Transport Summit: Officials cite grounds for optimism on rail line to Navan
NAVAN MD
Transport chiefs from the NTA, Bus Eireann and Irish Rail met Meath co councillors this week to discuss the needs of local passengers and commuters
Cllr Emer Tóibín raised the issue of bus stops on country roads and she wondered if there were rules regarding their placement – was it every 5km? She also wondered if more stops could be provided on the old N3.
Cllr Tóibín said she wanted to know when the new national fares structure would start. The Navan rail line was a huge issue but there was a very distant date for its introduction - 14 years and this was “intolerable”.
NX bus services had improved in the mornings but there many cancellations from Dublin in the afternoon, she said. Information was not put up on time on the app. There was no notification of cancellation.
“You can imagine after a hard day’s work that is difficult to deal with”.
Cllr Francis Deane said that the NX service should stop at Abbeylands. He congratulated Bus Eireann on the town bus service in Navan while he asked that a bus stop be provided on Flower Hill and a stop located at Newgate on the Kells Road.
Cllr Yemi Adenuga said that in relation to park and ride and the 185 spaces to be provided believed that there should be a promotional campaign to encourage people to use the facility. She was also keen on the active travel schemes.
Anne Graham said there was no particular rule for distancing between bus stops. Every service and every location was different – it all depended on where demand was generated. They also had to take into account the timing of services – every new stop provided meant at least two minutes onto the bus journey. Hugh Cregan said there was some pessimism about the Navan rail line but he would be much more optimistic.
“For the first time ever we now have a statutory transport plan. It fairly puts the Navan rail line project down as part of that plan. It does take a number of years to deliver these projects, it’s not an overnight thing”, he said.