NBRU Press Release

Rail Privatisation

The NBRU said today that it will vehemently oppose any move towards the Privatisation of Iarnród Éireann’s operations.

General Secretary Dermot O’Leary said:

“The argument for privatising rail does not stand up, it is a failed political ideology driven by neo-liberal zealots, who on the one hand champion austerity, whilst on the other they push for public services to be siphoned off to those who place profit ahead of service. Privatising Rail in the UK has failed miserably in terms of providing value for the taxpayer, subsidy having trebled since privatisation, the irony here is that Irish Rail is seriously underfunded, giving the operation of services over to the private sector, where profit is demanded, will inevitably lead to the death knell for a large portion of Irelands railways”

Mr O’Leary went on to say:

“the notion that privatisation and competition will drive down fares is a misnomer, again one need only look at the UK where a worker will spend 18.5% of his average industrial wage on his annual commute from Milton Keynes to London, the same worker in Ireland will spend 8% of his salary on his ticket from Portlaoise to Dublin”