Talk of closing the railway line between Rosslare and Limerick Junction which runs through Waterford’s Plunkett Station is nothing new, as an online campaign has reminded those in support of retaining the line.
A cutting from The Irish Times dated November 19th 1976 was recently posted on social network site Facebook’s ‘Save the Rosslare to Waterford rail line’ page and makes for timely reading.
Headlined ‘CIE sounding death-knell of 110-mile railway line’, the paper then stated that the link was set to rust like so many other lines that successive governments deemed too costly to retain.
At a meeting of the Rosslare Harbour Development Board on November 18th 1976, CIE Area Manager JA O’Connor said that a company investigation concluded that passenger trains on the route in question “were uneconomic”.
The report added: “These facts would be presented to the CIE Board next month and it was likely that it would be decided to withdraw the service early in 1977.”
Thirty-three years later, and the line remains open. However, if the noises of recent weeks are to be believed, that death-knell could soon be sounding again.
But, as the Facebook campaign regarding the Coast Guard helicopter handsomely indicated, public opposition to State-approved decisions can bring common sense to bear among those obsessed with cost cutting.
For full story see our print edition.
