Gogarty calls for Southside rail improvements

Independent TD Paul Gogarty has called on the government to provide better rail services for his constituents in Adamstown and Lucan.

The Dublin Mid-West TD grilled Minister of State at the Department of Transport Sean Canney about what the government is planning to do on Ireland’s rail systems.

Gogarty noted that Adamstown, which falls within his constituency, has a bigger population than Portalington yet it’s the Laois/Offaly border town that has a train station instead of Adamstown.

The independent TD said that IT workers in his constituency have said they find it easier to drive to Galway for work than to get a train from Heuston Station, saying it takes anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour to get to the station itself.

“I note that, coming from Galway, there is one stop-off in the morning at nearby Hazelhatch and Celbridge. That area has a much smaller population than the already growing Adamstown population of 12,000 people,” and called on the government and the NTA to examine if a similar service could be added for Dublin commuters.

“No one is going to spend 40 to 50 minutes on a bus going to Heuston station to then get the train back out again; there is a pressing need for these towns on the outskirts of Dublin, although they are in Dublin, to be treated in their own right as part of an intercity service,” he told the Dáil.

He said that the likes of Adamstown and Clonburris must be looped in to any commuter service trains that are coming into Dublin.

“There is a pressing and worthwhile need to at least have morning and evening peak stop-offs at either Adamstown or Clonburris, although probably Adamstown in light of the existing population. Try it out, see how it works and see whether it increases the numbers using our intercity train services,” he said.

A Galwegian himself, Minister Canney said, “I am delighted that Deputy Gogarty is talking about coming to Galway, we want people to come to Galway.”

Canney noted that his superior, Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien, nor the Department of Transport, have responsibility for managing day-to-day services of the likes of Irish Rail; that responsibility falling to the National Transport Authority.

“The NTA works with the public transport operators, which deliver the services and have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters. I reassure the Deputy that the government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options,” the Minister said.

“Public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. I agree with the Deputy with regard to giving a good experience to people, and that if their experience is good, they will continue to use public transport.”

With regards to Gogarty’s charges that Hazelhatch has better rail services than Adamstown, Lucan and Clonburris, Canney noted that the line between Hazelhatch and Park West is a four-track section which allows for more frequent and higher capacity intercity services.

He explained, “there are some occasions when intercity trains stop at additional stations such as Newbridge or Sallins, where a commuter connection is otherwise unavailable. Stopping intercity services at Adamstown, Kishoge or other commuter stations would increase journey times by five minutes per stop on intercity services.”

“These increased stops would take up additional track capacity, reducing the overall number of trains which can operate,” he told Gogarty.

He said that Gogarty’s points “need to be considered” and that he would pass on his points to the NTA.

Gogarty noted that while there could be delays of up to five minutes on intercity services, he said that the whole selling point for the Adamstown and Kishoge project was that they were on four-track, high-capacity rail.

“Some of it was part of the strategic development zone scheme, as was the Phoenix Park tunnel interconnection; to put this in context, the people currently living in Adamstown and Lucan are badly served by the train service,” he said.

“In the context of the suburban routes, I receive numerous complaints with regard to overcrowding, the lack of convenient times and the inability to get to the likes of Grand Canal Dock at the weekends.

“We have had an announcement from Iarnród Éireann that services along some routes, including those servicing Adamstown and Kishoge, will be curtailed up until October.”

Gogarty said that in meetings with the NTA, he has been told that more carriages will be added and that the carriages would be second-hand carriages originally designated for Northern Line services.

He noted that the roll-out of the DART+ South West could be in 2027 or 2028 and that commuters could not wait.

“The overall train service is poor. Adamstown had a designation of no more than 1.25 car spaces per house – the whole idea of Adamstown is to encourage public transport and active travel, he said

“In this context, it makes absolute sense for Adamstown to be an intercity hub to go to other areas. It is worth trying at peak times. Put on one stop-off to Galway, for example, or Cork and see how it works and see whether that increases the number of people using the train service overall.”

“It only makes sense to increase the journey time if you are actually increasing the number of people using the service. I take that point. It needs to be pushed and tried out.”

Canney said that the government made a “statement of intent” by ordering 750 more carriages for Ireland’s railway tracks, but also noted that Gogarty “makes a strong case, and I am listening.”

The Minister said that the works on the DART + West and South West projects are expected to commence in 2026.