I wish to raise the matter of investment in the rail service, including the lines and rolling stock serving large provincial towns, and in particular the line between Portlaoise and Dublin. Greater investment is needed in the rail line to Portlaoise. Recently it was proposed to increase the line to Kildare town to a four-track line. It is essential that this four-track line be extended to Portlaoise.
There is also a proposal to invest in the rail line between Portlaoise and Dublin and to reopen the railway station in Monasterevin. That is very welcome. I also note that there is a plan to improve the Arrow service in nearby Athy in the near future. However, County Laois – and Portlaoise town is the county town of County Laois and the nearest county capital in the Border-midland region to the capital city – is not getting sufficient investment in its rolling stock and track network.
This is highlighted by the frequency of trains leaving Portlaoise in the morning during the rush hour when four trains leave the town, and the fact that only two trains make the return journey from Heuston Station to Portlaoise. There is a good service in the morning but only half a service in the evening. I am critical of Iarnród Éireann and its management of its network in terms of how it affects County Laois. All monopolies are wrong, and the worst kind of monopoly is a State monopoly, which Iarnród Éireann is. It sees itself as a train company, not as a company providing a service for customers.
It is ludicrous that there are inter-city trains from Dublin to Cork and Dublin to Limerick and that some of these stop at Templemore but not at Portlaoise. That means it is often possible to travel from Dublin to Templemore much more quickly than from Dublin to Portlaoise. At 5.10 p.m. an inter-city train leaves Heuston Station, passing through but not stopping at Portlaoise, and usually there are empty seats on that train. At 5.20 p.m. another inter-city train leaves Heuston Station for Limerick City with empty seats on most occasions and it does not stop in Portlaoise. At 5.30 p.m. a train leaves Heuston Station which does stop in Portlaoise and up to 120 people regularly stand due to lack of seats. This is unsafe, and from a health and safety point of view it is not acceptable to commuters in County Laois. That there are empty seats on two trains and people have to stand on the train leaving shortly afterwards is clearly a management issue. It is unsatisfactory that Iarnród Éireann is aware of the situation but is not dealing with it.
A great deal of money is being invested to ensure we have a motorway to Portlaoise. We need parallel investment in the rail network to Portlaoise. If we do not have it, people will be driven off the train and on to the new motorway and we will have a 20-mile tailback at Newlands Cross every day for the rest of our lives. We need an upgraded rail service for Portlaoise. It makes no sense in terms of the national development plan to improve the road network and leave the rail service to be the poor relation. We must have equality of service and if we have a good, reliable and safe train service, it is the best way to commute between places like Portlaoise and Dublin on a daily basis.
The problem is that Iarnród Éireann does not know whether Portlaoise station is a commuter station or a long distance station. It offers a commuter ticket service but not a commuter train service. We are paying for the service from Portlaoise on a daily basis but we are not getting a regular service. All the towns on the way up from Portlaoise have an adequate and frequent service. However, the people of Portlaoise are not being adequately served. It is essential, as part of the overall national development plan, that additional funding be provided to improve the rail network servicing Portlaoise.
