Call for action over lack of carriages on Waterford to Dublin train services
The issue was raised by Cllr Joe Kelly at the September plenary meeting of Waterford City and County Council
A call for action has been made over the lack of carriages on train services between Waterford and Dublin.
The issue was raised by independent councillor Joe Kelly at the September plenary meeting of Waterford City and County Council.
Cllr Kelly said: “My first query or issue is to do with the train from Waterford to Dublin and indeed, the situation that pertains at McDonagh Junction in Kilkenny.
“I’m sure everybody is aware of it at this stage but there’s no second line at that junction so the trains are all held up because one can’t pass another and so on.
“They can do so in practically every other part of the country but not there. The platform by the way - a section of it was sold during a development phase up there.”
He continued by asking the council executive to write to the relevant officials with a view to addressing the issues.
“So I’m asking can we write to the relevant ministers, the NTA or whoever the officials are and deal with this with a view to purchasing back that piece of platform so that in due course, eight carriages can be put in.
“We operate on six carriages but every other inter-city train that I know has eight. Waterford can only have six.
“It’s overcrowded and so on so the extension to the platform would certainly allow for eight carriages on the Waterford to Dublin route rather than just six. We’re very curtailed.”
In response to Cllr Kelly, Director of Services Gabriel Hynes agreed that the situation in Kilkenny needs to be addressed.
Mr Hynes said: “In relation to the second line from Kilkenny to Waterford, yeah you’re 100 per cent correct.
“Myself and the CE met with Darragh O’Brien earlier this year. We raised the issues in relation to the services for rail lines from Dublin and the Clonmel direction.
“Hopefully, we’ll have a meeting soon in relation to the CE of Iarnród Éireann and we’ll bring those points back to him.”
He concluded by saying that the council would be meeting with an Iarnród Éireann engineer in the meantime and that the issues raised would be brought to his attention.