Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As it happens, several members of this committee, including me, were in Brussels and we got the train to the airport. Someone asked whether we should get a taxi and I said we should not because it would be slower. Even though the train happened to be delayed on the day, we were still at the airport much more quickly than we would have ever got there by taxi, particularly where there are large volumes of people.

I know it is a case of "If you build it, they will come"; however, a map of where passengers are currently concentrated would be useful. Obviously, it is on the DART, along the eastern seaboard, where the frequency and population are highest. I would be interested in seeing where Irish Rail's current revenue base is. I do not know how much variable pricing there is and how much opportunity there is to have it. With airlines, flying is more expensive at certain times and cheaper at others to incentivise people. Maybe the delegates do not have the information but I would be interested in knowing the age profile of customers. Historically, there were many passengers with free travel. Now there are many students and commuters, with different profiles at different times of the day. I seek this information to understand what we can do to lobby our parties, the Government and indeed the Opposition, with a view to lobbying the Government, on what else we can do. With a population that has increased by 50% or thereabouts in the past 25 years, you cannot allow everyone to be a single-occupancy car, yet sometimes the mindset is based on this. The closing of the Harcourt Street line and others all over the country is in my parents' recollection. The year 1959 was significant in this regard. I believe this was before all the committee members were born, but not necessarily before many in the country were born. We have a total modal and mental shift. This is all very positive but I would welcome the re-engagement of Irish Rail soon. It is not that the delegates have not been excellent today but that there is a considerable appetite for more discussion. There is much more information we would like to get from them, including for all of us to sell how good the service is. Deputies Crowe and Leddin, and I am sure other members, are good advertisements for getting the train to Dublin. Thirty years ago, probably very few members did so. I thank the witnesses.