Northern Ireland

Irish Minister calls for early morning train service from Belfast to Dublin to be scrapped

Writing to the Taoiseach, Green Party Minister Joe O’Brien said the upcoming 6am Enterprise service from Belfast to Dublin would cause ‘unacceptable’ delays for Dublin commuters.

Passengers disembarking at Connolly Station in Dublin from the Dublin/Belfast Enterprise rail link.
A total of 15 trains a day will leave from Belfast to Dublin once safety checks have been completed, but an Irish Minister has said the 6am service will cause chaos for Dublin commuters. PICTURE: PA (David Young/David Young/PA Wire)
By Allan Preston

AN Irish Minister of State has said a new early morning train service from Belfast to Dublin should be scrapped or delayed.

In a letter to the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and the Minister for Transport - Joe O’Brien said the Enterprise service would cause delays for commuters travelling into the city.

The Irish Times reported that Mr O’Brien, a Green Party Minister of State for Community Development, asked them to address how the changes would affect the rail routes in north Dublin and Louth.

While appreciating the changes followed a commitment under the Shared Island Initiative and the need to “enhance and grow our connection with Northern Ireland,” he said the proposed timetable “have impacted very negatively on the commuter service, increasing journey times significantly for commuters in the towns of Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush, Lusk and Donabate”.

He said it was “especially problematic” that it would lead to a 30-minute gap in the peak morning period where there was no commuter service.

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“This not only leads to a significantly decreased level of service but existing services have been concentrated over a shorter time, causing capacity issues on some trains and long delays,” he said.

“The changes have also reduced through-services, impacting commuters who travel south of the Liffey. With all trains now terminating in Connolly or Pearse, this adds to journey times and increases the risk of delays.”

He said with the introduction of a 6am service from Belfast, commuter trains from Drogheda to Dublin were cleared from the line.

Minister O’Brien then suggested a delay of cancellation of the 6am Belfast service to avoid an “unacceptable”knock-on effect for Dublin commuters.

“It is important to note that the previous first service out of Belfast was 6.50am. I am also led to believe that currently the relevant Enterprise service is starting in Newry (not Belfast) and it will be later in the year before it actually serves Belfast.

“In my 20 years using the commuter line I have never seen such a poorly implemented change and would request an immediate intervention to resolve the ongoing issues.

“To sum up, we are simply trying to squeeze too many services on to a single train track. We ultimately need additional track space.”

This week, concerns were also raised in Lurgan that the new new hourly train service between Belfast and Dublin will have a “serious” impact and cause extra traffic congestion.

With the opening of the new £340m Grand Central Station transport hub, a total of 30 trains will travel between Belfast and Dublin every day.

Train testing and safety checks are still ongoing, but Translink expect rail services to be introduced later this year.