Introduction
The Save the Rail Group is a voluntary group specifically formed with the objective of campaigning to retain and develop the Rosslare to Waterford rail line.
The Save the Rail Group Committee has been involved with conducting surveys, liaising with stakeholders and raising awareness of the potential benefits of an improved rail service.
The Save the Rail Group considers that IE should not be given permission to close the line in the absence of a specific plan to boost patronage. At present the line barely meets the needs of those travelling on it and the timetabling does not encourage other potential passengers. The Group considers that IE has failed to market and promote the rail line to enable it to be more financially viable.
The Rosslare to Waterford Rail Line should be seen as a link from the West of Ireland to the rest of Europe and not solely as a commuter line from the South of Wexford to Waterford City.
Peak oil will impact within the next few years. Equally the recent volcanic eruption and very probable larger eruption in the future illustrate the folly of relying solely on air for international access. During the recent airspace closure the Waterford-Rosslare train was standing room only, this is testimony to the line’s strategic economic importance as an integral part of this state’s southern sea-rail access corridor.
IÉ have cited the following reasons for the proposed closure of the line:
• revenue meeting 2% of costs
• low population within the line’s catchment area
• low usage
• reduction of the subvention
• cessation of beet traffic and the consequent loss of revenue from freight
Demographic Information
With the combined population of South Wexford, Waterford City and Wexford town at approximately ninety three thousand inhabitants, there is scope for improved usage of the line.
Present Timetable
The present service consists of one train in each direction Mondays to Saturdays inclusive; 0700 ex Rosslare Europort and 1720 ex Waterford. The vast majority of users are workers and students commuting into Waterford City. The present timetable is inconveniently timed for the average working day. The line is the only one in the state devoid of a Sunday service thereby excluding the significant traffic of workers/students returning home for the weekend. Similarly the short-break weekend tourism traffic is precluded.
Fare Avoidance
It is common knowledge that as there is rarely a ticket checker on board the train and as there is no barrier at Waterford Station, the train can be used for free. Apart from Plunkett Station, the only station wheretickets can be purchased is at Rosslare Strand. This has meant that IE has had to rely on the honesty of their passengers to fully account for the amount actually using the line.
Comparison with Car Transport
The line possesses a considerable competitive advantage over the corresponding road journey duration between South Co. Wexford and Waterford (the Barrow Railway Bridge is several miles downstream of New Ross, the nearest road bridge.). The daily build up of traffic at Ferrybank in Waterford in the morning and New Ross in the evening adds considerably to journey times.
At present there is a large amount of vehicular traffic movement between Counties Wexford and Waterford. According to Traffic Counter Data from 2009, the N25 at Carrickbyrne in Co. Wexford carries approximately 2.6 million vehicle trips per annum. The Passage East Car Ferry carried approximately 300,000 vehicles per annum in 2006; this corresponds to approximately 1 million passengers. The rail line has the potential to reduce this volume of traffic and thereby reduce the volume of transport sector emissions.
The South Wexford stations at present have poorly maintained car parks which, if properly exploited have park and ride potential.
The Line as part of the Regional Rail Network
The line is being fundamentally undermined by being operated and appraised as if it were a branch line.
The line is part of a natural regional line of route with strong demographics (Wexford-Waterford-Clonmel-Limerick-Galway). This line can directly link three of our major cities (Waterford, Galway & Limerick). The line also has three key transport nodes along its length: Limerick Junction for frequent trains to Cork, Sixmilebridge for coach access to nearby Shannon Airport and Rosslare Europort for Welsh & continental ferries.
Trains on the line at present fail to connect with the wider railway network. An example of this lack of integration is the fact that the afternoon train from Dublin/Kilkenny reaches Waterford at 533pm, just thirteen minutes after the solitary Rosslare train has departed at 520pm. Similarly a passenger reaching Waterford at 820am from the line must wait until 1100am for the next train to Kilkenny or until 1230pm to travel westwards (Clonmel/Cork/Limerick).
