Councillors demand action on Westmeath’s ‘gross lack’ of public transport

Westmeath councillors want renewed pressure on transport agencies to improve bus and rail services in the Mullingar Kinnegad Municipal District, including a new bus route, the reopening of railway lines and a station at Killucan.

At their meeting on October 12, councillors backed a motion from Cllr Denis Leonard calling for written follow-up on commitments made by the National Transport Authority (NTA), Transport for Ireland (TFI), Irish Rail and Bus Éireann at a meeting on September 28. He said the district faced a “gross lack of public transport options”.

He called for two letters to be sent to relevant agencies, seeking clear timelines for commitments and renewed engagement on longer-term rail projects. One proposal was a new 826 bus linking Mullingar, Killucan, Kinnegad, Edenderry and Portarlington, which Cllr Leonard said was promised for Q1 of 2027.

He asked that the route include Raharney, even if that required a three-mile loop, to help residents access medical services in Kinnegad. He also called for a bus stop at Rathwire.

“We need to see that in writing. It’s okay them saying it at a meeting,” he said, adding that council staff had attended the September meeting and could confirm what was agreed.

Cllr Leonard also wanted clarification on whether existing Mullingar bus services could be extended and a third route introduced.

He said the possibility of improving the 115 service from Kinnegad to Mullingar needed to be addressed, pointing out that some commuters could not reach Mullingar in time for at 9am due to the timetable.

Another proposal was the restoration of the former Route 20 bus service, which served Moate, Tyrrellspass, Rochfortbridge and Kinnegad on its way to Dublin.

Cllr Leonard said restoring the service could improve access to healthcare and other services, including for people travelling from Rochfortbridge to Kinnegad.

He called for annual meetings with the transport agencies, rather than the three-year gap since the previous meeting in 2023, and for each organisation to nominate a contact person to liaise with the council.

A second letter would seek a feasibility study or business case for reopening Killucan railway station, undertaken with Westmeath County Council and potentially a consultancy firm.

Cllr Leonard also called for preparatory work on a light rail between Mullingar and Athlone to be brought forward rather than deferred until 2034, as he said had been suggested. He also wanted the double-tracking of the line between Mullingar and Maynooth fast-tracked.

He urged councillors to press for the projects to be included in the critical infrastructure programme. Referring to Killucan, he said there was a 65km stretch between Enfield and Edenderry with only one railway station. He contrasted the approximately one-hour rail journey to Dublin with bus journeys that could take two hours.

Cllr Leonard argued that the government’s housing policy made improved transport links to smaller towns and villages even more important.

Minister James Browne had directed councils to build housing in larger centres such as Mullingar and also in places including Killucan, Kinnegad and Rochfortbridge, he said.

If those communities were to grow and sustain local businesses, GAA clubs and medical services, “a rail station is essential”, he said.

Cllr Ken Glynn supported the motion, saying the expansion of the Mullingar town bus service should be a central focus of the follow-up letter.

He said around 35 to 40% of the town was not currently covered by the service and that additional routes and better-placed stops could help more residents use public transport.

The existing service was already proving its value, he said, as approximately 6,000 fares a week are recorded.

Cllr Glynn said he was confident a third route could eventually be introduced, although funding would be a factor. He suggested asking the NTA for an update following the budget.

He said Irish Rail had not offered a short-term solution to reopening the Mullingar Athlone line but had indicated that it remained a long-term possibility.

Cllr Julie McCourt also backed the motion, highlighting overcrowding on buses and the difficulties experienced by students left behind at railway stations and bus stops because services were full. She said double-decker buses could be considered and agreed that meetings with the agencies should take place annually.

Cllr Bill Collentine supported the letters, saying the council needed to keep pressing the agencies to ensure the district was not left behind.

Cllr Andrew Duncan said the successful town bus service demonstrated the importance of providing alternatives to private cars, particularly as fuel costs rose. He also warned against allowing greenway development to compromise the possibility of restoring the Mullingar Athlone railway line.

Cllr David Jones said political pressure, including from the constituency TDs, would be necessary to advance the proposals. The mayor, Cllr Niall Gaffney, also supported the motion, stressing the importance of following up on the commitments secured.

In his closing remarks, Cllr Leonard questioned why funding could not be found for Killucan station when much larger sums were being spent on rail and metro projects elsewhere.

He cited proposed spending of up to €3 billion on a railway line in Navan and €17 billion on a Dublin metro, arguing that a station at Killucan should be achievable for a fraction of those amounts.

He said European funding could contribute towards the project and reiterated the need to keep pressure on national transport bodies to deliver improvements for Westmeath.