Offaly's rail service "needs to be improved" Dáil told

In the Dáil this week, Offaly TD John Clendennen called for rail services to the county to be extended as a matter of urgency.

The Fine Gael TD said the requirement for more and later services for Offaly commuters ought to be addressed by Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien, the National Transport Authority (NTA), and Irish Rail.

Speaking in the national parliament on Tuesday, he noted that the last train from Dublin Heuston to Tullamore on a weekday or Saturday departs from the capital at 8.30pm.

"That is simply too early," said Deputy Clendennen. "We have managed to work on the timetables early in the morning, to benefit commuters, but we need to ensure now that they work later into the night.

"I ask the Government to consider a later train to serve people leaving Dublin at a later time in the evening."

He also said he had recently received a commitment from Irish Rail in relation to the reintroduction of catering services on certain trains later this year, and he asked that these "be considered on the Dublin to Galway and Westport route to benefit the Tullamore area".

Responding on behalf of the Government, Jack Chambers, the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Services, Reform and Digitalisation, agreed that the addition of later services should be explored.

"(Deputy Clendennen) made a fair point that we should have later trains covering different regions, as happens in other areas," said Minister Chambers. "I will ask that the Minister for Transport engage with the National Transport Authority and Irish Rail.

"With the increased capital investment, new trains and improved train lines, we need to ensure the bandwidth improves throughout the day, and particularly at night so people can leave their cars at home and plan for a train journey later in the evening. That is a sensible suggestion and I will convey it to the Minister for Transport."

Minister Chambers added that he "absolutely" agreed that catering services should be reintroduced "across all the rail services".

In a press statement issued after the Dáil discussion, Deputy Clendennen noted that Tullamore's "neighbouring commuter towns" of Portarlington and Portlaoise "benefit from a later train departing Dublin at 10.10pm," but the last service to Tullamore leaves significantly earlier at 8.30pm.

"While the introduction of the 8.30pm service in 2024 was a welcome improvement , the current timetable needs to go further," said the Offaly TD.

"The current service falls short of meeting the growing demands of Offaly commuters. I am calling on the Minister in conjunction with the NTA and Irish Rail, to add a later service to Offaly as soon as possible.

He added: "I will continue to engage with all stakeholders to ensure rail services serving Offaly benefit from both an increased timetable and catering services.

"Too many people rely on train travel not to have the best service possible for the people of Offaly."