Rail move will increase deaths |
Irish Rail's latest plan to cut rail freight will run contrary to European transport policy. |
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Sunday Independent November 18th 2001 by Jerome Reilly A rationalisation plan by Irish Rail will substantially increase the number of trucks on Irish roads. The semi-state rail company plans to cut its freight business by half, thus forcing industry to use private hauliers, the Sunday Independent has learned. This means there will be substantial increase in the number of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) on Ireland's already dangerously overcrowded roads. These juggernauts were involved in 15 of the 20 cycling deaths in Dublin over the last six years and are implicated in about one in five of all road fatalities. So far this year, 352 people have died on Irish roads. Trucks contribute substantially to the chaotic traffic conditions that are now a daily feature of life. And they greatly increase pollution. The proposal (which runs counter to EU transport policy), for a 46 per cent reduction in rail freight to stem losses of nearly £6.7m a year, has been presented to the board of Irish Rail. They claim the rationalisation plan would see the freight business making £5m a year profits by 2006. However, it will mean tens of thousands of extra journeys by HGVs in Ireland each year, equivalent to 510m tonnes of goods, each tonne travelling a kilometre. Dismantling the freight network has already begun, with the closure of the Kingscourt/Navan line which used carry tens of thousands of tonnes of gypsum en route to cement manufacturers in Drogheda and Cork. Wildcat strikes by the Irish Locomotive Drivers Association (ILDA) led to the abandonment of rail freight by companies, who turned to road haulage. When the strike ended, the business did not return to the railway. The Kingscourt line, profitable for 50 years and in continuous use since 1875, now lies idle. Meanwhile, since October 31, rail transport of timber for Coillte, the State forestry agency, has also ceased. In 1999, 180,000 tonnes of Coillte products went by rail. Now the business is going by road, admitted Irish Rail spokesman Barry Kenny. That single decision will mean 20,000 additional HGV journeys a year each of 90 miles duration, according to Labour spokesman on Public Enterprise Emmet Stagg. Moves to axe the rail freight business run contrary to EU policy but were prompted by Government's insistence that Irish Rail become leaner and more competitive. More than 1.5m HGVs a year now travel through Dublin city centre and its suburbs to Dublin Port. As well as many accidents, high levels of pollutants from trucks have been linked to premature deaths and health damage. Dublin Corporation says elevated levels of PM10, (fine pollution particles) are consistently found in the city centre. Studies show a strong link between mortality rates and PM10s levels in urban areas, according to a Dublin Corporation report. The World Health Organisation (WHO) also warned that there did not seem to be a safe level for PM10s because of its effects on mortality. There is also evidence that these particles increase the susceptibility of humans to cardio-vascular disease. Ireland, unlike other European nations, offers no subsidies or tax breaks to encourage rail freight and reduce transport by road. The board of Irish Rail have delayed making a final decision on cutting its freight business by 46 per cent to allow Irish Rail management to secure either Government or EU funding. "If that is not forthcoming then the planned reductions will go ahead which would free up personnel, locomotives and investment funds for the use of passenger services which, after all, is our core business," a spokesman said. "We have a major investment programme continuing on the rail network. If we were to stay in freight, as it exists today, about £100m will be required." A spokesman for Public Enterprise Minister Mary O'Rourke insisted the 46 per cent reduction in rail freight was not a done deal. "The Government has allocated £430m for the rail safety programme. For the first time since they were built, we have a massive funding programme for the rail network in terms of making them safe, in terms of improving rolling stock and other facilities. "Because we are investing so much, we want to carry out a strategic rail study ... a central part of that will be the freight business so we can pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of the business." He added that Minister O'Rourke supports keeping freight part of Irish Rail's business. "We fully accept that rail freight has taken a severe knock, mainly as a result of the ILDA dispute, which knocked the heart out of the business," he said. "We have to target where to spend our money to get the best possible return and that is the aim of the strategic rail study," he added. The Dublin Cycling Campaign (DCC) said the plan to cut rail freight would inevitably mean more deaths from road traffic accidents and more pollution. "HGVs are cause a massively disproportionate number of road deaths," said ACC spokesman David Maher. "During the last six years 75 per cent of cycle fatalities in Dublin have involved collisions with HGVs. Closing rail freight will simply add to this dreadful statistic what price does the Government put on another dead cyclist?" Copyright © Sunday Independent |