He cited demand on commuter towns like Athy, Kildare Town and Newbridge
Kildare South and Labour Party TD Mark Wall has said he is "deeply disappointed" following Irish Rail's timetable consultation which he believes missed the opportunity to progress with train services in Kildare.
Deputy Wall previously submitted a petition for an hourly train service on the Waterford train line which had nearly 4,000 signatures.
He added that there is massive demand in growing commuter towns like Athy, Kildare Town and Newbridge for more frequent trains, along with earlier and later trains.
In a statement, seen by Kfm news, Deputy Wall said that despite consultations with the NTA, he feels that "no effort" has been made towards transport solutions that could run between Dublin and Athy.
"When I raised the need for this hourly train service with the National Transport Authority, I was informed that this will only be possible when carriages are freed up. However, the NTA has also stated to me that as an interim measure they were looking at improving frequency of train service every two hours per direction between Dublin and Athy, and with possible higher frequency trains during peak times."
He also encouraged commuters in Athy, Kildare Town, Newbridge to take part in the consultation and "show Irish Rail that Kildare South needs an hourly train service".
The Kildare South TD assured that he would be raising the issue again when the Dáil returns:
“I will be raising this as a matter of urgency when the Dáil returns. We cannot continue to build houses in Kildare South and into Carlow without properly resourced train timetables. Already commuters are forced into their cars caught in the car park that is the M7/N7 because we don’t have train timetables early enough to get people into their employment in Dublin.”
Irish Rail and National Transport Authority have both been contacted for a comment in relation to this.
Fares To Rise By 15% On Public Transport Routes
Kildare Residents Encouraged To Avail Of Free Walks This September
Homeless Outreach Clinics Across Kildare During September
Kfm Obituary Notices
Weekdays Line-up on Kfm
Community Climate Action Series Launching In Maynooth
Data Centre Meeting Takes Place In Naas Tonight
Eight Kildare Towns Included In €2BN Uisce Éireann Investment
