An Bord Snip: Transport
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The report recommends cutting the Department of Transport’s €3.1bn budget for 2009 by €127.1m, or about 5%, with corresponding staff reductions of 50.
The report believes most of its recommendations could be implemented within a short timescale and stresses that its savings proposals “should be considered as conservative.” Try telling that to the CIE management and unions, the operators of small regional airports that were looking forward to substantial hand-outs from the government in the coming years and the promoters of the Western Rail Corridor.
Key proposals include:
Administration
Merge existing transport safety authorities (Road Safety Authority, Railway Safety Commission, Maritime Safety Directorate and Irish Aviation Authority) into a single body
Merge Railway Procurement Agency into National Roads Authority
Outsource all driver licensing and testing services
Public Transport
Cut CIE support by €55m
Abolish Rural Transport Scheme and sell Bus Eireann Expressway Service
“Abolish ‘Green Schools Initiative’ (of which, more later!)
Close uneconomic rail services and stop any further development of Western Rail
Roads – bear in mind \nthat €510m was taken out of roads (mainly €490m in capital projects) in Budget
Reduction of €20m in roads maintenance regional roads from DoT
Assign regional roads from DoT to National Roads Agency
Department to consider introduction of national system of road pricing once current infrastructural improvement programmes are completed
Aviation
End all development aid and other grants to the 6 regional airports
Demand increased subventions from DAA and other Airport Authorities to the State
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On the ‘Green Schools Initiative’, the report notes, rather acidly, that: “The State does not need a special Programme of €10m over five years to convince school children and their parents to walk to and from school rather than drive. There must be alternative, cheaper ways to achieve the outcome sought from this initiative, which ultimately relies on community spirit and organisation
The specific rail routes recommended for closure are Limerick Junction to Rosslare, Limerick to Ballybrophy, and Manulla Junction to Ballina. I thought that the first route had underused potential for cargo and so getting lorries off the road but I don’t know the situation that well.
They should not get rid of rail lines, they should get rid of all ticket staff and have ticket machines like the luas. Any rail lines they cant afford should be privatised
The low cost suggestion for the Limerick to Rosslare (or was it Waterford?) was to replace the train with a road/rail hybrid that would be cheaper to run and maintain and be a better fit for the 20 or less passengers that use the service at any one time.
That suggestion was in the press recently, not in the McCarthy Report.