A report to be submitted to the Government's Strategic Rail Review by Irish Railway News, an online news service, is calling on Iarnród Éireann to overhaul its passenger and freight services between Limerick and Waterford.
The authors, Mr Alan Meehan and Mr Hassard Stacpoole, describe the Limerick-Waterford line as "a grossly underutilised national asset", saying passenger services are run on an inconvenient timetable, and freight traffic is being allowed to disappear.
The line goes through Limerick Junction, Cahir, Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir and encompasses the third-, fifth- and 14th-largest settlements in the State - Limerick, Waterford and Clonmel.
However, the current once-a-day service, leaving Limerick at 3.25 p.m., takes 2½ hours to arrive at Waterford at an average speed of 30 m.p.h.
Iarnród Éireann currently "offers no speed advantage, no cost advantage, no timing advantage and is at a massive frequency disadvantage".
The authors believe there is a danger the line will be closed, noting there is no local advertising of services and no timetables at Clonmel indicating a service.
"It is widely believed in Clonmel that passenger rail services through the town ceased some years ago," they say.
Freight traffic is vanishing, they add, even though the line connects with Waterford port and also with Rosslare.
"The website is constructed as if the rail/ferry option from Ireland to the UK does not exist.
"This further marginalises the Limerick-Waterford-Rosslare service." .
They believe an improved timetable could be delivered with proper marketing and minimal investment.
Irish Railway News is available at www.communities.msn.ca/IrishRailwayNews