[Thomas J Stamp]

It's all down to advertising.

What you have described is what the Estate Agents call "surburban living" and all of what you have said is taken for granted.

With "Commuter towns" it is taken for granted that those sort of social activities will take place within the commuter town (which is why they advertise all of the lcoal amenities) and you will commute to the city for work and come back in the evening. That's the whole thrust of the ad that I based this thread on.

It is all chicken and egg stuff. Once a town is marketed as a commuter town and commuters start living there (handy definition: if you can leave your commuter town after 6.30am and get as far as the M50 before 8.00 - 8.30 you're in a commuter town) and there is a rail service they will start demanding that it's "upgraded" to commuter status. IE will do so by introducing commuter railcars or may introdue an extra loco hauled service. When this is in place more people will be attracted to the town by the virtue of the "improved" transport links.

Where I am you can see a dozen people getting onto the 6.50 train in Templemore every day, a dozen more in Ballybrophy, dont know how many more get on in Thurles. More get onto the next train which calls at about 7.40. The first train gets to Heuston for 8.30 ish. That's a commuter service and its happening all over the network.

What is happening is that builders, developers and all are looking at what is at most an hour and a half drive/train journey from Dublin (M50). With new trains and motorways that hour and a half is getting further and further west.

Just as a final point, how many people here know of someone who moved to Rochfordbridge? Ask them why, and how long they stuck it.

We need to concentrate development along the exisitng rail network, and that includes Athy, Kilkenny, Thurles and the like.