Keep non-profit lines on track - Rural rail

LIKE Johnny Cash, most of us have a thing about trains. We like to travel in them, nod off at the clackety-clack, and retain childhood memories of trips to the seaside. The railway is also part of child literature, from The Railway Children to Thomas The Tank Engine.

Our fondness for the railway is being tested by Iarnród Éireann, which has warned it will be forced to shut lines unless an additional €128m a year is provided until 2021.

That is a lot of money and the question has to be asked: Is it worth it? The accountant within us will say ‘No’, but, thankfully, we are not a nation of accountants.