Additional services vital for travelling public
Fine Gael TD for Dublin Fingal, Alan Farrell has said the major DART service expansion which will be provided for the travelling public in the New Year, will greatly benefit residents across the North County.
“I am delighted that Minister Donohoe has agreed to expand DART services in the New Year. These services are essential in terms of reducing congestion on our roads and providing greater choice to people commuting from Dublin Fingal into the city on a daily basis. This service expansion comes hot on the heels of the announcement that DART is to be extended to Donabate, Rush & Lusk, Skerries, and Balbriggan within the next four years.
“This is great news for residents in Dublin Fingal, particularly those in Malahide and Portmarnock. At present, commuters in Malahide and Portmarnock are faced with a number of gaps in the current Irish Rail schedule. These gaps will now be filled with additional services, making it easier for those travelling to plan their journeys.
“Furthermore, this will be welcome news for North County Commuters who will have DART delivered to their door within the next four years, as part of the major capital investment programme announced by this Government in October.
“Census 2011 identified the North County as having a growth rate of almost four times that of Dublin City. With such a fast-growing population, and with the continuing fall in unemployment levels, the provision of both additional transport infrastructure and an increased level of service to Dublin Fingal is of the utmost importance.
“In addition to New Metro North and the DART extension to Balbriggan which will be developed over the coming years, I am pleased that DART services are being expanded in order to cater for the current levels of demand. This announcement will be welcome news for North County residents and I would urge everyone to contribute to the public consultation on the draft 2016 schedules for all Connolly services, which are available online.”