[ThomasJ]

Drogheda Independent
http://www.drogheda-independent.ie/n...s-1869821.html

LOCAL firm Mathews Coaches has laid on extra services for commuters affected by the disrupted rail services following the collapse of a section of the railway line at Malahide last week.

' We have additional capacity on all our morning services to Dublin and the evening services home,' said Paddy Mathews.

The company has put extra coaches on the morning services which run every half hour from 6am to 9am and again for the return journey departing dublin from 3.30pm to 7.30pm.

And while Paddy reports a lot of enquiries from commuters, he says that many people have yearly tickets which they bought from Iarnrod Eireann for which they can't get refunds.

' There is a lot of interest in our service and it's certainly better than driving,' he said, pointing out that the direct service from Dundalk to Dublin takes just an hour and ten minutes, with the one which goes via Drogheda taking an hour and a half.

'The schools will be back next week so there will be a lot more traffic on the road.'

He also revealed that there has been an increase in the number of students intending to commute to college in Dublin instead of seeking accommodation in the city.

'It's much cheaper for students to commute and with the downturn in the economy we are seeing a big uptake in the number of students buying tickets for the new term.

All our buses are wi-fi enabled and once you have a ticket, you are guaranteed a seat,' he pointed out.

Commuting by bus is a particularly viable option for students attending colleges on Dublin's northside such as DCU, St Pat's, and Marino College.

' We even have students going to Maynooth as they can get a train from Drumcondra,' he said.

- Margaret RODDY