Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose an idea and make a request concerning Roscommon town team. These town teams, developed under the local government, are doing great work in every town in the countryside. Their work is very important and I commend them on it. I ask the directors of Iarnród Éireann, Irish Rail, that the company provide facilities at every station to advertise the town in question - for instance, the benefits of stopping at Roscommon town en route from Westport to Heuston Station. If all the attractions of the town were displayed, we would have a very captive audience. There are very good locations and very attractive stations. People do not realise that Roscommon, for instance, is the site an old abbey, a 13th century castle, the Church of the Sacred Heart and the burial place of the last King of Connacht. All these attractions could be advertised to get people to stop even for a few hours and get the following train onward. I would like to see this extended to towns such as Castlerea, Boyle and Carrick-on-Shannon. I will make a case to Iarnród Éireann to allow the local authorities, in particular the town teams, to erect information plaques at railway stations. I have noticed that Tullamore railway station, for instance, has some very attractive artwork, so it is doing something in this regard. It would be a worthwhile exercise because economically we need to promote all our towns.

In this regard, Senator Hopkins said last week, I think, that she wanted an additional, later train from Dublin to Westport, and I certainly support her on this. The last such train is at 6.15 p.m., and a later train would be of great benefit. Furthermore, I appeal to Iarnród Éireann that there is a need for more carriages on the western train to Westport. It is a very popular service and on many occasions the trains are overcrowded and people have nowhere to sit. We should look at the rolling stock and invest more in our railway stations, railway lines and in the provision of approved services. Nonetheless, generally speaking, I compliment Iarnród Éireann on the quality of its trains and its time schedules, which are perfect. There is another train called the Belmond Grand Hibernian, which people are not aware of. It is a tourist train which stops in stations all over the countryside, and I commend the company on its work.