Senator Lorraine Clifford Lee has said the new Irish Rail Northern Commuter Line timetable is causing “upset and frustration” for commuters to Dublin City from Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk as it is “providing a worse service for the people of North County Dublin, rather than improving matters.”
The Fianna Fáil Senator said the new timetable, that came into effect on the August 26, means that commuters from North County Dublin are now faced with issues ranging from heavily delayed trains and having to switch trains at Connolly Station to dangerously packed platforms and longer commuting times.
“The new timetable for the Northern commuter line has resulted in chaos for commuters travelling from Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk,” Senator Clifford Lee said.
“People that rely on trains to get to work and college each morning are faced with delayed trains, having to get a connecting DART, overcrowded trains and platforms, large gaps in service during “rush hour” periods and trains that do not align with school times to facilitate second level students.
“The stated aim of the new timetable is ‘to improve punctuality across the network, ensuring a more reliable service for daily commuters’ but according to commuters on the Northern Commuter Line, it has done the opposite.
“I have been engaging with commuters on issues from everything to late trains, to less direct services and overcrowded trains and platforms.
“People need to be encouraged to use public transport wherever they can.
“This new timetable means North County Dublin commuters are being disincentivised from using public transport and those with no other option face using an inconvenient and below par service.
“Thousands of homes are being built in North County Dublin and services must be improved, not degraded, in conjunction with this.
“Commuting on public transport should be the preferred option for people in North County Dublin and Irish Rail need to make it as easy as possible for as many people as possible to rely on trains for their daily commute.”
Senator Clifford Lee will meet with her party colleague, Minister of State at the Department of Transport James Lawless on the issue and she has also written to the Chief Executive of Irish Rail seeking a meeting on the timetable.
“I am glad that Minister Lawless has agreed to meet with me to discuss this and I have also written to Jim Meade, the Chief Executive of Irish Rail, requesting a meeting to discuss a way forward.
“The changes to the Northern Commuter Line are having a negative impact on North County Dublin and I will engage constructively to find a solution,” she said.