Ryan urged to visit Clongriffin DART station

Veteran Fine Gael TD Richard Bruton says that people in his constituency of Dublin Bay North feel “abandoned” as the transport infrastructure around Clongriffin falls deeper into disrepair.

Bruton grilled Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan on a myriad of problems faced by commuters in his constituency, such as the long-running saga of the unusable lift at the Clongriffin DART station, the lack of a park-and-ride facility, the closure of the underground car park and access to the station from the Fingal side is in private hands. 

Ryan said that he has been made aware of the issues, with a meeting recently taking place between Fingal County Council, Iarnród Eireann, the NTA and the private developer that owns part of the land surrounding Clongriffin DART Station.

He said that the discussion surrounded opportunities to improve general accessibility, including improved access to the railway station from the east and improved access over the railway line. 

Per Ryan, the meeting commissioned a feasibility report to examine options for accessibility at the station.

These include pedestrian access to bus services, improving connectivity between Clongriffin and Baldoyle and incorporating the principles of accessibility. 

He stated that the car park under Clongriffin DART station was built by a private developer over a decade ago, but closed during the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequently never re-opened. 

The car park has not re-opened owing to vandalism and Ryan said he did not know if the private developer intends to re-open the car park.

Bruton said “if we want to go ahead with these higher-desnity, more sustainable developments, we need to some some money on the table to fix these problems.”

He conceded that the area straddling the boundaries of both Fingal County Council and Dublin City Council does make the issue more difficult, but he says that there is a “sense of abandonment” among people in the area as the issues drag on.

“We are stuck here with these assets lying inaccessible. While I welcome the Minister’s reply, there is a need for him to intervene personally in order to drive this forward with whatever funding is needed to enable progress to be made”

Advocates from the Myrtle The Coast Residents Association have lobbied Eamon Ryan to visit the area for months, and Ryan told the Dáil that he is “committed to taking a personal interest in this.”

He said that the disrepair is “not acceptable”.

“I absolutely accept that it is intolerable and that it cannot remain in the current state. A resolution is needed and I commit myself and the Department to pushing all the agencies involved, from Iarnród Éireann, the NTA, and the private developers, to come to a resolution. What is happening at present is not acceptable.”

Sinn Féin TD for Longford-Westmeath Sorca Clarke, acknowledging it was strange for someone from that constituency to weigh in on an issue affecting one particular area of Dublin, said that she had used the Clongriffin DART station earlier that day and she supported Bruton’s sentiments that people in the area feel “abandoned.”

“I utterly concur with the sentiment of feeling abandoned. It is grossly unfair. I recommend that Minister Ryyan visit the area and take a look at this hub.”

She recounted her experience with the station, where she counted six cars parked on the road outside the train station, and this was greatly hindering accessibility for local residents. 

“The walkway is incredibly dark. The street lights do not work. The steps are there and the wheeled access is already in situ, but it strikes me as somewhere where there has been a lack of joined-up thinking.”

Local Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said he would “appreciate” a visit to the area by Minister Ryan, saying “the problem is that nobody is taking responsibility for the issue.”

“People’s capacity to have faith in the public transport system is being completely undermined by the situation regarding access. It feels unsafe and the lifts do not work.”

“If the Minister were to bring both his presence and the weight of his office to the area, people there would feel as if the matter was being taken seriously. As others have said, the situation cannot continue.”