The fact that a five-year, £430m investment programme in rail-safety measures is seen as an urgent priority, speaks volumes about the official neglect of this key element of public transport during recent decades. The Government decision was influenced by a consultant's report which found there was a "predictable" risk of a fatal train derailment within two years if emergency repairs were not carried out.
In spite of that, the Minister for Public Enterprise, Mrs O'Rourke, should be complimented for the energy and commitment she has displayed in convincing her Cabinet colleagues of the need for integrated planning in relation to rail services. For, as the Minister emphasised, investment in safety is only the first step in developing a modern, cost-effective and efficient rail system. As a second stage, she envisages the development of a suburban commuter service for the greater Dublin area that will initially include Drogheda, Naas, Newbridge, Kilcullen, Wicklow and Navan.
Questions remain about the precise financial commitment made by the Government to rail safety. Certainly, it has agreed to raise the ceiling on CIE's statutory borrowing limits by £100m. And there is a clear determination to raise a sizeable amount of the cash required through the disposal of CIE properties and by tapping into CIE's cash flow from joint partnership arrangements. The Minister was uncharacteristically vague about these matters, pleading the need for completion of an analysis of CIE's revenue-raising capacity. And, in spite of the fact that CIE receives one of the lowest public subsidies within the EU, she was unable to say whether this subvention would be increased in line with expanded, socially-beneficial services.
Fine Gael has argued that loading CIE with even greater debts - it owes £170m at present - does nothing for public transport. And it has suggested the £1,300m that is likely to be raised through the sale of Telecom Eireann should be spent on a massive public transport initiative.
For the first time in seven years, CIE will be allowed by the Government to increase its rail and bus fares. It is small wonder the State company is so strapped for cash when successive governments have declined to sanction necessary fare increases.
Mrs O'Rourke promised "a new age of the train" at her press conference. She hoped to develop an integrated, accessible and affordable public transport system. But it wasn't going to happen overnight. The present plan provided the bones of an excellent system, she said, and all elements of the existing network would be retained. It was good, positive stuff. Basic investment in safety, such as track renewal, signalling, level crossings and other features will have to be mainly funded from domestic resources. As a consequence, before we can draft the next national development plan and claim assistance for developing the rail system from the EU, we must have the basic building blocks in place. That is what the Minister has set out to achieve.
It is obvious the Government's priorities lie in improving commuter services in the satellite towns around Dublin and Cork. Communities hoping for improvements in the quality of long-distance rail travel to Dublin will have to take their places in the queue.