Demand for late night train to Laois
File image: Irish Rail
A LATE night train from Dublin to Portlaoise and Portarlington will be requested from Irish Rail, following a proposal by local councillors.
The last train from Heuston Station to Portlaoise currently leaves at 10.10pm, too early for locals attending concerts and other events in Dublin.
Laois Co Council has agreed to contact Irish Rail to seek a later service, after a proposal by councillors Barry Walsh and Tommy Mulligan.
The council will request that the last train service from Heuston Station at 11.10pm be extended to include Portarlington and Portlaoise. The 11.10pm service currently terminates in Kildare.
The proposal was agreed unanimously at the council’s December monthly meeting this week, where councillors said that public demand is definitely there for a late night train.
Cllr Mulligan pointed out that Portarlington is only 15 minutes from the train station in Kildare, while Portlaoise is a further 26 minutes. The last train gets to Kildare at midnight.
Cllr Mulligan said Irish Rail already provides “an incredible service” for both towns, with 33 trains to Dublin each day and 30 on the return journey, but another night train would give more people a chance to attend events and stay on a bit later. It would give people more flexibility and reduce their carbon footprint.
Cllr Walsh, who is council chair, said he was a former commuter and thousands of people used the daily train service to get to work in Dublin. He said: “Working lives have changed and it’s not 9 to 5 anymore. People need more flexibility.”
Cllr Walsh recalled that, when the issue was raised in the past, the National Transport Authority (NTA) said the service was subject to demand. He suggested that the latest survey should ask people whether they would use a late night service. He said: “The NTA is doing a commuter survey at the moment, so we need to show that there is a demand.”
Cllr Walsh added: “There is gridlocked traffic going to Dublin as well and people are getting sick of it on the M50. More trains would help work/life balance.”
Cllr Vivienne Phelan said a later train would benefit many local third level students, who are commuting to college because of the high cost of accommodation in Dublin.
Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley also supported the proposal, saying that she commuted to Dublin for years by train and was part of the first Portlaoise Commuters Action Group many years ago.
