No plans to restore Waterford rail line

DESPITE momentum seemingly growing behind the campaign to re-open the Rosslare to Waterford rail line, Barry Kenny of Iarnród Éireann says that it’s not something that the company feels is viable at this time.

Having published their business report on the potential to restore the Rosslare to Waterford rail link, the South East on Track group has met with a number of politicians, leading to calls for the Minister for Transport to step in.

However, responding to Senator Malcolm Byrne at a special Oireachtas meeting on Rosslare Europort last week, Mr Kenny gave the impression that it’s a non-runner.

He said that while the company would hope to improve the Rosslare to Dublin line, in the hopes it would increase passenger numbers, he did not feel that it would ‘make sense’ at this time to re-open the Rosslare to Waterford line.

On the issue of greater freight use of railways, Europort Manager Glenn Carr pointed out that as Rosslare is a Roll On, Roll Off port service, there may be ‘ limited possibilities’ for this.

COUNCILLOR Mary Farrell has called for better communication when issues arise with the water supply.

At the February meeting of Gorey-Kilmuckridge Municipal District, Cllr Farrell said the water in Kilmuckridge had been dreadful earlier in the week but a boil water notice – or any other kind of notice – had not been issued.

Cllr Farrell said she got a lot of calls, text messages and emails and that the water was brown and had sediment in it.

‘Next time something like that happens, the council must send out a notice to let people know regardless of level of seriousness,’ she said.

Barry Hammell from the water section said that the issue was manganese, and that it would be resolved by flushing out the main but that the request would be considered.