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Unread 18-09-2010, 09:36   #46
on the move
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The line is closing Mark. It will never be re-opened again. While the idea of a private operator filling the gap is there, there is no serious possibility of the operator getting the considerable resources in place to run the service, and the line will go into disrepair, as did the other lines that were/have been closed for decades. If the current service wasn't viable to the state company, even a seasonal service wouldn't be viable to a private firm.

In any case, like with the Drogheda-Dublin disruption last year, once commuters get used to the bus, few if any will want to return to travel 50 kilometres by rail, when they could do the same distance more frequently in a little over half the time. The road network reigns supreme at the moment. The line may officially be "suspended", but in reality, it is shutting down permanently at 6.30 this evening.

A step backwards today in an already poor national service.
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