Increased travel time on commuter train leaves commuters 'pulling their hair out'

A key early morning commuter train from Mullingar to Dublin is now running ten minutes slower which is causing havoc for some local travellers.

The 07.19 from Mullingar to Dublin now gets into Connolly Station at 08.49, ten minutes slower than before Irish Rail altered the time table in mid September to facilitate an increase in the frequency of Dart trains in the greater Dublin area.

Deputy Robert Troy, the Fianna Fail spokesperson on Transport, Tourism and Sport, says that the changes have inconvienced many local commuters who depended on the 07.19 service to get to work or college on time.

“It's outrageous to think at a time when we are trying to encourage people to get out of their cars and use public transport to reduce congestion in the capital - but also in terms of helping us to try and meet our C02 targets on climate change - that we have a situation that we have a service that is by far worse than what it was a number of years ago. It's a train that is leaving earlier and taking longer.

“This is to facilitate the ten minute frequency targets for Dart trains. It beggars belief that we have a situation now where we have trains that not only bursting at the seems due to serious capacity issues but also longer journey times. We are trying to encourage people on to the trains but this is certainly not an incentive.”