Champion leads to plea by boy to save train service
Irish Rail has given assurances to a six- year- old boy that it won’t be closing the Sligo to Dublin rail line after the youngster expressed concern in a letter that his mother needed the service in order to get to the capital for medical treatment.
A family member posted on Facebook that Darragh Walsh from Collooney was reading The Sligo Champion and: “saw on the front page that the Sligo- Dublin train was at risk of closing. He took it upon himself to send Irish Rail a letter and asked me to send it to them, I took the picture and tweeted Irish Rail and just got the loveliest reply!”
Irish Rail was so touched by Darragh’s concern it offered his family a free return journey to anywhere in the country.
The boy’s letter read: “To Irish Rail, I seen on the Sligo Champion that you are closing the Dublin- to- Sligo train. Please don’t, because my mum wants to get to hospital to see the doctor. Please don’t close the train, From Darragh Walsh, age 6.”
A new Irish Rail report, highlighted in The Champion last week shows that the service is in doubt unless Irish Rail gets more Government funding to keep routes open.
An Irish Rail spokesperson said: “Darragh’s letter was a timely reminder that behind discussions, about funding the future of rail transport and infrastructure, are very human stories and realities.
“Lots of people, including Darragh’s mother, rely on our services for essential travel, including important hospital appointments.
“It was clear, from Darragh’s letter, that he is caring for, and looking after, his mother, while her hospital visits continue, so we thought that, along with his family, he would appreciate a train trip to anywhere in the country,” the spokesperson said.
“We’ve made contact and will set up the journey for whenever they choose to travel. We’re grateful Darragh took the time to write his excellent letter to us, and hope we’ve eased his worries about his Mam’s travel.”
The spokesperson said Darragh is not the only person to have aired their concern for the future of the rail network.
A national review of rail services found € 600m was needed to meet the funding gap and cover losses at Irish Rail over the next five years.