What do you think of the rail service in Clonmel and south Tipperary?

People are being encouraged to express their views on the timetable of trains that serve Clonmel Railway Station.

This request was made by the town’s first citizen ahead of a meeting with Irish Rail representatives on March 11.

District Mayor Richie Molloy has stated that any suggestions made by members of the public for improvements to the timetable would be raised by council members at the meeting with Irish Rail.

He told a meeting of Clonmel Borough District that he always believed that Irish Rail were deliberately trying to run down the station by providing such a poor timetable.

Cllr Michael Murphy said he met a group of students who, because they couldn’t secure private rented accommodation in Waterford, had to commute to the South East Technological University (SETU) in Waterford each day.

The train would be ideal for those students but it arrived in Waterford at 11.30am, which was too late. The same applied to people from Clonmel who were working in Waterford.

He acknowledged that a bus service from Clonmel to Waterford was available, but he said that people should have a choice between a bus and a train.

Cllr Murphy said that Transport Minister Eamon Ryan needed to speak to somebody in Irish Rail about the situation.

Cllr Pat English said that the forthcoming meeting with Irish Rail was overdue. The Clonmel station needed a revamp, with the provision of toilets and litter management, and a more passenger-friendly timetable was also needed.

Cllr John FitzGerald said “the day is gone” by the time the Clonmel train arrived in Waterford.

Cllr Siobhán Ambrose said that it was like “a Clonmel reunion” on the platforms at Thurles and Kilkenny Railway Stations because people couldn’t get a service from Clonmel, unless you were retired or going on a day trip.

The timetable wasn’t conducive to people going to work or hospital appointments, or students going to university.
She feared that if the Clonmel station wasn’t used it would be lost.

Cllr Ambrose said that Minister of State Jack Chambers had seen the timetable on a visit to the town last year, while Senator Gerry Horkan had recently raised the issue in the Seanad.