People Before Profit call for improved rail service in Tipperary

People Before Profit is calling on Tipperary County Council to request the Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan to include the Waterford/Limerick line in the Strategic Rail Review.

The party has welcomed the recent move by the Waterford City and County Council environmental strategic policy committee to request the Transport Minister to include the Rosslare/Waterford line in the review.

It says now is the time for Tipperary County Council to do likewise in respect of the Waterford/Limerick line, which passes through stations in Limerick Junction, Tipperary Town, Cahir, Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir.

People Before Profit spokesperson and South East on Track supporter, Anne Condon from Clonmel, says the line from Waterford to Clonmel and onto Limerick has “a totally unusable service” at present.

“The route needs the daily service increased from two services to a minimum of four return services at suitable times, but realistically six return trains per day are needed to give decent commuting options,” she says. 

“Once a commuting and shoppers’ service is up and running, the reopening of Fiddown or other local stations may be worth some consideration.”

She says the reopening of the Rosslare/Waterford line is the first step in re-establishing a major transport network for the south east region, connecting urban centres and rural villages along the way.

“It sets in motion the push needed to reinstate this link, when our carbon emissions are way above what other countries have due to our car dependence. 

“Offering public transport is the way forward, and collaborative approaches should be established with the councils involved to get this over the line.”

“Plunkett Station in Waterford is limited as a station due to the flooding and rock fall recently, making it a single platform only. This can be given greater flexibility by moving to the North Wharf station with two platforms.  

“Rail freight, as we predicted prior to Brexit, has multiplied for Rosslare and Bellview, and offers a much more environmentally sound alternative to road haulage. This needs to be factored into any infrastructural planning from now on,” Anne Condon added.

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