Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has called on Iarnród Éireann to take potential disruption to major public events into account when scheduling essential rail works.
Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s transport spokesperson, said:
“Irish Rail’s tendency to curtail DART and commuter services on bank holiday weekends to facilitate works on the line urgently needs to be reviewed.
“The May Bank Holiday Weekend saw major disruption to south Dublin and Wicklow services, causing major inconvenience for those attending events such as the Leinster game in the Aviva and the Bray Jazz Festival.
“Irish Rail has now announced there will be no train services between Connolly Station and Dún Laoghaire for the duration of the June Bank Holiday Weekend due to engineering works. This will directly impact thousands of participants in the VHI Women’s Mini Marathon, which takes place on Sunday, June 1.
“This pattern of poor planning by Irish Rail is undermining local tourism during busy holiday weekends, as well as important community and charity events. It is not acceptable to see this ongoing disruption at times when there is peak demand for public transport.
“No one takes issue with the need for the line to be closed for essential works. However, I am calling on the Minister for Transport and Irish Rail to review the planning process and ensure that future works are scheduled with public convenience and major events in mind.”
May 7, 2025