O’Brien Appalled at train service reductions

2nd December, 2015

This government seems to be totally unaware of the pressure that north county Dublin commuters are enduring on a daily basis. As it stands the current rail service is inadequate for Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush, Lusk and Donabate. Indeed Balbriggan had a morning service cut two years ago, which has not yet been reinstated. All these towns are growing and indeed Fingal as a whole will be growing significantly in the years ahead.

Joe O’Brien at Balbriggan Train Station

Have we not learned anything about the bad infrastructural planning from the Celtic Tiger years? In the coming years, Fingal will be one of the fastest growing areas in the county in terms of population and housing . Government has a duty to put in place proper infrastructure and in particular fully provisioned public transport services for the people of Fingal. This inadequate proposal from Irish Rail shows that now more than ever we need better oversight of how Fingal develops in the years ahead.

The decision to exclude Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush, Lusk and Donabate from the expansion of services is hard to believe but what is outrageous is the fact that all these town are actually having their number of rail services reduced each morning.

In addition with have an M1 and M50 that are increasingly overloaded and dangerous. We need to be trying to pull motorists off the roads and into public transport where possible, not vice versa.

It also says a lot about how deceiving government spin is. I have noticed government sources publicising how great this ‘proposed expansion’ is for the north county when actually,it is a reduction in services for the towns mentioned! Voters should be very wary of promises of projects and spending that are going to be announced between now and the election.

I urge the people of Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush, Lusk and Donabate to make sure their voices are heard, as there is a public consultation opened on the proposed new timetable until December 8th via www.irishrail.ie