[05/03/2012] Nenagh, Limerick and Commuter service improvements

[Destructix]

Letters to the Editor
Early morning train to Dublin
Sir - Iarnród Éireann can take a bow for their new early-morning train service from North Tipperary to Dublin. Its first journey, on Monday, was smooth and swift, on board a luxurious, brand-new train. The weather gods even showed their support on its debut day by providing a glorious crisp morning, soon warmed up by unbroken sunshine.
Arrival in Heuston at 8.25am is ideal for daily commuters - and the provision of a direct service, with no need to change trains halfway, makes it easier to put the time to good use. It's your choice: work, study, read, chat - or just go back to sleep. With a table and a power point at most seats, the train is ideal for passengers who travel with a laptop. Folk who claim they can do the journey a few minutes faster by car may be right - much depends on how far from the station you live and exactly where you work. However, what else will they have achieved when they get there? And you can't do much on a bus either.
Of course, critics love to carp about the relatively low speed until the train joins the main line - but that can and will be improved if the service is well used. Curiously, the same critics seem to forget that cars and buses must often crawl the last few miles into Dublin, while the train glides past the traffic jams. And that those last few miles of driving can be stressful and frustrating. And that the time spent on driving, at any speed, is simply wasted.
The ride home was almost as good. Leaving Dublin on the 5.05pm to Tralee, we raced to Ballybrophy non-stop. (Try doing that by car!) There, the local train was waiting to take us on the last leg home. And if 5.05pm is too early for you, there's a later departure at 6pm.
In all, there are now four trains every weekday to Dublin and three back: check with Iarnród Éireann for details. So there may well be a service to suit you.
Moreover, fares are low, contrary to the common myth. For example, a day return from Cloughjordan costs a mere €25.50. There’s no need to prebook: just pay at the station - or on the train if the station is unstaffed. The deal is even better if you buy a monthly season ticket, valid from May 1, it will cost you only about €22 per working day - and much less if you buy it under the Taxsaver plan.
I'd encourage everyone in North Tipperary who travels to Dublin to give this great new service a fair trial. It’s good for North Tipperary, good for the environment, good for your pocket, good for your health - and it could be perfect for you!
Duncan Martin Cloughjordan

Also an article about rural transport another one of Alan Kelly's mad schemes where a community based bus can substitute a Bus Éireann bus scoile. I got bored reading it after few sentences.