COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, June 11, 2012

QUESTION NO.5

QUESTION: Councillor W. Lavelle

To ask the Manager to provide (or seek) an update on discussions with Irish Rail on proposed improvements and developments to services and facilities in the county?

REPLY:

Since this matter was most recently raised with the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Irish Rail by SDCC in 2011, there has been an increase in the level of service at Kildare line stations in the SDCC area, both to and from Heuston Station.  In early 2011 there were a combined total of 62 daily stopping weekday services to and from Adamstown and Fonthill Road stations whereas there are currently a combined total of 79 daily stopping weekday services.  This is an increase of  27% in weekday stopping services to and from the SDCC area.  There were 32 daily stopping weekday services to and from Adamstown station in 2011 whereas there are currently 42.  There were 30 daily stopping weekday services to and from Fonthill Road in 2011 whereas there are currently 37.  It is desirable that the number of services to both stations during the morning and evening peaks would be further increased and this is a matter that the Council will continue to pursue with the NTA and Irish Rail.

The station building at Kishoge remains completed but unopened due to a delay in the provision of the park and ride site identified in the Railway Works Order for the Kildare Route Project.  This matter is currently being pursued by Irish Rail with the landowner.

The Council has recently submitted a proposal to the NTA in response to a request to identify potential interchange locations, seeking feasibility for the provision of an inter-city 'parkway' interchange at one of the Kildare Route stations in the SDCC area, in order to facilitate a greater number of stopping services both to and from Heuston but also to regional cities and towns such as Westport, Galway, Limerick, Tralee, Cork, Waterford and Kilkenny.  The purpose of this would be to enable people from the Greater Dublin area to access inter-city services without having to begin and end their journey at Heuston and thereby enable inter-city services to compete with the motorway network for Dublin-Regional City/Town journeys.  This offers possibilities for economic and transport related development focussed in SDCC such as for example, a new fast bus-link from the parkway station to and from Dublin airport.