Fewer services, lengthy commutes, and incomplete data - why Wexford ranks bottom for rail in Ireland
Wexford PeopleWexford is at the bottom of the table for rail services, scoring worse than comparable counties under every heading, from journey times to frequency, late evening departures from Dublin, and the arrival time of the first service into Wexford each day.
That’s the finding of a detailed analysis of rail services nationwide (excluding cities) carried out by Fine Gael Councillor Robbie Staples which demonstrates “stark disparities” between Wexford town and comparable towns across Ireland.
According to Cllr Staples’ findings, Wexford has just five weekday train services to Dublin compared with Portlaoise (37), Tullamore (17), Thurles (16), Carlow (11), and Longford (10). Of those trains, just two arrive in the capital by lunchtime, again ranking unfavourably in comparison with Portlaoise (16), Tullamore (9), and Thurles (7).
In addition, Wexford’s final train to Dublin leaves at 6.26 p.m., “far earlier than most other counties,” says Cllr Staples, “many of which have departures between 8 p.m. - 10.30 p.m.”
“These figures are not just disappointing, they’re indefensible,” said Cllr Robbie Staples. “Wexford is one of the fastest-growing regions in Ireland, yet we are receiving some of the lowest levels of rail connectivity in the country.
The issue is compounded, says Cllr Staples, by the lack of reliable data on passenger numbers on the Wexford to Dublin services.
“There are no ticket turnstiles at the stations in Wexford town, Enniscorthy, or Gorey. Without controlled entry or exit data, it is unclear how the National Transport Authority (NTA) can credibly claim that it is ‘monitoring capacity’ on the Wexford line.”
When asked how the existing services could be improved and increase, Cllr Staples said a “workable and realistic” solution would be to extend the DART to Wicklow and introduce an hourly Wexford to Wicklow shuttle-style rail service.
“Under this model, passengers would transfer at Wicklow Town to the DART for onward travel to Dublin,” says Cllr Staples. “While this involves a change of train, the trade-off is a far more regular, reliable, and predictable service pattern.”
Cllr Staples believes the duration of the journey from Wexford to Dublin, currently at 2 hours 45 minutes, needs to be significantly decreased.
“The Templemore to Heuston service, which is a similar distance, takes an hour and 20 minutes,” he said. “We need upgrades to the lines and signalling and a second rail line in key sections to increase frequency.
“We cannot keep pretending that a nearly three-hour train journey to Dublin is acceptable.”
A spokesperson for Irish Rail said the enhancement of services in Wicklow would potentially have a positive knock-on effect for Wexford.
“The focus of the Wicklow Capacity Enhancement investment is to allow for an hourly DART service to operate to/from Wicklow,” they said. “While we appreciate this does not directly deliver additional capacity south of Wicklow, it does allow the option – subject to the necessary fleet and driver resources – to enhance the service through the shuttle train between Wexford and Wicklow, to connect into expanded services at Wicklow.
“As new fleet becomes available, we will keep these options under review, with all time tabling subject to the approval of the NTA under our Public Service Contract.”