Traders on Dublin's southeast coast have condemned a planned curtailment of Dart services this summer, claiming the move will have a devastating effect on business.
The Bray Seafront Traders' Association said the decision by Iarnród Éireann to close the Dart on weekends between June and September to allow for upgrading works, was "ludicrous".
Pat Ó Suilleabhain, a spokesman for the group, said the works, which began in October 2003, were due to have been finished before the summer.
"Having acknowledged the necessity for these works last year and having accepted the assurances of Dart that all works would be carried out within these 18 months, we took the resulting financial hit on the chin.
"The announcement by Iarnród Éireann about the closure of the south side stations for a further 14 weekends, commencing at the start of Bray's summer season, comes as a real blow. It will have a severe negative effect not only on Bray but also on many other towns and villages along the route that depend on the line during the busy summer months."
Other business groups on the southeast coast have expressed concern about the closures, along with Stena Line which said it would affect an estimated 5,000 foot passengers over the summer.
Irish Rail spokesman Barry Kenny admitted the company had intended to complete the southside upgrading works before now. But accessibility problems, arising from "planning and property issues" meant that further works were necessary.
"When we switched from the southside to the northside last summer we made it very clear that we would have to return to the southside," he said. He stressed that Dublin Bus would run additional services for south bound passengers, adding that when the €176 million upgrade was completed it would mean more capacity for services to Bray and other coastal towns, thereby boosting local trade.
Margaret Dunne of Dalkey Castle and Heritage Centre said Dalkey was "particularly badly affected" by the weekend Dart closures in 2004. "It is not generally realised that the Dart journey itself is part of the visitor experience. It's not just a mode of transport. Substituting buses for the Dart is not the answer therefore."
Mr Ó Suilleabhain, manager of National Sea Life in Bray, said his business had "invested heavily" in purchasing a number of sea life specimens, including a black-tipped reef shark and leopard shark. "We spend nine months of the year planning for the three summer months."
