Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-10-21-Speech-2-039"
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"en.20031021.2.2-039"2
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"Madam President, let me begin by congratulating all the rapporteurs on their very hard work over a very long period of time. It has been very important because the maintenance, safety and development of our railway system throughout Europe have to be encouraged and not discouraged. Liberalisation is certainly inevitable; it has got to come.
Traffic has to come off the roads. Taking traffic straight off roads and on to the railway can only be good for the future. The development of high-speed trains has to be welcomed; it should not be stopped.
Where I come from – and I am going to be parochial for a little while – we are lucky to have any rail links left at all. We have the Belfast to Dublin rail link, but we have hardly any rail links left in Northern Ireland. TGV is not an option for us. We are lucky to have even ordinary railway links. Indeed, they are even trying to close the important link between Belfast and the port of Larne. I just do not understand this. At a time when we are going towards rail, here are people in my region trying to close down railways!
This line has been allowed to run down into poor condition; its safety is questionable and the rolling stock is a disgrace. It is not a solution simply to put more traffic and freight on to our roads. This is a part of our problem. While Northern Ireland may be a very small place compared to other European areas, we need and require railways in Northern Ireland as well."@en1
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