Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her response. I compliment Iarnród Éireann on the lifts at Carlow railway station. It was important that they were installed. It is now 2022 and they were a long time coming but I welcome that investment. I also appreciate that the car parking facilities at the station are being looked at but I am seeking clarity on Bagenalstown station.

It was wheelchair users who came to me about this. They felt it was unfair that they could not access the toilets in the railway station. We have to be very mindful about this. While everything is going online and that is understandable, we cannot shut down our rural railway stations or having them half-manned so that there is a situation where a person with a disability or a wheelchair user is not able to use it. We do not need to go there. I am mindful, as I am sure the Minister of State is, that we keep rural towns going. The railway station is part of Bagenalstown. It has always been there and has always provided a great service. When it closed it was a great loss to the people of Bagenalstown. While the service was going it was not what it had been. It does effect quite a number of people. I would ask that Irish Rail look at this. We should not set a precedent of concentrating only on large stations such as Heuston Station in the big cities and forget our little rural stations that have been the lifeblood of our communities and were there before time, giving great service. That is my greatest worry.

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