More trains and more bus shelters needed – councillors

A call to have a late train service provided from Dublin to Mullingar was made at February’s meeting of the Mullingar Municipal District by Cllr Andrew Duncan.

At the same meeting, councillors also complained about the lack of shelters for bus passengers.

Discussing his motion on the trains question, which also called to have additional carriages provided on the existing services, Cllr Duncan said that the introduction of late evening trains – in both directions – would be especially beneficial to those people working in Dublin.

“If we’re to regard ourselves as a fully-fledged commuter town, then we need late trains; we also need additional carriages – there are people standing up,” he said, adding that in some cases, before people get to work at all they are worn out through having had to stand for so long.

The response from the MMD was that a letter to this effect can be sent to Iarnród Éireann.

Cllr Emily Wallace supported the motion, pointing out that once the enhancement of Mullingar town centre is complete, having a late evening train could attract people into Mullingar.

Cllr Ken Glynn also supported the call, saying the current services are not adequate since customers can end up paying to travel by train but having to stand all the way.

“You pay to use a service, you expect a service,” he said.

Cllr Mick Dollard said Mullingar is “badly treated” in terms of rail services, and he also criticised the lack of public transport provision between Athlone and Mullingar.

Support came too from mayor, Cllr Bill Collentine, who bemoaned the fact that Ireland does not provide the type of rail services provided in other countries. He pointed out that roads are finding it difficult to accommodate all the commuter traffic. “We need to take a serious look at this,” he stated.

Director of services Martin Murray said that a similar letter had been sent by the MMDC to Iarnród Éireann last year, but he undertook to repeat the exercise on the members’ behalf.

No matter where passengers wait for a bus in Mullingar the wind is whistling around them as most of the town’s stops have no shelters, Mullingar mayor, Cllr Bill Collentine has complained.

Cllr Collentine had a motion on the agenda for the meeting calling on the committee to liaise with Bus Éireann to have a shelter erected in town.

He cited Castle Street, near Buckley’s and the hospital as three locations where people gather to await buses – but at none of these is there a shelter.

“There has to be something done because these people are getting on buses and they are wet and cold,” he said.

The official written response to Cllr Collentine stated that MMD is currently liaising with the National Transport Authority (NTA) regarding the provision of additional bus shelters in the town.

Mr Murray said that he hoped to be able “sooner rather than later” to provide councillors with a list of locations deemed suitable by the NTA for bus shelters.

Cllr Ken Glynn supported Cllr Collentine as did Cllr Mick Dollard, who pointed out that there is no shelter at the Carey Bridge, though it is there that the school buses congregate.