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Alan Kelly has lashed out after it emerged that an underused railway line running through his constituency is costing the State €550 per passenger to operate.

The loss-making route between Limerick and Ballybrophy, Co Laois, charges passengers €18 for a ticket and makes as little as €753 a day.

While the Labour TD was Minister of State for Transport in 2012, the route added an extra four daily services, despite as little as 73 passengers using it each day.

Today Mr Kelly angrily denied having any influence over the increased services introduced in 2012, saying it was “absolutely” a coincidence that the service runs through his constituency.

He said: “Timetables change all the time, I’m not sure if you notice this.”

Challenged by Fianna Fail TD Robert Troy that he had “abused his position” with regard to the railway line, Mr Kelly responded: “That is absolutely outrageous and factually inaccurate and Deputy Troy might want to reflect on that”

Mr Troy said he found the level of subvention on the line “extraordinary.”

The line, which has five stops between Limerick’s Colbert Station and Ballybrophy Station, also passes through Mr Kelly’s Tipperary constituency.

It costs taxpayers a massive €550 to operate per passenger, compared to the 90 cent it costs Dublin’s Dart service to run per passenger.

Mr Troy said: “I think it’s extraordinary that we have a situation whereby in certain instances we’re subventing railway lines to the magnitude of €550 and at the same time where there is a restriction on the terms of capacity.

“Iarnrod Eireann are not in a position to put on extra carriages or extra trains.”

He suggested that maintaining the route was an “ego trip” for Kelly and was “the start of the most expensive re-election campaign by him.”

One TD said: "€550 per passenger might not seem excessive to someone who's used to being driven around by a Ministerial driver. But it's a lot and it's a waste of vital resources on a vanity project. A taxi would be cheaper."

The news of subvention on the railway line emerged from a review into rail services, drawn up by the National Transport Authority and Iarnród Éireann, which was brought to cabinet by Minister for Transport Shane Ross today.

Mr Ross warned the government of the need to close a number of railway lines, including the Limerick to Ballybrophy route, owing to a massive financial deficit at Iarnroid Eireann.

He said the company needs more than €640 million over the next five years to address its financial shortfall.

No decision will be made on which routes will be closed before a public consultation period is held.

But Kelly said Mr Ross had failed to take into account the impact any closure might have on rural communities, and accused him of using the report to deflect from his own lack of strategy to improve rail services.

He said: “It is incredible that Minister Ross is trying to find ways to shut down rural train services when he should be seeking the investment needed to improve the speed and reliability of services.

“He is covering up for his lack of strategy and failure to secure funds in the Budget to support our rail lines by attacking me with leaks from an unpublished report.”

“Normally, when Government makes a proposal to shut down rural infrastructure, there is an immediate examination of the total negative impacts on rural communities and that should be the case here too.

“The idea that only profitable public transport routes should be maintained would lead to the withdrawal of public transport from whole swathes of both urban and rural Ireland.

“That such a suggestion is coming from a Government that promised to revive rural communities by reopening facilities in those communities is bizarre.

“That he won't stand up for public transport in rural communities is incredible, and all the more so given the commitment in the Programme for Government to extend the Western Rail corridor as supported by Minister Sean Canney.

“I would be very interested to know if the same Minister Canney would support Minister Ross in attempting any closure.”

Earlier Kelly told RTE’s Morning Ireland that the a lack of investment had caused the route to fall into decline, and said “If more money was spent on it more people might use it.”