Nash says Drogheda commuters being "left standing at the station" over rail plans

A Labour TD accused the Government of failing to deliver a proposed new train station for north Drogheda. The TD said commuters are being left “standing at the station” while similar-sized towns receive major rail infrastructure investment. The TD described frustration with “buck-passing” between Government departments and State agencies. After meeting Irish Rail’s chief executive, the TD said advice was to request the National Transport Authority to develop a business case. The TD said the National Transport Authority responded that Drogheda falls outside the Greater Dublin Area and therefore it has no statutory remit. The TD then called on the Transport Minister to amend the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 to include Louth so the NTA can plan for a new station. The TD also criticized progress in Navan, where two new rail stations are planned despite having no existing rail stations.

"A new rail station to serve a growing community in north Drogheda is a case I've been making to anyone who will listen for some time now. Deputy Nash said he met with Irish Rail chief executive Mary Considine last month to discuss the issue and was advised to ask the National Transport Authority to develop a business case for the station. "I subsequently wrote to the NTA but was frustrated with the response," he said."

"The NTA say that Drogheda falls outside the Greater Dublin Area for which the NTA has legislative responsibility and therefore it has no statutory remit in respect of a potential station in north Drogheda. Deputy Nash said the response placed responsibility back with Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien. "This week, I have tabled a Parliamentary Question to Minister O'Brien calling on him to amend the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 to include Louth," he said."

"This would allow the NTA to develop a sustainable public transport plan for our county, including a new rail station for north Drogheda. The Labour TD said it was "particularly galling" to see progress being made on rail infrastructure in Navan while Drogheda continued to wait. "It is particularly galling in this context to see news today that Navan, a town with no rail stations, is slated to gain two - one for central Navan and the other for the north of the town," he said."

Read at Irish Independent