Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Mr. Meade was supposed to have five minutes but his presentation took 11. However, it was important that he took the time to outline the position in full. It is clear that there is a great deal of activity going on. The numbers relating to public transport generally and the rail service in particular are very positive. Where the facilities are offered, we see people are able to make the change.

As a Senator, you get the opportunity to have a constituency that encompasses the entire country. You can be parochial everywhere because it is all your parish. I sent out an email only yesterday evening and since then I have heard from 34 different councillors right across the country, from areas with huge amounts of rail services to areas, including Donegal, that do not have any services but that want them. I will not be able to cover all the points raised by those councillors but I will try to mention them. I spoke to Mr. Meade in advance about how he might be able to respond with answers in writing. We will have his company's chair designate in shortly, no doubt with some others as well, and we might go back and clarify those that do not get resolved.

I know some are definitely being looked at. For example, the dining service is not back everywhere yet. Is it on the way back? That has been kind of a constant of our engagement since I have been on this committee.

It is back on some services. It is not back on others. There was a difficulty tendering. Airlines seem to make an awful lot of money out of catering on planes but they may have a different cost model because they have cabin crew there providing security already who are then doing it additionally. Certainly, that is one of the points.

I will touch on other points but I want to mention a flavour of the queries I got. Iarnród Éireann can respond. I do not expect a response to all of these, but only wish to touch on them to let people know that we are in touch and listening to their issues and their challenges, and equally, that they are being considered and that Iarnród Éireann will come back to them.

Councillor Mark Duffy in Ballina says the additional trains for Mayo are most welcome but the late train service to Ballina on a Saturday is not available, and asks if that can be rectified.

On staffing resources, there is a query for Bus Éireann which we will deal with on another day. I do not expect Mr. Meade to answer those ones.

On an update on DART West for Councillor Howard Mahony in Fingal, does Iarnród Éireann intend to close all the railway crossings west of Ashtown? Apparently, they can be open on the DART line from Bray to Howth but not on DART West. They have not been able to get an answer to that for three years.

Councillor Adrian Henchy asks for an update, including timelines, on the delivery of the DART extension north of Malahide to Drogheda. Are their potential opportunities for Irish Rail to connect in any line out of Dublin Airport? That is separate to the MetroLink. Obviously, there was talk previously of a connection from the DART.

Councillor Mick Duff, in Tallaght, states that areas such as Ballyfermot and Inchicore have experienced high population increases and asks if Iarnród Éireann could open a station at the Inchicore engineering works with access via the so-called Khyber Pass at Sarsfield Road in order to serve this high-demand area?

Councillor Christy Burke, in Dublin, wants to know why Iarnród Éireann cut down trees along the canal at Charleville Mall, on the North Strand. They have been asking for three years about that.

In Meath, we have issues about the Navan rail line, if Mr. Meade can touch on that. It is topical.

The NTA came out with its new fare structure today. Mr. Meade might mention the impact of that on Iarnród Éireann's services.

There is more about the Navan rail line from Councillor Paul McCabe and Councillor Aisling Dempsey, and, in Kildare, from Councillor Seamus Moore. It is a case of there being an absolute appetite here. We have seen extra members here today. There are other members who want to contribute who are not members of this committee. Deputy Ó Cuív is here. Deputies Leddin, Wynne and Pádraig O'Sullivan are all interested. We might be having Mr. Meade back sooner than he thinks or sooner than he might have liked to be here. To touch on those points, is it a resourcing issue? Is it a financing issue? The dining car is one that we have been asking about a lot since Covid.