A rail tour recently ran along the Waterford/Rosslare line and is pictured standing at Ballycullane Station in County Wexford.  See News & Business 12 for more on this story.

A rail tour recently ran along the Waterford/Rosslare line and is pictured standing at Ballycullane Station in County Wexford. See News & Business 12 for more on this story.


Iarnród Éireann’s steadfast determination to close the Waterford/Rosslare Europort railway line was underlined by advertising in the national media last Friday its intention to close the line on July 21st.
The advertisement adds: “As an alternative for passengers in the affected area, Bus Éireann on behalf of the Board will provide on week-days the new and existing road passenger services.
“Iarnród Éireann (IE) requires a contractual approval for this termination of service from the National Transport Authority pursuant to the Public Transport Regulation Act 2009.”
The news has come as a hammer blow to campaigners who have fought to retain the line as a commercial entity since IE first announced its intention to close it.
Wexford Town Councillor Joe Ryan said last Friday’s development represented “an attempt to deflect from their current denous with the Oireachtas committee who want to ask them a few embarrassing questions”.
Given his belief (prior to Friday last) that the National Transport Authority (NTA) wasn’t due to consider IE’s application to cease their service until mid-Summer at earliest, Cllr Ryan’s suspicions appear well-founded.
“As the opposition to the closure built up and submissions were made and points rebutted the Southern and Eastern Regional Authority stepped in,” he continued.
“SERA (had) sought tenders for a socio economic report on the future of the line from Limerick Junction to Rosslare Harbour.
See The Munster Express newspaper for full story.