I thank the Minister for coming to the House. I would like to raise for the second time in six weeks the problems of Greystones town because Greystones has the rather unfortunate status of being the most neglected and forgotten town in County Wicklow. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the transport system which services Greystones. There is no doubt that it has been neglected in terms of footpaths, roads, the Garda service and sewerage facilities, but in terms of the transport service, it is a forgotten town in the commuter belt of Dublin.
The Greystones transport service not only services Greystones but Delgany, Kilcoole, Newcastle, Newtownmount-kennedy, Killincarrig and surrounding areas. I raise this matter today because the people of Greystones who use this service have almost reached breaking point. They have been let down time and time again not only by the Government but also by Iarnród Éireann. There is no indigenous industry in Greystones. There is a vast, rapidly rising population in a town which does not give an enormous amount of employment and, as a result, it is a commuter town which is very badly served. Its population in commuter numbers is rising but its commuter service is decreasing.
Greystones has a population of about 11,000 and according to the Wicklow County Council projections and according to the capacity given to the sewerage block there, that figure is expected to rise to 20,000, but no provision has been made by the Government or by Iarnród Éireann for an equivalent increase in the transport service. The first indication of the neglect of Greystones was in 1983 when the DART was not extended to Greystones. It only went as far as Bray. A shuttle was introduced which was, in the minds of many, successful but, unfortunately, it was withdrawn in November 1990 in what the then Minister in the Dáil described as "on a temporary basis".
I would like to read into the record the Minister' reply to Deputy Roche's question about the closure of the shuttle. He said he had been informed by CIE that arising from a request from Northern Ireland Railways to return a number of railcars which had been on loan from that company, it would be necessary to reduce on a temporary basis the level of rail services between Bray and Greystones with effect from 26 November 1990. That was a year ago and I would like to the Minister to say how temporary that "temporary basis" is and at what stage is the ordering of new rolling stock and railcars at the moment? In that reply the Minister went on to say he was pleased to confirm that he recently gave approval for investment by CIE of £18 million in new railcars. He said this investment would enable Iarnród Éireann to improve the range of their suburban commuter rail services in the Dublin and Cork areas will would also facilitate improvements in due course in the Bray-Greystones service.
I would like the Minister to say whether that commitment still holds if approval for £18 million for new railcars still holds and that they will be used for the Bray-Greystones service. I understand that the railcars are either on order or will be on order very shortly and I would like to know how long it will take to fill that order.
The situation in Greystones is so bad that it is worth going into some of their historical problems. When the shuttle was withdrawn it was replaced by a bus service, but there are only 11 buses to provide 27 journeys which were made by the shuttle. That bus service has, unfortunately, been totally inadequate and has proved an extremely poor substitute for the shuttle. It would not compete with the DART if it were introduced to Greystones.
About half an hour before I came in here, purely by coincidence, I received a telephone call from a woman who lives in Greystones. I did not ask her to ring me but she was complaining to me as a representative in her constituency, because her daughter had waited for the 8.20 a.m. bus from Greystones — the No. 84 — this is one of the buses that replaced the shuttle and provides some sort of a service for Greystones. However, the bus passed her because it was full of schoolchildren and other people, so she had to wait for the 8.35 a.m. bus. There was no bus at 8.35 a.m., despite being listed in the timetable. This meant she had to wait for the 8.45 a.m. bus. It arrived and as there was very little room on it she went upstairs but most people there were smoking — I gather that it is no longer legal to smoke on buses. This is symptomatic of the daily problems which are confronted by those who have to travel from Greystones to Bray or from Greystones to Dublin.
As a representative in that area, I constantly receive complaints about the bus service and the fact that people have to wait 40 to 50 minutes for buses. They wait for buses that sometimes do not come or when they come in the rush hour they are full and people must wait for another bus. This is the sort of neglectful treatment that commuters in Greystones are continually getting from the Government and from Iarnród Éireann.
One consequence of this critical situation is that six to seven hundred more cars take to the road between Greystones, Bray and Dublin every day. The roads around Greystones are totally inadequate for dealing with extra cars. One of the roads into Dublin going up over Bray Head, is a dangerous road. Many buses on this road break down. A train service would be safer and quicker; and the necessary infrastructure is already there.
One train runs from Greystones to Dublin every day. That is the Arklow train, which comes through Greystones at 7.50 in the morning, and one train returns. That train is constantly and inevitably crowded, not only on the way into the city but also out of the city. People on this train have to stand daily and it is a totally inadequate and insulting service. That train takes 53 minutes to get from Greystones to Dublin. It is an interesting and important statistic that in 1955, when there were many more trains, that journey took 35 minutes. So at the end of 35 years of extraordinary technological progress we have a train service barely in existence, taking 20 minutes longer now than in 1935 and an unreliable bus service taking just as long now as it did 35 years ago.
The transport service to Greystones has been deteriorating as the population mushrooms. It is an extraordinary and critical situation and the people of Greystones will not tolerate it much longer. I have made inquiries and have been informed by those involved — the Action Greystones Rail Electrification Group — that rail cars are available at the moment in Belfast, from where the Minister stated they are to come. I do not know why the Government have not sent for this spare capacity to use on this particular line.
Divided counsels exist on a possible solution, but there is unanimity about the first priority which is to provide Greystones and the surrounding areas with a safe, reliable rail service. That is the duty of Government and there is an obligation on Iarnród Éireann to provide it. The railway line exists and it is nothing short of criminal that it should not be used in some useful way.
I would like a commitment from the Minister that the first of the recently sanctioned rail cars to be deployed here, and on which he has committed himself to spend the £80 million, will be allocated to the Bray-Greystones line. It is vital that this area not be neglected any longer. The next essential requirement is for a shuttle or a direct service. In terms of efficiency a direct service combined with the DART should be aimed for.
Iarnród Éireann will have to consider calling not only at the Greystones main station but opening a halt at Redford where much of the population lives. Above all, it is important to get a commitment from the Minister that the undertaking he gave last year to invest £18 million in new rail cars still stands. That commmitment made in the Dáil must be adhered to in order to facilitate the people of Greystones.
No commitment was given to the Action Greystones Rail Electrification Group, when they wrote to CIE, that this new stock will be used for that route. That commitment must be given and renewed by Government. Alternatively, the Minister can promise to introduce DART at a cost of maybe £6 million as soon as funds become available.
I would like the Government to set a programme for the rail service to Bray and Greystones. That is the least we can expect. The people who packed the meeting I attended in Greystones barely three weeks ago are absolutely fed up. A meeting in St. David's School in Greystones on this single issue attracted approximately 400 people. I assure the Minister that if the reply he gives tonight or subsequent commitments are inadequate he will continue to hear about this problem until it is solved. I will hound him and his Department until this is solved, until solid solemn commitments are given which will satisfy the people of Greystones. Otherwise there will be demonstrations outside his Department and on the line, discontent and continuous lobbying until the people affected by lack of transport in Greystones receive what nearly every other town in Ireland receives from the Department of Transport or from Iarnród Éireann.
