Early Bird on track in surprise turnaround

Early Bird on track in surprise turnaround


Áine Ryan

COMMUTERS in the west received good news last week when, in a surprise announcement, Irish Rail revealed that an Early Bird train service from Westport to Heuston will be implemented from the end of November.
The ‘welcome turnaround’ by Irish Rail was due to pressure from both Westport Town Council and Westport Chamber of Commerce, according to the Mayor of Castlebar, Cllr Michael Kilcoyne.
Some weeks ago Cllr Kilcoyne revealed to The Mayo News that the promised service was  to be shelved in order to contribute to funding for the repair of the railway bridge that collapsed in north Dublin earlier this year. 
Responding to the news at the time, Cllr Margaret Adams said it was ‘deplorable’ while her Fine Gael colleague, Cllr Austin Francis O’Malley dubbed the decision ‘disgraceful’.
Welcoming the news yesterday, the Cathaoirleach of Westport Town Council, Myles Staunton  said he was ‘delighted to welcome on behalf of the people of the town the revised timetable issued by Iarnród Éireann which will crucially include an Early Bird service to arrive in Dublin’s Heuston station at 8.50 am daily’. 
“The fact that the Early Bird train service will arrive in Dublin prior to the start of the normal business working day will be of particular benefit to those involved in business, tourism and education within the town. Westport Town Council in conjunction with Westport Chamber of Commerce have been to the forefront in lobbying for this Early Bird service to Dublin for a number of years and I am delighted that the hard work has paid off,” said Cllr Staunton. 
He continued: “The Westport Multi-Agency Enterprise Group which includes representatives from the Council, the Chamber and various businesses within the town deserve special credit for lobbying for the service in a proactive way on a continuous basis. The fact that an additional service will run from Dublin to Westport in the afternoon will also mean that if somebody finishes their business early in Dublin, they will have the option to take a train to arrive home in the early evening.”
Speaking yesterday, Cllr Margaret Adams observed that as a strong critic of the decision to shelve the plan, she was ‘delighted the service had now come to fruition’ and moreover ‘looked forward to it coming on line’.
“The fact that there will be a mid-afternoon return train is also to be welcomed, along with the fact that there will not be a changeover in Athlone,” said Cllr Adams.
She added: “I appeal to people, however, to use the new service, otherwise there is no guarantee that it will continue.”
The Early Bird train is set to leave Westport Station at 5.15am and return from Heuston Station at 3.30pm.