“Long-awaited progress on getting the tea back on the Westport Train” – Lawless
Aontú TD Paul Lawless has received confirmation from Iarnród Éireann that they will be rolling out a pilot scheme aimed at restoring catering services on train routes out of Heuston before the end of the year. Deputy Lawless has urged them to ensure that the Mayo line is included in this pilot.
He also raised concerns that adequate time is not being given in Heuston Station between the announcement of the platform number and the departure time for the Westport train.
Speaking today, Deputy Lawless said: “It’s shocking to think during this hot weather there hasn’t been a cup of tea or bottle of water sold on that train since before covid. Catering services remain in place on the Cork and Belfast trains out of Dublin, but Irish Rail have now said they will start a pilot scheme before the end of the year on “a selected route or routes”. I will be working with colleagues across the board to ensure that the Westport service is included in this pilot. This should not have a cost to the taxpayer as Irish Rail are working with a commercial catering partner. I am confident that this service can be self-sustaining, with the advancement of technology, and I hope the pilot programme will confirm this”.
Deputy Lawless continued: “On a separate issue there is a lot of frustration among passengers from Mayo at how little notice they are given in Heuston Station between
the time that the platform departure number is displayed on the screen, and the time the train pulls out of the platform, with reports of commuters being out of breath when they board the train, or in some cases missing the train altogether because of the delays. This is a particular problem for elderly passengers and seems to be a particular problem on Mayo-bound services”.
“I have written to Irish Rail about the problem, and they’ve written back to say that they aim to “commence boarding services approximately 25 minutes prior to departure” but they acknowledge that they are “occasionally delayed due to operational factors”. They say they have passed my concerns to the head of Customer Experience at Heuston Station, and I await a further update from them. With the Mayo vs Cork match coming up this weekend I would urge Irish Rail to plan in advance, and ensure that there are no delays with boarding, or that the platform number is decided well in advance, and perhaps a platform reserved specifically for the Westport trains throughout the day that’s in it. I’m delighted that Irish Rail have agreed to schedule an extra train from Westport on the day at 9.15am and an extra train coming home then at 9.10pm”, concluded Lawless.
