Sligo-Leitrim candidate criticises poor Local Link and Train coordination

During a general election debate on Shannonside radio on November 11, Graham Monaghan, an Aontú candidate, raised concerns about the lack of linkage between the Local Link Bus Service to Carrick-on-Shannon’s train station and the Irish Rail timetable.

His comment was challenged by Green Party candidate Bláithín Gallagher, who claimed there is “joined-up thinking,” “there is connectivity,” and “there are some times when the train is late when the bus will only wait 15 minutes.”

Monaghan said his observations were based on local comparisons between the Irish Rail train timetable and the Local Link Bus 567 schedule.

Carrick-on-Shannon train station is served by 16 trains daily, eight in each direction between Sligo and Dublin.

The Local Link 567 operates 10 daily arrivals in Carrick-on-Shannon, but two of these don’t reach the train station. 

Of the 16 trains servicing Carrick-on-Shannon Station daily, seven do not have a bus which can deliver passengers to the train in time for scheduled departures, and six do not have a bus to bring passengers into Carrick-on-Shannon and on to Leitrim, Drumshanbo and onwards through six further stops before reaching Manorhamilton. 

For the eight Dublin-bound trains, only one is served by a bus arriving within the ideal 10 to 15 minutes before departure. One bus arrives just 3 minutes before departure, and three arrive eight to nine minutes before. The remaining three trains have no arriving bus.

For Dublin-bound train arrivals, only one has a bus scheduled to depart the station after arrival, provided the train is not delayed by more than four minutes. Two trains have buses departing six minutes before the train arrives, leaving no connection.

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For the eight Sligo-bound trains, half have no bus connection. One bus arrives two minutes before train departure. Five buses connect to trains arriving from Dublin within a reasonable timeframe.

“For passengers to have confidence in a service which delivers them to the station in a timely manner, so as to allow for slight delays and to have time to purchase tickets, the delivering bus would need to be scheduled to arrive 10 to 15 minutes before the scheduled train departure time. 

“Similarly, the bus would need to be departing the station 10 to 15 minutes after the scheduled train arrival time, to allow for delayed arrivals and for the passengers to disembark the train and catch the bus,” Monaghan said.

He also pointed out that a lack of coordination often results in empty buses leaving the station moments before a train arrives, forcing passengers to rely on cars, which undermines efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

“The Local Link 567 bus service has had its timetable updated, with amendments of routes and additional bus services, which is to be commended,” Monaghan stated.

He criticised Transport for Ireland (TFI) and Local Link for failing to synchronise bus and train schedules effectively, stating, “TFI and Local Link need to go back to the drawing board to ensure reliable connections and resolve this issue, not just for Carrick-on-Shannon, but for all other train stations serviced by Local Link.”

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