Waterford To Rosslare Rail line Replaced with a Bus service

RobitTV

Irish Rail have been given the go ahead to suspend the Waterford to Rosslare Rail Line and replace it with a bus service at some stage before the end of September.

Even though the decision seems like an end of the line, Tanya Fenelon, the Chair of the Save the Rail Group, said, “despite Irish Rail’s decision, the line will remain open, Irish Rail have to maintain it and the way has been paved for a private operator to run a better service. We have started work on the Community Rail Partnership Model and will be meeting with the National Transport Authority (NTA) next week to get the ball rolling.”

The group organised a large protest at Plunkett Station last Wednesday, which saw politicians from all sides join forces in their opposition to the decision to close the line.

Iarnród Éireann made the announcement to suspend the service last Friday and have said they will now work with Bus Éireann to establish a replacement bus schedule.

“We will confirm as soon as possible to customers the date on which rail services will be suspended, and replaced by the additional Bus Éireann services. It is expected that this transition will be completed during the month of September 2010,” a spokesperson said.

A network of replacement bus services will now be put in place to provide over 80 additional round trips from stops previously served by rail, supported by funding from the National Transport Authority of approximately €250,000 a year.

Speaking following the announcement that the line is to be shut down, Fine Gael Waterford Senator, Paudie Coffey said: “It is highly regrettable that the National Transport Authority has upheld Irish Rail’s proposal to close the Rosslare/Waterford line ‘subject to conditions’, which have yet to be made known.

The Regional Authorities in the South-East and the Mid-West, together with their 10 constituent local authorities, had made a formal submission to the NTA forcefully opposing the proposal of Irish Rail to cease passenger services on the Rosslare to Waterford railway line. Irish Rail required the approval of the NTA to terminate the passenger service on the line.

The two Regional Authorities, the city councils of Waterford and Limerick and the eight county councils in the regions had joined together to strongly resist the closure of the Rosslare-Waterford section of the railway line that links Rosslare Europort (which is, ironically, owned and operated by Irish Rail) with Waterford, Limerick and onwards to the South West and the West.