Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. It is a very interesting engagement. Mr. Meade said Irish Rail made a mistake with the timetable changes after 26 August and he hopes there will not be the same disruption again for passengers. Unfortunately, these things happen. He has held up his hands and said Irish Rail will try to do a bit better.

I live in Sligo, in the north west. I will be a bit parochial in my questions. The train from Sligo takes more than three hours to get to Connolly Station. We talk about trying to get motorists off the roads and into Dublin more quickly using public transport. I do not think there is any other train in the country that takes as long. If I drive from Sligo to Roscommon town or even Castlerea, which is further west, I will be in Dublin much more quickly because the trains serving those stations run on a different line. It is a four-track line into Heuston Station. There are huge issues from Mullingar to Connolly Station. The four-track lines are being talked about as the salvation but that will really just be between Connolly Station and Malahide. I am more interested in the line between Connolly Station and Mullingar. There is talk of works that can be done to improve not just the capacity but the journey time of the trains from Sligo into Dublin. A man down the road from me at home has an interest in trains. He has always been of the view that the line could go towards Maynooth or Leixlip and then across land to Hazelhatch and come in at Maynooth. That could be a solution if Irish Rail is having such a difficulty getting four tracks between Connolly Station and Maynooth.

A colleague of mine in Sligo County Council, Councillor Fergal Nealon, has called for an early-morning and late-evening commuter service between Sligo and Longford. It is something we would like to see. People cannot get into Sligo on time for work or socialise in the town and then be able to get home. I take Mr. Meade's point about capacity issues around the country but perhaps a pilot programme or feasibility study could be run. That should be done if we want to get cars off the roads. A lot of work is being done by the NTA with Local Link buses and so on. That is not within the remit of Irish Rail but it all helps to get people out of their cars.

I thank the witnesses for the great work they are doing. I brought members of football clubs up to Dublin many times and we were always treated well on the train. Those were the days when the Republic of Ireland team was going very well. I thank the witnesses for attending the meeting and for their great work.