No commitment for early morning commuter service into Sligo or reinstatement of catering services

Following exchanges between Sligo/Leitrim Sentora Nessa Cosgrove and representatives of the National Transport Authority in Leinster House this week, Senator Cosgrove and her Sligo County Council colleague, Ann Higgins expressed their disappointment that no firm commitments have been given to scheduling an early morning commuter service into Sligo, or reinstatement of catering services on all Irish Rail services including the Sligo-Dublin train.

Senator Cosgrove said: “Representatives of the National Transport Authority (NTA) were in front of the Joint Oireachtas Transport Committee this week. This gave me the opportunity to raise two issues which I have been highlighting since before entering the Seanad.  The introduction of an early morning commuter train between Longford and Sligo and the reintroduction of catering services on all train routes, including Sligo-Dublin.

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Unfortunately, the response from the NTA was less than encouraging. They asserted that, despite reassurances given by Irish Rail in just August this year, there was no budget available for the restoration of catering services. The NTA have asked Irish Rail to examine the introduction of vending machines, but my question remains, if this is the solution why has it not been done as yet? How long does it take the NTA/Irish Rail to make a simple decision? And once a decision is made, how long will it take to implement it?”

Moving on to the lack of early morning services into Sligo MacDiarmada, Cllr. Ann Higgins stated: “At the moment there is no train arriving into Sligo before 10:16 Monday to Friday, or until after 12 noon at weekends. This is not good for students, workers, people attending appointments or even tourists all of whom would like to have the option of arriving in Sligo before 9am."

She continued: "In my day job, I work at ATU and, as we all know, there is an acute housing crisis which is affecting students as well as everybody else. Introducing an early morning commuter train which could deliver students and workers into Sligo from before 9am could alleviate some of the strain. It is a no-brainer. I know that Senator Cosgrove and Sligo County Council have both written to the NTA and the Minister for Transport asking that an early morning train be implemented. Research recently conducted by an ATU Engineering graduate has demonstrated that it is feasible and, in response to Senator Cosgrove’s questioning, the NTA did say that they were aware of the proposal and that it has merit. However, they stated that the earliest that this could be delivered, if approved, will be December 2026. This will be too late for many students and workers, struggling with long road commutes."

She revealed that she has launched a petition which calls on the National Transport Authority and Irish Rail to establish a daily morning commuter train from Longford to Sligo that will arrive in Sligo no later than 8.30 a.m.

She said: "One of my first motions as a newly co-opted councillor was to call for the introduction of an early commuter train from Longford to Sligo to facilitate the movement of people at times that work for them, to alleviate traffic congestion and to positively contribute to reducing our carbon footprint. This demand is evidence based. It is not a big ask - simply a modest investment into a service that would significantly positively impact the lives of people in this region. I would encourage people to sign our petition to ensure that Irish Rail and NTA hear our voices ”

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Senator Cosgrove concluded: “The lack of a firm commitment on either the early morning commuter service or on catering services is indicative of the lack of investment in infrastructure and services in the North West for many years It is time for all our elected representatives, from all parties and none, to stand together and use our collective voices to demand better services in Sligo, Leitrim and indeed in Donegal, which has no rail services whatsoever.”

The petition to introduce an early morning train can be signed here: Introduction of Early Commuter Train from Longford to Sligo | Labour