Government accused of ignoring Wicklow as part of nationwide rail review as train services described as ‘beyond bad’
The Wicklow PeopleThe government has been accused of ignoring rail passengers in Wicklow as part of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review.
The review was published in July 2024 by the Minister of Transport for the Irish Government and the Minister for Infrastructure for the Northern Ireland Executive.
The review looks at what role rail could play in the future to promote the growth of public transport, and how the island’s railway could better serve the people of both jurisdictions.
The period covered stretches out to 2050, and reflects plans to improve connectivity to the South East – as highlighted in the latest Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy document published in 2023 – to include the extension of the Dart network to Wicklow town.
However, as the report highlights, there are several constraints that pose challenges to improving the rail line across the wider Wicklow/Wexford region.
The single-track line south of Bray already limits opportunities to increase service frequencies for commuter services.
There are also significant conflicts with Dart services, particularly between Dublin and Greystones, and there are the “geographical constraints”, one of the biggest being Bray Head.
Certain interventions have been considered to enable faster and more frequent journey times between Rosslare Europort and Dublin, including developing a new railway along the M11 corridor, adding passing loops and tunnelling through Bray Head, and building a new line for Dart services along the N11 corridor.
Many of these solutions would be “very costly and are unlikely to be justifiable” as most railways in this region would not be expected to support more than one or two trains per hour in each direction.
Speaking during a discussion in the Dail, Wicklow Wexford TD Malcom Byrne said the Rosslare line was included in the review as an “after thought.”
“While I welcome that we are talking about extending the Dart services to Greystones in Wicklow, it is intended in this review to force passengers south of that line - those who get on in Rathdrum, Arklow, Gorey or stations further south - to change trains in Wicklow or Greystones. That is not going to happen on any other line.”
“If you are travelling from Rathdrum, Arklow or Gorey to Dublin there is a maximum of six services on any day and we are served by the worst rail carriages in the country.” he added. Meanwhile Wicklow TD Jennifer Whitmore described the train services in the county as “beyond bad.”
“Despite Wicklow's increased population and the fact so many people commute, we still have a single line and only six trains going from Wicklow town to the city. It is not acceptable.”
“It is shocking that there is no mention of coastal erosion in this document. We are developing a 25-year plan while ignoring the rising sea.”
“There have been promises of a battery electric Dart to Wicklow town. Previous Ministers said that was going to happen in 2025, but then it was 2026. It is now targeted for 2029. At the same time, carriages that could have been applied to that Wicklow line have been set aside and are going to Drogheda.” she added.