“Following the collapse of the Malahide Railway Bridge on Friday evening, various transport providers have laid on additional services for beleaguered commuters from northern areas of Fingal. It is imperative that these service providers offer any and all incentives to commuters to stay away from their cars by providing adequate services at peak times.
“Next week, the return of thousands of students across Fingal will exacerbate traffic flows along the N1, M1 & all local roads leading to and from transport nodes. It is therefore vital that Irish Rail provide additional DART or Diesel services from Malahide serving Connolly Station, with additional buses being put in place by Dublin Bus and other bus providers from northern Rail stations. While the option of using city buses remains in northern Fingal towns, feeder services such as that operating from Donabate to Malahide will be essential for those travelling to work or school.
“I believe that with sufficient thought, rail services augmented by buses can offer a solution to the tens of thousands who find themselves without northern commuter services.
“For those who are not a bus route, Malahide has the capacity to accommodate up to 400 additional cars at its beach car park on the Coast Road, just 500 metres from the Train station. While this free car park is severely underused at present, I believe it will offer an alternative to driving into the city.
“I have been speaking to members of both Dublin Bus & Irish Rail this morning with a view to ensure that these requirements are known.