The Line as Part of the European Rail Network
The rail line is a connection with UK and French rail services. With the present timetable, the only connection to Waterford from Rosslare Europort is the 7am service. On the Welsh side of the Irish Sea at Fishguard, dedicated ‘boat trains’ are integrated with all conventional ship arrivals/departures at Fishguard and link immediately with London-bound High-Speed trains at Swansea/Cardiff. Indeed the frequency of trains to/from Fishguard is destined to be significantly increased in the near future.
The Save the Rail Committee undertook a survey of passengers on the Stena Line sailing on the 4th of June 2010. Eighty six ferry passengers walked straight from the ferry upon docking at Fishguard straight onto the waiting train. There is the potential for the equivalent ferry foot passenger to rail traffic on this side of the Irish Sea.
With proper marketing and promotion the line has real potential to boost tourism. Many tourist attractions are dotted along or within easy reach of the line.
Survey
The Save the Rail Group Committee voluntarily undertook a survey of potential passengers on dates between 27/05/2010 and 28/06/2010. (See enclosed)
The surveys were conducted face to face, the majority of which were door to door. Respondents were asked if they would use an improved service on the line, not only one that corresponded to normal working hours but also allowed leisure and shopping usage.
A total of 1,260 potential passengers were surveyed. Out of those, 1,081 said that they would use the service. A potential annual total of 64,019 round trips would be generated from these respondents alone.
Proposed Alternative Bus Timetable
The Save the Rail Group considers that the proposed alternative bus timetable is unsuitable and unworkable.
The proposed service will not connect with Ballycullane which is presently served by the rail service.
The timetable is wildly optimistic bearing in mind the traffic jams at Ferrybank in Waterford in the morning and New Ross in the evening do not seem to be accounted for. The bus service, in our opinion, will not be punctual or reliable for both commuters and students travelling to WIT.
As a Group, one of our main areas of concern is that of the situation of those using the line to access third level education, at present and into the future. Co. Wexford has a lower than average proportion of inhabitants who go onto third level education. Having a punctual and reliable public transport service will do much to make a transition to third level easier.
Disability access will also be problematic. As the proposed route will connect with Waterford Regional Hospital, it would be vital that the buses used are readily accessible for wheelchair users. At present, with the Bus Eireann service connecting Rosslare Europort to Waterford, wheelchair users have to book a ‘kneeling’ bus 24 hours in advance with no guarantee of one being available. If a ‘kneeling’ bus is provided as an alternative to the rail service, it would be up to the Local Authority to provide suitable kerbing to enable the bus stop to be level with the floor of the bus. We have been informed that the Local Authority would not be in a position financially to enable this to happen.
On Bus Eireann bus services, toilet facilities are either not available or completely inaccessible to wheelchair users. The present rail service has wheelchair accessible toilets.
Freight
Two ports viz. Belview, Waterford and Rosslare Europort lie on the line. Rail freight goes to Belview but there is no rail freight to Rosslare. While the cessation of beet traffic is disappointing, IÉ must be encouraged toinvestigate alternative freight flows to either Belview/Rosslare.
Proposals for Improved Viability of the Rosslare to Waterford Rail Line
The Save the Rail Group considers that the line can meet this country’s future passenger (& freight) transport needs if given the opportunity to do so.
With this in mind, the Group would strongly recommend:
• A three times daily through train in each direction along the line between
Wexford/Rosslare and Limerick/Galway with at least one train in each direction on Sundays.
• Meaningful and user-friendly connections developed at interchange stations (Rosslare Strand and Waterford). Passengers from the South Wexford Line should have the facility to travel not just to/from Waterford but to/from Wexford or any station on the Rosslare-Dublin line; to/from any station along the line to Limerick/Galway and to/from any station along the Waterford-Kilkenny-Dublin line.
• A proper marketing and publicity strategy: effective and widespread marketing of the service and attendant services e.g. SailRail to Britain.
• Development of further freight flows along the line.
• Development of cycle/walking trails from South Wexford line stations.
• The appointment of a route development manager to develop the above issues enabling the line to realise its optimum potential.
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