but actually Limerick-Ballybrophy could be made a lot better with a bit of re-organisation, as could Limierick Junction/Waterford. They do seem to exist to be sacrificed if the heat gets too intense though.

Subvention is the thing, it is the only thing. the UK experiance has shown that if you want rail to excercise at its best, you need state support for it. The benefits may be difficult to record, but they are there.