There is growing concern in the town of Athenry in east Galway that a service that was introduced - the 6.50 a.m. train service from Athenry to Galway city - will be lost. In October 2025, this service was added as a temporary service in light of the works that were ongoing at Ceannt Station and Oranmore Station. As the Minister of State can imagine, there are many people who now rely on and benefit from this service, as there was no earlier service going into Galway city from Athenry. There are currently about 50 people availing of this service every day. I have been receiving messages and communications from people who are fearful that it will be lost and they will be forced back into their cars. They have been able to leave their cars in Athenry to commute on the train while avoiding traffic and getting to Galway city to work. It has been a huge quality of life enhancement for them. This was a temporary funded service until the end of July 2026, so we still have an opportunity to get this right. The service is not gone yet. The decision is with the National Transport Authority, NTA, to make around funding. I am sure the Minister of State knows this from his constituency, but the reality is that there is no available rolling stock in Irish Rail. Where is this stock going to be moved to? We need to keep this as a commuter rail service for the people of Athenry. We are a growing town with a population in excess of 5,000. For the past 18 months, we have had no bus service, despite a public service obligation being in place. I ask the Minister of State to communicate with the Minister for Transport, Deputy O’Brien, to ensure there is no loss of service in Athenry and that people who wish to avail of public transport can do so. Given the cost increases for commuting over the past few years, many people are choosing to use the train as a more economical option. It makes perfect sense and it gives them back some quality of life. A consultation was carried out in the past 18 months on what people wanted to see in Athenry for the commuter service. The consistent message was that people wanted to see more early morning services, and this was part of the response to that. This new service at 6.50 a.m. was brought in and it allowed people to be in early. There is now a fear out there that the service will be lost because it is not funded any further than July 2026. People need and depend on this service. They need to trust that we, as a Government, will continue to support people who wish to commute to work via public transport. I understand it is a decision for the NTA, but the NTA needs to look at this. Where else is it going to send the stock? Why would it reduce commuter services in Athenry given it has been such a success?

Sentiment score: 0.03

I appreciate the Minister of State’s comments and sentiment. This new service was welcomed when it started last October. The critical piece of the Minister of State’s reply is that these carriages were stabled at Athenry, which allowed for the early commuter service. I completely welcome the works and the incredible transformation and investment that have taken place at Ceannt Station. Regardless of what is happening in the city at Ceannt Station, however, there is nothing stopping those carriages being stabled in Athenry and used to operate that commuter service. When the new carriages come, we can enhance and further expand the service. We must show people that we are ambitious, and that is what I want to see from the NTA. The NTA must show ambition and provide a dedicated, reliable commuter service that is stabled in Athenry and available for people when they want to use it in the morning. I understand the service was funded through capital funding for the project in Ceannt Station, but the same point remains. These carriages are like gold dust. They are hard to come by and I do not know where they are going to be moved to or whether another service will be changed. They are in Athenry, where they are serving a lot of people and working really well. I cannot see why the NTA should not fund this. Let us call a spade a spade. In the past 18 months, the NTA has not delivered a bus service for Athenry. Athenry, a town with over 5,000 people, has no bus service to Galway city. The train is the only piece of public transport that we have, so let us enhance and make the most of it. In the time to come, I hope that Ceannt Station and the passing loop at Oranmore will see an enhanced frequency of service but, right now, we have this stumbling block to overcome. We need to keep the service after July 2026.

Sentiment score: 0.12