Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will consider the other end of that point, which probably is easier to examine. I refer to existing public services of which there is very little usage. Both examples I have in mind concern rail. My impression is the local rail station in Clondalkin, for example, is barely used and if the witnesses have figures to hand in that regard, I would be interested to learn what they are. One wonders as to the value of that investment. Another example that has been brought to my attention concerns the extreme lack of usage of the Limerick to Athenry train. If the witnesses have to hand figures on that service, I would be interested to have them but anecdotally, I am told that something like five or six people use it per train journey. Moreover, I am told it is quite difficult to use the stations if one wishes to leave a car there. I recently was informed of a case in which someone tried to leave a car at Ardrahan station. The personnel there insisted on the obligation to pay for the car to be parked there and then the machine was not working. Consequently, in the end the person in question felt it was not worth it and simply drove on.

If the NTA finds that something is not being used, does it have a role in suggesting to Irish Rail or a bus company that perhaps the service should be either dropped or delivered by a cheaper method?