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Niall Carson/PA Archive
# Your Say
Poll: Would you like to see other operators running passenger trains?
Leo Varadkar says he’d encourage interested parties to come forward to run cross-border services. Should there be more?
A GOVERNMENT DECISION confirmed yesterday will see cross-border rail routes opened up to private sector operators from March of next year.
The move comes as the government opts not to look for an extension to a derogation under EU law, which means that Ireland must now open up its domestic freight services to private operators, as well as international passenger rail services.
This morning Leo Varadkar encouraged companies who were interested in running cross-border passenger services to come forward – but suggested that the loss-making services from Iarnród Éireann meant private operators would probably not be interested.
Today we’re asking whether you’d like to see Ireland follow the lead of the UK and fully liberalise its passenger rail services, so that companies other than Iarnród Éireann could step in and run services if they thought they could make money in doing so.
Should Ireland’s passenger rail services be opened up to other operators?
Poll Results:
Yes (1160)
No (593)
I don't know (120)
Read: Varadkar would welcome private operators on cross-border rail lines >
