I am thankful, as are we all, that the serious, even spectacular, rail accident in Cahir involved no loss of life or injuries. In that respect it was better than the previous accident in the same place in 1955, details of which are recorded in photograph books in County Tipperary.
It is a busy line, despite impressions given to the contrary, and it is especially so at this time of the year with the transportation of beet. The train in question was a cement train which was running in the early hours of the morning. They run on a 24 hour basis. The line is important rather than expendable.
This incident underlines the importance of the rail safety programme introduced by Senator O'Rourke when she was the Minister for Public Enterprise. It is essential for the health and safety of train drivers that the programme is completed. The rail safety programme was never purely a question of economics. It was a matter of safety.
A strengthened bridge that is capable of carrying the heavy freight traffic on the line needs to be put in place as expeditiously as possible. It is not just a minor passenger line. I travelled it twice in the past 15 months and the bridge was probably the weakest place on it. If a strengthened bridge is put in place, it may enable the capacity to be improved. I presume the Waterford to Rosslare part of the line will continue to operate. It has some commuter traffic, but obviously the beet traffic will be disrupted. A recent container contract was announced between Cork and Waterford and that obviously will be disrupted.
I am glad that the Minister has clarified that there is no question of using this incident to close the line. I cannot stress more strongly, and the Minister of State will have seen this when he went to Sligo, that the people want a joined up transport system and railway network. This line is a key part of the network, especially from the point of view of freight and, in the longer term, the corridor from the south-east through to the west. It is important that the Minister uses this opportunity.
The accident is a salutary warning. The Rosslare-Waterford-Limerick junction line is not the only such one in the country. For example, there is the line through north Tipperary. The second phase of the rail safety programme needs to be undertaken and completed. I hope the line in question will be repaired and put back into service on a long-term basis over the next few months.