What I want to know is, how could IE have rationally abandoned freight operations that were actually *profitable* a year ago??? Did they really expect that they could have done without the revenue?? Ah well...more lorries on the road then, generating more "tax revenue" that of course will not be applied towards building much-needed motorways (meaning everlasting traffic jams), not to mention more sulphuric carcinogens being spewed into the once-pristine air of Éire. (With all this road-tax revenue, they could restore so many railway lines to better-than-new condition PLUS complete the motorways in about the space of 1½ years, really.)
Has IE completely lost focus? They got rid of profitable freight rail service, now they're looking to close more routes. Makes no sense to me.