Vol. 536 No. 1
19 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if she considers that passengers who are unable to obtain seats on Iarnród Éireann trains due to overcrowding should have to pay full fare, and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13200/01]
The provision of discounts or rebates on fares is a matter of day to day responsibility for Iarnród Éireann and I have no function in the matter. However, I understand from Iarnród Éireann that it has experienced strong growth on all its services in recent years. This has resulted in heavy loadings on many of its services at particular periods.
The national development plan provides for investment in excess of £1 billion in rail services. This investment is designed to provide additional capacity and complete the safety programme on the rail network, after many years of under-investment. It is in recognition of the demand for safe, reliable and high quality rail services that substantial investment is now being provided for the development of the rail network.
