At a 1986 cost of over half a million punts, The Barrow Railway Bridge was repaired. 24 years later Irish Rail are closing the line. Does this sound like a waste of money?
Here is a detailed article about the bridge and its repair and a background as to why the line was built at the start of the last century, opening up Munster to Rosslare & other ports. On a day when there is a no fly zone over Ireland (due to volcanic ash from Iceland), shutting access to ports makes no sense at all. With a Green Party in power for the foreseeable future, one with a ministry in sustainable transport how can they let this closure happen? And how can we watch them do it. With peak oil around the corner public transport is the future not our past. I urge those in power to think again. Please explore a Rail-Bus on this line if running diesel trains with carriages in currently uneconomic.
Please stop by and join the Facebook Group set up to save this endangered piece of permanent way.
Article by É. Greene (yes a close relation) and published in the Journal of the Irish Railway Record Society (1989)
Posted via email from web lab