Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Irish Rail at the time was very competitive on price if people booked online. We all use rail. Punctuality on Irish Rail is very good and the staff are very good, but the broadband is very poor and mobile coverage is non-existent. We do not need to reinvent the wheel. The Minister should be going back to Irish Rail to ask what it can do to enhance broadband, to get mobile coverage and to enhance the range of customers who would use it. I can get from Limerick city to Leinster House quicker by train than by driving. It is not the exclusive of any particular group who are pro-rail. I want both rail and road. I do not wish to digress but I get frustrated when people speak about rail. There are fundamental issues at the moment. There are a lot of positives but the two major negatives are broadband coverage and mobile coverage. The broadband is not great and the mobile coverage is a complete and utter disaster. In this modern day and age that should not be the case. If we want people to travel by train and encourage them to travel by train, they will do so. A business person will drive because he or she will want to have mobile coverage in the car. One cannot take that risk in a train. These are basic things that can be done.