Council supports bid to increase train services

SLIGO County Council will write to the National Transport Authority in a bid to support Irish Rail’s application for the approval of an increase in the number of services on the Sligo line.

Currently, there are seven services in and out of MacDiarmada station. However, Irish Rail have applied to the NTA to push that number to eight.

In a motion to the chamber, Fine Gael’s Dara Mulvey noted that the majority of trains on that service are operated by four carriages. With the exception being the 5.45am Sligo to Connolly and the always busy 5.05pm return.

“We’ve all witnessed the overcrowding on that line and it’s unacceptable”, he said.

“If this council makes a strong case and lends its support, I think it would go a long way in helping with over-crowding and people standing between carriages at peak times.”

The motion was carried and seconded by Sinn Fein’s Thomas Healy who said increasing the number of trains in and out of Sligo would be beneficial to the area.

“This is an opportunity for Sligo”, he said. “The more people we can get in, the better.”