Sir, - On Monday, December 13th I travelled from Limerick to Dublin on the 2.45 p.m. train to visit my brother, Jack O'Brien, who was seriously ill in St Vincent's Private Hospital. It was a very cold day and there was no heating on the train. Two toilets were locked, a third had no light and there was no means of flushing it. In addition the carriages looked as if they had not been cleaned for some time.
Sadly, my brother passed away and he was buried on Thursday. On Saturday, December 18th I returned to Limerick by the 10.50 a.m. train. Once again there was no heating. This is an insult to the travelling public, especially in the middle of winter, and is reminiscent of what one might expect to find in some under-developed country.
The Government has the nerve to encourage tourists to this country and then insult them by providing public transport which I consider to be little better than cattle trucks.
I suffer from severe arthritis and can no longer drive a car and have, therefore, unfortunately, to use public transport.
Our transport system should be updated immediately before we become the laughing stock of the rest of the developed world. - Yours, etc., Cathleen O'Brien Grennan,
Shannon Grove, Pallaskenry, Co Limerick.