There is a major crisis in the railway mode of transport. We do not want the standard reply that the Government provide CIE with a generous level of financial support to provide essential transport services. Fundamental decisions must be taken now. Are the Minister and the Government prepared to stand idly by and see the present railway mode gradually disintegrate? In effect this is happening because of the indecisiveness of the Department over the years. The general public are becoming increasingly disillusioned and angry.
In my constituency commuters along the outer suburban rail route in towns such as Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush, Lusk, Donabate, Malahide and Portmarnock cannot depend on the service any more to get to their place of employment. Trains seldom run to schedule, are cancelled at short notice and breakdowns have become the norm. Where their jobs are at stake, can we blame commuters for turning to other modes of transport? This would be a tragedy, given their preferred option for public transport. I demand immediate action to remedy the problem.
One of the causes of the problem is the unreliability of the locomotives. It is disgraceful that the last locomotive was purchased in 1973, some 18 years ago. In addition 80 per cent of the company's fleet is over 25 years old. New locomotives are urgently required if any semblance of a service is to be retained.
Another major area of concern is the lack of carriages, which is especially damaging at peak times. The need for additional railcars was identified in 1985 when a submission was made to Government by CIE for authorisation to build 45. It was not until 1991 that a decision was taken. This was for 17 new railcars, a totally inadequate number. That delay ended the coach building industry at Inchicore, which is an utter disgrace. Carriages will now have to be purchased outside this country.
Critical to quality and safety of service is track renewal. Is the Minister aware that over 850 miles of the rail track in this country are over 50 years old and nearly 300 miles of timber sleeper track are over 25 years old, both outside their life expectancy? Given the need for safety, need I say more? The alternative to replacement of track is a reduction of speed, which in essence means a reduction in service and so drives customers away from the railways. The failure to renew the track represents, in effect, a decision to bring traffic on these lines to a halt, and could ultimately lead to the closure of all branch lines with the exception of the main lines to Waterford, Cork, Limerick and Belfast.
Railways have enormous social and environmental benefits by way of reduced road usage. They cause less pollution and emit less noise. In view of the social importance to both urban and rural communities throughout the country, will the Minister state why the railway mode received only £30 million compared to an allocation of £600 million for road infrastructure from the EC Structural Fund? Will the Minister accept that a major anomaly exists whereby railways must pay for their own infrastructure, including heavy interest charges, as opposed to roads which are automatically funded from the Exchequer? Will the Minister rectify this anomaly?
Major decisions are required. I ask the Minister and the Government, on behalf of the people, to follow the line taken by other European countries and give preference to public rail transport rather than roads. This would save the railways and would be in the interests of the general public. Do the Minister and the Government want to be recorded as depriving the people of the public transport service which has been at the social heart of the country throughout the years? It is time for decisions and I am asking the Minister to act.
