Irish Rail To Review Hourly Train Service For Athy If Demand Is High - A Petition Is Now Gaining Traction

Thursday, 19 June 2025 12:18

By Martin Osborne

Support is flooding in online, with locals offering other suggestions in addition to the hourly service.

Athy commuters are calling for an hourly train service with over 1,500 people signing a petition to make it happen.

That's after Irish Rail said it would review such a service if demand was deemed high.

The campaign is led by Kildare South Labour TD Mark Wall, who says public transport in the area is falling short.

“Irish Rail must increase the frequency of the Waterford to Dublin Heuston route, which serves Athy. This must begin with increasing the number of trains and carriages, while working towards having an hourly service," he told Kildare Today.

He’s calling on all train users and locals to sign the petition. “The town must future-proof itself by availing of potential opportunities like an hourly train service,” he said. “We cannot leave rural communities like Athy behind when it comes to public transport.”

Support is flooding in online, with locals offering other suggestions in addition to the hourly service.

One user said the 6:41 a.m. train should leave ten minutes earlier. “If that went at 6:30 it would make so much easier for public transport in Dublin and surrounding areas. A lot of people say this.”

Others want better Local Link connections. “It would be great if we could work on shuttles or more frequent local links from nearby villages to the Athy train station.”

Some say the station needs more parking.

“There needs to be joined-up thinking,” one supporter wrote. “What’s the point without ample parking?”

Another added: “You need more trains and carriages if you want this. Where will they come from?”

The petition will be delivered to the National Transport Authority and the Minister for Transport.

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