asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will ascertain from the G.N.R. the reason for the breakdown in their passenger train system on Sunday, 16th June, 1957, which caused inconvenience and upset to so many people, and why arrangements were not made to have buses available at Amiens Street station when the seaside trains returned too late for the ordinary bus connections to Ballyfermot and other suburbs.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Breakdown in Transport Services.
The operation of G.N.R. train and bus services is the responsibility of the G.N.R. Board.
I have, however, made inquiries and have been informed that the difficulties to which the question refers arose primarily from the fact that whilst the outward traffic was spread over the morning and afternoon, the vast majority of passengers sought return transport within a very short interval in the late evening. The task of conveying some 19,000 inward passengers from 8.30 p.m. onward involved intensive working in which it was not possible to rectify the cumulative effect of delays at intermediate stations.
All the board's road vehicles were fully employed up to a late hour in clearing the road traffic, but some assistance was provided by C.I.E. in conveying the late-arriving train passengers to their destinations.
Is the Minister in a position to deal any more fully with the second part of the question relating to the buses?
The only answer I can get from the G.N.R. Company is that every bus they own was in operation.
Would it not be possible for C.I.E. to make arrangements to meet these trains at Amiens Street?
C.I.E. did make some buses available.