Funding crisis could put Ennis to Athenry rail route at risk

Galway Bay fm newsroom – The National Transport Authority says a report on the future of Iarnród Eireann was prepared before the budget spending allocations were announced.
The draft document, outlined in The Irish Times, warns that some parts of the network, such as Ennis to Athenry, could face closure without additional government funding.
The Ennis to Athenry route only came back into service in 2010 at a cost of 100 million euro.
The report says that although the number of people using trains is on the rise again, Irish Rail could still lose about 11 million euro nationally this year.
Irish Rail and the National Transport Authority worked together on the report, which is due to be published shortly, and the NTA says its findings and conclusions will become clear then.
The NTA claims the report was prepared before the spending increases announced in the new Budget.
But Industry correspondent with the Irish Times, Martin Wall, says there’s a very uncertain future for train passengers.