Nevi , Threat to Irish Road Services I NCREASES in rates
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and fares that it has been necessary to impose, says the sixth annual report of Coras lompair Eireann, have had the effect of diverting traffic from the board's rail services to private road transport. If the undertaking is to pay its way. steps must be taken to divert to rail services all the goods—particularly the heavy long-distarice traffic—which these rail services can carry.
It is stressed that the board have constantly asked that this be done -and that the alternative is State subsidy on an ever-growing scale.
During the year ended March 31, 1956, 6m. more passengers were carried on Dublin city bus services and an additional 1,637,656 miles were run compared with the previous year. On the provincial services, 2frin. more passengers were carried and a further 201.629 miles operated.
.The tonnage carried by the road goods department was 34m., a decrease o200.368 on the previous year's figure.
Increases were shown particularly on the carriage of ground limestone and in heavy haulage. The decrease in the gross receipts of £32,000 was almost entirely because of a fall in livestock carriage equivalent to £31,000.
The road passenger surplus of £680.364 showed a rise compared With the previous year, but the road goods surplus fell by £65,000 to £82,625, There was a heavy loss on railway working and, after charging interest on transport stocks, the deficiency OD the profit and loss account amounted to £1.625,542.
At the end of the year, C.I.E. had a total of 1,142 passenger vehicles with a seating capacity of 58,199. There were 729 lorries, vans, tractors and horseboxes, 331 trailers and 279 containers of various types. Road passenger vehicles ran 44m. miles in the period and the road goods services nearly 12m. miles, including 497,415 miles in connection with railhead collection and delivery services.