THE official opening of a
‘ghost’ train station on the Northside last week was due to the hard fought actions of residents and not Government ministers, a local councillor has insisted.
On Friday last, the Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, Leo Varadkar, cut the red tape at the official opening of Hansfield Station in Ongar, Dublin 15.
The station had been built by developers as part of the M3 Parkway Rail Commuter project development, which opened in 2010.
However, the station then remained idle as the developers were not in a position to build an access road.
It eventually opened when Iarnród �ireann built the access road with the cooperation of Fingal County Council, the National Transport Authority and developers.
Speaking at the opening, Minister Varadkar said it was a significant day for Hansfield and Ongar that marked the end of a long campaign to get the station opened.
“As a local representative I am very pleased to see that trains are finally stopping at the station,
? he said.
“I want to thank Iarnród Ã?ireann, Fingal County Council, the NTA and developers for their efforts to resolve this issue.
“Residents can now take the Dunboyne train from here into the city in just 25 minutes on the fastest services. The days of watching the trains passing Hansfield Station without stopping are thankfully now over.
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However, one local councillor said it was the residents who deserved the credit for the opening of the station and not ministers.
Cllr Ruth Coppinger (SP), who had campaigned with residents for the station to be opened, said: “Residents should be cutting the ribbon to open Hansfield Station today rather than Government ministers.
“It was primarily the campaigning of local residents two years ago which forced this issue onto the agenda.
“The station had lain idle for a year without much comment from leading politicians and it will be nauseating if they now try to make political gain from it.
“It was the public meetings, petitions and particularly the march in June 2011 from Ongar Village to the ghost station which pressured the Government, Irish Rail, Fingal County Council and the developers to tackle this.
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She added:
“Residents in greater Blanchardstown and elsewhere have been paying the price for the building frenzy and its dramatic collapse.
“Hansfield residents still do not have a finished estate and they do not have pedestrian access to the station.
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A planning application will now be lodged with Fingal County Council for the provision of a car park.
There are currently 70 on-street parking spaces at the station. The new station will provide a direct rail link for Ongar and the surrounding area with 45 services a day bringing West Dublin residents to the city centre in 25 minutes.