Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Kenny and Mr. Hedderly. Mr. Kenny knows me well as I have contacted him many times. I regularly travel to Dublin on the Limerick to Dublin railway line. I am a great believer in rail, which is my favourite mode of transport. I will begin with the positives.

Irish Rail has improved through the years I have used it. Punctuality is exemplary; staff service is very good and value for money and the range of tickets available have improved considerably, particularly if one books online in advance. Broadband coverage has improved but not sufficiently. Mobile coverage is disastrous, as I have mentioned to Mr. Kenny many times. I cannot understand why we do not have proper mobile coverage on trains. One cannot hold a telephone call that lasts more than two or three minutes. That is unacceptable in the modern age. One could survive with the current broadband service, but one cannot function with the current level of mobile coverage. If there was proper mobile coverage and enhanced broadband, rail would become the preferred mode of transport. Irish Rail offers first class tickets, but it could offer business class tickets, of which there would be a significant take-up. Travellers would be able to get work done during the journey. However, business travellers cannot use the train because the mobile coverage is so poor.

Another issue I have raised with Mr. Kenny is that the offering of food is not broad enough. The same food that was available on trains 20 years ago is offered - a sandwich and a cup of tea. A little diversity is required. Travelling by train is not conducive to maintaining a healthy diet.

What has Irish Rail done to enhance mobile coverage? The frequency of service is excellent and I have no issues in that regard. The number of people using trains has increased considerably in recent times. The big issue for me is mobile coverage, which is disastrous. We talk about bringing in various features on trains. If the mobile coverage issue is sorted out, the demand for investment will follow because many more people will want to use train services. What is the story on mobile coverage? I have raised the issue on many occasions with Mr. Kenny, sometimes out of frustration while I am on the train.