Verona Murphy, Independent TD for Wexford, has highlighted the importance of improved railway services across the county as essential if the government are serious about getting people out of cars.
Deputy Murphy brought the concerns to the Minister for Transport on the Dail floor last week telling the Minister that “Public transport must be quicker than the private car alternative and it must be frequent enough to encourage people to leave the car at home.”
The Independent TD said “Unfortunately, Irish rail has neglected County Wexford in recent years. In September 2010 they closed the Rosslare to Waterford line citing low passenger numbers, but the main reason for low passenger numbers was the terrible service on the line. There was no weekend service and just one train in each direction during the week, with no connecting trains from any of the other stations in County Wexford. It was impossible for a person to get a train from Gorey, Enniscorthy or Wexford town to Waterford. The line is still sitting there, left idle for the past 14 years. It should be reopened with a proper service so that we have rail connectivity to Waterford, Limerick and Cork”
Continuing, Deputy Murphy communicated some issues in regards the Rosslare to Dublin line with
– Southbound, no train arrives at Wexford prior to midday, except on a Saturday
– Northbound, no train leaves Wexford from 7:45am to 1:20pm, which is over a 5 and a half hour gap
– The route is still served by 29000 class railcars which are not supposed to be used for intercity trains, they are supposed to be used for short journeys in the commuter belt. We need all services to Wexford/Rosslare to be served by 22000 class railcars
– A train runs empty from Wexford to Gorey every night at 9:15pm. This train should collect passengers at Wexford and Enniscorthy to link up with the train that departs Gorey at 10:10pm
– Journey times are not good enough. If people can do the journey in a car far more quickly, then they will not swap to the train. We need high speed rail to get people out of cars and into trains.
Concluding, Deputy Murphy said “Overall, the government are penalizing the motorist before viable alternatives are put in place. For the people of County Wexford, viable alternatives mean more connectivity, higher frequency and faster journeys.”
