Calls made for early-morning Longford train

Mac Diarmada Station in Sligo.

SLIGO County Council is to again call on Iarnrod Eireann to provide an early-morning commuter rail service from Longford, serving Dromod, Carrick-onShannon, Boyle, Ballymote and Collooney, arriving in Sligo’s Mac Diarmada Station before 9am. A motion to that effect was proposed by Cllr Declan Bree who said the in the current county development plan there was an objective that there should be a commuter rail service linking Sligo with other rail stations on the Sligo-Dublin route. He said that an early morning commuter service which would link Sligo with Collooney, Ballymote, Boyle, Carrick-on-Shannon, Dromod and Longford and which would arrive in Sligo before 9am would significantly benefit the large number of workers and students who daily travel to Sligo from Leitrim, Roscommon and even from Longford.

“The use of such a service would take a significant number of cars off the road on a daily basis and would allow many third level students to commute to Sligo each day rather than having to secure very scare accommodation in town,” he said. Cllr Bree added that for the service to be successful it would be necessary for Iarnrod Eireann to ensure that the service was “efficient, reliable and competitively priced, and that the necessary park and ride facilities are in place”.

He said it was generally accepted that rail transport had several advantages over road-based alternatives, particularly its environmental superiority. These include better energy efficiency, lower emissions, reduced congestion costs and a better safety record.

There was general support among councillors for the idea and it was agreed that a letter would be sent to Iarnród Éireann.