Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise two issues to do with transport in my constituency of Longford-Westmeath. The first is the reopening of Killucan train station. Discussion on this dates back to 2006. It is on the Dáil record and the Minister can check. Parliamentary questions have been asked back and forth for years. It was stated in an assessment a number of years ago that it would cost €1.5 million to make the station operational again. For nigh on 20 years, the residents of Killucan and Kinnegad have lobbied the Department with responsibility for transport and worked closely with various Ministers and Irish Rail, all with a view to reopening the station to the betterment of the area and commuters.

The population of Kinnegad and Killucan grew multiple fold during the Celtic tiger years. There are now thousands more people living in the wider area than when the station was closed almost 60 years ago. Reopening the station would not only make economic sense but it would also make sense from environmental, tourism and common sense perspectives. Recent correspondence I have from Irish Rail states it would provide the technical expertise and skills but is not in a position to provide financial contributions.

The second issue is the advanced plans for the Mullingar bus service. Mullingar is one of the towns recognised in the national development plan. It has a growing population. Its population density indicates it would support a public transport system. It has a population of more than 20,000 people. We have a central train and bus station, approximately a dozen primary and national schools, four secondary schools and a regional hospital. However, we do not have a town transport system. Approximately 6,000 trips are made daily for work and education. Three out of every four trips, and half of the school trips, are by car but 18% of the population does not have access to the primary car in their household. Planning is going ahead for a bus service. Design routes are being given priority. Public consultation is planned for later in the year. Contract documents are in preparation. However, the NTA has said it does not have any funding yet identified for the project. This is beyond disappointing. These are only two of the transport issues in my constituency. The constituency already has a very fractured or non-existent public transport system. I am looking for a commitment that these projects will be prioritised for capital funding.

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