Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday, we received a great presentation from Irish Rail in Buswells. It has great plans and I compliment the CEO, Jim Meade, for the wonderful presentation. There will be an investment of approximately €2 billion in Irish Rail over the next years and it wants the Government to bring forward some of that investment, which would make sense. He informed us that all of the hybrid trains that are currently used will be used on the long services, such as from Cork, Galway, Sligo, Westport and Ballina. He said that the new trains which are being purchased will all be electric and will be used on shorter routes, such as to Maynooth, Drogheda, Dún Laoghaire and such. This makes sense and it is a fabulous plan. I ask the Leader for a debate on Irish Rail's plans. I put it to Mr. Meade that we need more people working in customer service on trains and platforms. Quite a number of people use wheelchairs and such, and they are at a disadvantage when large numbers of passengers use the service. There are quite a number of complaints. He is willing to address many of those issues. Some of the train stations will become ticket-only and no staff will work on those platforms. I ask for more investment in this area by Irish Rail and for better customer service on trains and platforms. I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on Irish Rail's plans.