John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 262: To ask the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the inadequate train service that exists on the Sligo to Dublin line on which the locomotive breaks down frequently; if the necessary funding will be put in place to upgrade this service in view of the safety risks involved for passengers; if his attention has been further drawn to the negative effect that this impact is having on the rail service, in view of the fact that many passengers with appointments scheduled will have no other option but to use alternative methods of transport in view of the delays encountered; the number of times the train has failed to meet the times on its scheduled timetable for the past three months; the year a new locomotive was put on this line; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24100/04]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I am informed by Irish Rail that the service punctuality on the Sligo route is consistently in excess of95%. Under the terms of its customer charter, the only trains which are calculated into this figure are those which arrive within ten minutes of their timetabled arrival time.

The company has ordered 36 new railcars similar to the 2900 series delivered last year. They are due for delivery in 2005 and some will be immediately allocated to the Sligo service. Their arrival will herald an increase on the Dublin-Sligo service from three times a day to five times a day in either direction from December 2005.