A route to the west that's going off the rails

When there are 3,700 children in care and when parents of youngsters with special needs have horrific battles to gain access to proper educational facilities, it may seem a little trivial to refer to the state of the Gal- way-Dublin train.

Yet, as with most of the national rail network, that service says everything there is to say about our value system, which accepts as normal the constant overcrowding, delays and often miserable travelling conditions that go with that route.

Other routes are far worse, of course, and far more dangerous, as Fine Gael TD Ivan Yates has recently highlighted. Overall, it has been estimated that an investment of £650 million would be required to replace the rotten sleepers, worn and defective rail track, and dilapidated signalling equipment, level crossings and rolling stock identified in a recent study.

Perhaps it is because so many students and young travellers depend on the Galway-Dublin service that so few complaints are received about it by Iarnrod Eireann. After all, isn't it good enough for them, you might hear some say? Even the indigenous population in the Republic's third- largest city seems resigned to the fact that an on-time arrival and a comfortable journey between home and the capital is more the exception than the rule.

The very vocal and influential Galway Chamber of Commerce and Industry carried out a recent survey to canvass priorities. The upgrading of this service and faster travelling time ranked 15th, behind other issues such as a new bridge over the Corrib, city traffic, a direct London-Galway air ser- vice, crime control, litter and the introduction of the euro.

The response indicated that members would like to see the travel time cut to under two hours and 15 minutes and an upgrading of the rail route. They also wanted greater frequency, the pro- vision of a new light rail link from Athenry and Oranmore to Gal- way, and the reopening of the Sligo-Limerick line.

"The problem is we all accept that there is no point in arranging meetings with CIE or Iarnrod Eireann," Niall Killilea of the chamber said last week. "There is little or nothing that the State company can do when the Government doesn't see it as a priority."

This reporter has undertaken several memorable journeys on the route. Travelling with a baby, I chose off-peak times. Iarnrod Eireann has no nappy-changing facilities, and the toilets can barely accommodate one person, let alone two. Finding a seat with space to do the needful is the major challenge on the trip.

Many seats are not fitted with flexible arm-rests and even if they are, the space between the seat and the table makes it almost im- possible to manoeuvre. Periodic jolting makes the risk of an un- controlled roll or a serious head injury constant. As for breast feeding, one would have to have given birth to a midget or be a natural contortionist to feel at ease.

Recently, the train was so packed that I was forced into the toilet. The door didn't close properly and hit repeatedly off my back as we rattled along. The child, who was at this stage almost hysterical with confusion, had to be propped up in the basin as I tried to make four arms out of two. At one stage, I remember thinking I should se- cure the back of his neck with my mouth, like a lioness with a cub.

Last week, a late evening train seemed relatively empty. A relatively stress-free journey stretched ahead. Though the seats were not suitable, I could always try a nappy-change on the table or on the carriage floor. Alas, a severely inebriated passenger made my life, and that of the other passengers, pretty miserable. Were it not for a patient and diplomatic member of the Iarnrod Eireann staff, who was apparently off-duty and returning home after a long day's work, it could have been far worse.

Everyone west of the Shannon has their own horror story. At this stage, most people find it too tedious to discuss. With road deaths consistently reaching 400 annually and constant complaints about traffic congestion, one might have hoped for a safer option.

The state of our public transport is a symbol of the much- vaunted "quality" of Irish life.