Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Spratt. There are two areas where the Department of Transport can act, the first being school transport which he addressed. The second is trains. MKIV trains have been largely been purchased from Spain in recent years. They are heavy duty trains. In other European countries, if people are at a level crossing they will see a train with 20 or 30 carriages passing. We do not require that in Ireland, but it is reasonable that on the weekend we would have low charging, high carrying trains of, say, ten carriages on the Ennis-Limerick-Dublin route. There is an economy in that. Currently, rail travel is disincentivised. Most families in Ireland look to Ryanair when they want a break; they certainly do not look to Irish Rail.

I refer again to the car journey. Most Senators and Deputies know exactly door-to-door what their car journeys cost because they make those journeys every day. From my house to the Dáil and back the cost of diesel and tolls is €36. The cost by train is similar but if I am accompanied by my family there is a fivefold increase. When an all-Ireland final or concert is held in Dublin, nobody in the west considers taking public transport. The prohibitive cost makes people turn to the car. They just load up and off they go.