Heuston, we’ve got a problem

When I started this blog last year the first issue I raised was the lack of public transport in Wexford. I focused on rail because the county still retains a lot of its rail infrastructure unlike many other counties and its something I want to see developed in terms of passenger and freight.
So the forthcoming rail timetable is a document I pour over as closely as a programme for government. I want to see how my town is affected for good or for bad. A timetable reveals what management believe is important. Publishing a timetable outs the management to the travelling public. The forthcoming timetable sees increased trains to Wexford from Dublin. I welcome that and it’s good to see that. Wexford is becoming a destination which allows a speedy turn around and return. Trains only take in revenue when they run, so keep the train moving is my motto. Which is why I’ve always pressurised management to run trains to Waterford. When I came to Wexford in the mid 90’s there were 3 return trains between Rosslare and Waterford, now we’re done to one train. The south Wexford line was particularly busy with sugar beet, now it’s a quiet back water since the demise of that industry.
The absence of freight presents huge opportunities to Irish Rail. To be fair to them they introduced a connection between the town and Waterford in response to my lobbying. I've travelled on the train myself one morning last year. Imagine my surprise when the train stopped in the middle of nowhere, the driver got out, crossed the road, opened the gates, drove the train across the road and the dismounted oncemore to shut the gate before resuming the journey to Waterford. But next month will see the retreat from Wexford as the service is scalled back.

The new timetables for implementation in September shows that while Irish Rail will provide a commuter service to Wexford to Waterford there will be no return service in the evening. While trains will leave Rosslare Europort as the connecting ferry service is docking at the pier making it impossible for passenger to connect as the rail company re-located the rail station about 600 M from the ferry terminal. The new timetable as a total mess.
The new timetable fails not just to integrate trains with ferries but even trains with trains. It’s incredible, a child could do better. Irish Rail has failed to promote in the local media the Wexford Waterford commuter link even though the return fare is cheaper than Bus Eireann. Next year rail services to the west will be extended but the chance to integrate to Wexford has been lost. Students who wish to commute to Waterford IT will find themselves marooned at Rosslare Strand on the return journey having missed the last connection to Wexford by 20 minutes. As a timetable it’s unworkable and will result in fewer passengers taking the train. When I heard about the potential cutbacks to train service I wrote to the 2 Green Ministers and the Transport Minister Noel Dempsey. The best response I got was that it had been referred the matter to Irish Rail who replied from Hueston Station to advise that the CEO was on holidays!

I’m also astounded that Irish Rail spent over €30K in 2008 taxiing train crews from Rosslare Europort to Waterford rather than running an evening service back to the city from Rosslare Europort. Given the low customer base in South Wexford, incurring such a high overhead on staff transport insured from the outset that the Rosslare Waterford rail service could never be viable, cutting the service in half insults the travelling public. This is a service that was set up to fail. Coupled with the severing of the New Ross line from the network, I wonder what is the commitment to the future of rail services out of Waterford? When will Irish Rail learn that we all don’t want to go to Dublin?

FG’s graduate tax will make 3rd level education a luxury

So Fine Gael have got off the fence and lined up with Fianna Fail. To be fair to them they’ve waited a while and while I welcome their 3rd way document as it contains a whole lot more than just funding of third level, graduate charges are what the media have focussed on rightly as it will lob on to those who wish to teach an additional levy on their PRSI. I welcome some aspects of the Fine Gael document but its important to have clear blue water between Labour and FG on the question of funding 3rd level. I always understood that we pay taxes to support education. Fine Gael has rushed into the announcement and had not thought through their policy. I couldn’t believe how complimentary Education Batt O’Keeffe was to FG this morning on radio, if I was an FG’er I’d have cringed! Let’s talk about 2 things I should know something about, science degrees and higher diplomas in education. FG’s plan to make students pay 30% of the cost of their education will see science graduates paying for much longer than graduates in other disciplines like Arts. FG’s proposal means a charge of over €16,000 per per science graduate in real terms, (figures from FG’s document “The 3rd Way” P 6). If this is to be paid off over 4 years, the time period needed to acquire this degree it would mean an additional €4,000 in levies on science graduates. Students wishing to pursue a post graduate course such as Higher Diplomas in Education will face additional costs Science is one discipline that has traditionally, along with arts, drawn under graduates from across the social spectrum. These levies will be presumably on top of other levies already in place because of the economic down turn. Who would want to be a teacher and pay at both ends backwards for your degree and forwards for your pension at extortionate rates? The average starting salary of 3rd level graduates is about €27,000 gross. I’m also worried at the prospect of a brain drain while we’re supposed to be developing a knowledge based and smart economy. FG’s plan is based on the premise that graduates automatically are protected against unemployment. As we know this is not the case at the moment, many graduates are losing their jobs. These charges will lead to a brain drain as graduates move to other countries to avoid paying charges, this at a time when the country needs to foster the knowledge economy. Presumably while at the same time foreign trained graduates would not be liable for the charge. Secondary students will consider leaving the Republic for Wales or Northern Ireland where already colleges have empty places and a student loans scheme where you pay as you earn significantly less than what FF or FG now want to charge. I want to see local graduates get jobs in the future at Coca Cola in Drinagh not pack their bags to work in R&D abroad.I’m also disappointed that Fine Gael are now opposed to the aim of having 72% of our LC students progressing to 3rd level. I am worried at the implications of less student places at third level will have for points as these will inevitably rise. Surely this will put more obstacles in the way of those from disadvantaged backgrounds where there is a poorer emphasis on education as away to self development. Fine Gael’s programme reeks of inequality. It will neither empower nor support a future for our young people. Fine Gael should remember that education based on equal access and universality is the only possible road to prosperity for our country and future generations. At this time we must strengthen participation in education, not force people to opt out. Social investment is imperative in dealing with the current economic crisis and laying the foundation for a decent cohesive society in the future. Do we actually need to rebrand our IT’s as a university or indeed does this just use up some of the €500M that they aim to raise. Has anyone heard of a campaign for university status for Tallaght, Letterkenny or Carlow? This all might sound fine during an election but why pile on extra to the already stretched cost when these colleges have not applied for upgrades to university status and the present universities by their own admission do not have enough money? Back to the drawing boards for FG, Should be plenty for them at NCAD!