No right to waste taxpayers’ money

IT’S been great to see such a huge level of investment in Irish railways over the last few years, with much-improved services and better-quality trains.

But Iarnord Eireann is now looking to get rid of some 100 Mark III railway coaches. Given that the fleet is 20 years old, this may not be surprising in most people’s eyes. However, railway carriages have lifespan of up to 40 years and virtually identical (even older) coaches are still in service in Britain. Many of these are now going through refurbishment programmes, which bring them up the standard of the newer Iarnrod Eireann stock.

There is nothing wrong with the Irish coaches except that they are currently surplus to requirements. In fact, the Mark III coach is acknowledged as one of the best in the world. Many of the equivalent fleet in Britain was put in storage and brought back out when required. It is scandalous that Iarnrod Eireann is getting rid of perfectly good rolling stock when public finances are in such a perilous state.