Proper funding is the only way to get network back on track

THIS is the latest of many warnings about how we need to grow numbers on the rail network and properly fund it. But key to rail’s success is having centres of population and a willingness to use the services provided.

In the debate about the National Planning Framework (NPF), there is much discussion about how the focus appears to be on investment in Dublin and our main cities at the expense of rural Ireland.

Rural Ireland has much to be concerned about. Post offices, Garda stations and banks have been closed over recent years as the population dwindles, and any suggestion that more essential public services will be axed has political ramifications.

While the notion that a Government reliant on Fianna Fáil to remain in office will close lines may be considered laughable by some, we have to make decisions. This year, Irish Rail has a funding gap of €42.3m – that’s the difference between the amount of money it generates in revenue and Government subvention, compared with the cost of operating and maintaining the network. But as the National Transport Authority points out, addressing years of underfunding is necessary. Some €341.3m is needed to address the funding gap between 2017 and 2021.

While some additional money has already been sanctioned, there is also a requirement to provide €125.2m to compensate for under-funding between 2010 and 2016.

Clearly, railways are expensive to operate, and while passenger numbers are back to boom-time levels, on some lines the cost of providing services cannot be justified given low passenger numbers.

That’s where the NPF comes in. Many large towns are on the lines under threat of closure, and in many cases, residents are commuting to other areas for work and education. There’s no reason, if the right connectivity is put in place, that they shouldn’t be able to choose sustainable rail travel instead of the car. That requires bus connections to the mainline stations, and ticket prices that aren’t an impediment to making the switch.

There has been a prolonged debate about the future of the rail network, but little attempt over recent years to find a solution. This needs to be that time.