Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. One of the most profound statements they made is that railway planning usually covers several generations. The destruction of our railways around this country has impacted on several generations. That brings me to a question from a dear friend and colleague in the west, Mark Duffy, who is a councillor in Ballina. He speaks about the western rail corridor. He wonders if there is any chance of an interim report about where we are with the corridor and what is likely to happen there in the near future. I will leave that with the witnesses and move on.

We have moved to having a society that has the capacity to work from home often. Some of my colleagues have mentioned this. If I live in Westport, I can get a 5.20 a.m. train and be in Dublin for 9 a.m., or soon after that. If I live in Ballina, I cannot get to Dublin until 10.30 a.m. or 11 a.m. I normally do not do constituency stuff. I am a Senator and should not be engaging in local politics. I see Councillor Duffy's point that commuters from Ballina need to be able to get to Dublin just as those from Westport do. What would it take to review the start time for Westport? I will come back to Mr. Meade after those two questions.