Carriages cut on Portlaoise train service

TRAIN commuters in Laois have a reduced service until October, with the number of carriages cut on a number of routes.

Irish Rail has cut capacity on the 6.20am direct Portlaoise to Heuston train, with effect from 22 April. The number of carriages has been cut from six to just four on the service, which runs daily from Monday to Thursday.

Meanwhile, space has also been reduced on some weekend trains between Limerick and Dublin, which stop in Ballybrophy, Portlaoise and Portarlington.

The 05.25am Saturday train from Limerick to Heuston has been cut from six to three carriages. On Sunday, the number of carriages has been cut from six to four on the 15.35pm and 21.10pm trains from Heuston to Limerick, as well as the 12.25pm and 18.20pm service from Limerick to Heuston.

Irish Rail said the move is to facilitate maintenance and follows an analysis of changing travel patterns post-Covid. The company said that train capacity will be increased again from autumn onwards.

In a notice on its website on Easter Monday, Irish Rail said that only a limited number of services are affected, including Portlaoise, Kildare and Limerick.

The notice states: ‘This is to facilitate maintenance and other works on a number of trains during that time, to enable us to deliver a better service and maximise fleet availability from autumn onwards.

‘Current demand levels have been analysed and reviewed to identify trains where a reduction in capacity is possible. In particular, changed travel patterns associated with hybrid working have been considered, with a greater number of services having reduced capacity on Mondays and particularly Fridays, when fewer people are now commuting to workplaces.

‘While the vast majority of trains and routes are unaffected, we will continue to keep demand levels under review to ensure sufficient capacity is being provided on individual services, and we apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused.’