Railing against the lack of investment in our rural networks
■ Not unlike Britain’s current political chaos, is it the case that we also have a Government where the left hand doesn’t know what is being done by the right hand?
The Irish Independent (February 6) encapsulates so succinctly the left/right dilemma. On page four is a leading article by Paul Melia about the possible closure of major rail services to a number of key provincial centres.
On page five, one sees the perennial roll-out of a plan to rejuvenate rural Ireland, the National Planning Framework (NPF), which seems to be aimed principally at the Dublin region, although (thank God) no mention of the pie-in-the-sky Metro North.
But whatever its current guise, the NPF is anything but countrywide-embracing and appears to have no clue as to the possible closure of most of our antediluvian rail system.
In which other Western European country do mainline trains depart the capital no later than around 9pm?
This denies thousands the opportunity to attend, for example, a performance at the National Concert Hall unless one is prepared to drive, incurring tolls and an overnight hotel stay in Dublin.
Yes, Taoiseach, nobody is suggesting trains to everywhere – but to slash services to locations such as Galway, Killarney, Waterford, Mayo, etc, is stupid in the extreme.
As the route from Dublin to Cork is paralleled by both rail and motorway and as the latter offers a number of express coach services, why not close the Dublin-Cork rail line?
Roscommon? No high-speed internet, some 32km from the nearest motorway, recently losing its sole department store and possibly to lose its rail service.
How could any entrepreneur be enticed here?
Ditto hundreds of similar towns in this two-tier country. And it’ll never get better.
Michael Dryhurst Co Roscommon