The chairman of the Dail spending watchdog has called on the Transport Minister to examine why train carriages valued at €44 million are lying idle at any one time.

Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) John McGuinness says there should be no further fare hikes for rail passengers until Irish Rail gets its finances in order.

Yesterday his Committee heard that the company is not using all its stock because of declining passenger numbers.

Yesterday the Committee heard calls for the idle carriages to be sold off.

Irish Rail says it rotates the carriages to ensure they are constantly in service.

Carriages no longer needed

But Mr. McGuinness says the Transport Minister Leo Varadkar should ensure that passengers are not forced to pay the price for poor management practices.

"The company has been receiving continuous subsidies form the government and in the course of last year, they received a bailout for 36 million" he said.

"So in that context and increasing fares, it's quite clear that the company itself is not being managed properly".

"They've purchased stocks that they have not used, it's cost the taxpayer €44 million" he added.

However Minister Varadkar says the train carriages cannot be sold off.

The carriages were purchased prior to the economic crash and are no longer needed because of declining passenger numbers.

Leo Varadkar says the trains cannot be sold as they are designed specifically to run on Irish railway lines.