Two trains a day. Out and back from Limerick in the morning, out and back in the evening. You may say it's a long way to Tipperary, but the lessons are here (or there) to share.
Article somewhat edited down as I quote it ...
Tipperary County Council official questions viability of Premier County rail links
COUNCILLORS DEFEND NEED TO UPGRADE SERVICES
A senior official with Tipperary County Council has raised the question over whether or not Tipperary’s rail lines should remain open.
The Ballybrophy to Limerick line, which serves Roscrea, Nenagh, Cloughjordan and Birdhill, and the Tipperary Junction to Waterford line have been threatened with closure over the past number of years by Irish Rail.
Now, senior council official Pat Slattery has questioned why they should remain in use.
He stated that there were 4,000 people commuting from North Tipperary to Limerick daily, but less than 50 used the train.
Maintaining that each passenger cost the taxpayer €750 in subvention, he said: “Buses can go from door to door. Could we not get a better service to serve our needs.”
However, he was criticised by a number of councillors, with the main criticism coming from Cllr Joe Hannigan.
“Rather than shutting down the line, we should be asking how we can make it commercially viable,” he said.
Cllr Hannigan said that the timetable was “not user-friendly” and needed to change.
“We should hold what we have and look at upgrading it. Closing it won’t solve our rural transport problems,” he said.
He was backed by Cllr Hughie McGrath who said that the line should be looked at as not just going to Dublin, but could be a feeder line to help develop Shannon Airport.
“It’s a link to Limerick and to the airport,” he said.
“The trains do not travel in the right direction at the right time,” said Cllr Ger Darcy. “The service does not suit the people who would use it.”
He said that it “shouldn't be rocket science” to put a link to UL so students from North Tipperary could commute to college.
Quoting (myself!) what I posted on the RailFuture Campaigners Facebook Group at
((here))That story looks so familiar. We too had one train each way (Swindon to Westbury via Melksham) at each end of the line until 2013 - less passenger journeys even than the Limerick to Ballybrophy via Roscrea line. Put in a sensible service and use will rocket - passenger journeys up from 3,000 per annum to 75,000 per annum at Melksham - and then stopped growing because there was no more space on the new trains!!
Limerick's official is correct - it's pretty useless as it is. I've been / seen / looked as a comparison / benchmark to Melksham. The solution is probably not to pull the service - it's to make the service appropriate, and with goodwill and other ducks (such as fares and reliability and information systems) in line, it *will* work.