Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. I come from Boyle in County Roscommon. When in Dublin I use public transport to get to work. Public transport has evolved down through the years. I admire the manner in which the company has embraced modern technology in terms of the introduction of the Leap card and Google maps application for public transport, which I use when I visit the cities.

My first question is for Mr. Allen of Irish Rail. The journey time from Sligo to Dublin, which is 179 kilometres, is three hours. The journey time from Cork to Dublin, which is 267 kilometres, is two and a half hours and from Galway to Dublin, which is 209 kilometres, is two hours and ten minutes. I do not understand why it takes longer to get from Sligo to Dublin than it does to get from Cork or Galway to Dublin given Cork and Galway are further away from Dublin. I live in Boyle in Roscommon and my partner lives in Castlerea, which is further west, yet the train journey from there to Dublin is quicker. This issue needs to be addressed.

In regard to parking charges at train stations, while there is paid parking available at Boyle station, there are virtually no paid parking facilities anywhere else on that route. Paid parking should be available in towns with a population of more than 10,000. Recently, people travelling by train from Roscommon to a football match were unable to prepay for parking because of a problem with the prepay text service such that when they returned, their cars were clamped. Irish Rail did address the issue. I appreciate that the company has to make money but the policy of parking charges at small stations should be reviewed.

There is much talk about one Ireland. I previously chaired the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. A high-speed link between Dublin and Belfast would be of huge significance. There is already a high-speed link between Dublin and Cork, although it needs to be quicker. Are there any plans for a high-speed link between Dublin and Belfast? I would welcome Mr. Allen's views on that issue and on the Sligo service.

My next question is for Mr. Murphy. What did he mean by his statement that commitments in regard to the free transport scheme should be clarified over the coming weeks? Bus Éireann is competing with private operators. Three or four years ago an issue arose in regard to the Bus Éireann service on the Sligo to Dublin route which, as a politician, I tried to resolve. Bus Éireann was operating six services each way per day on that route and we sought to have three of those services serve Roosky and Dromod. It was a difficult issue to try to resolve. Mr. Murphy said that the Expressway service operates on a purely commercial basis. Is there any way around that? As a politician, I will never again get involved in this issue because I felt it was used as a political football. Bus Éireann was not able to clarify the situation at that time. Perhaps Mr. Murphy can do so today.

On the National Transport Authority, I believe it has done great work in filling in the gaps that Bus Éireann cannot fill. In Mr. Murphy's view, taking into account what has been already done, what more can be done?