The Irish Exporters' Association yesterday called on the Government to privatise the Republic's railway system and use public-private partnership to accelerate the process.

The organisation's president, Mr Pat Murphy, said the "transport arteries feeding the heart of exports must be put into an efficient, healthy condition at a much more rapid pace" and warned that future growth of exports would be severely curtailed if the current congestion was not tackled.

Mr Murphy told a seminar in Dublin that provincial cities rely too heavily on road transport. "Rail as a transport option, both for goods and people, must be considered the prime solution," he added.