Mayo councillor wants train journey times to Dublin to be speeded up

The Cathaoirleach of the Westport/Bemullet Municipal District has called on Irish Rail to look at speeding up the journey from Mayo to Dublin.

The number of passengers using the Irish Rail network in Mayo has experienced an 8 percent growth in recent years with proposals to increase the number of services to Mayo.

A presentation on the Dublin to Westport rail service was presented to councillors in the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District who were informed that in 2024, 714,000 customers passed through the station in Westport.

However, the journey time to Dublin Heuston from Westport is three hours and 12 minutes and Westport councillor Peter Flynn asked if it can be speeded up on some services. He pointed out that the journey time on one service from Cork to Dublin is 58 minutes faster than the Westport to Dublin route despite the distance being the same.

“I would love for you to look at how to speed it up, particularly the early morning train. If people are getting up at 5.15am wouldn't it be lovely to have them in Dublin before 9 o'clock and not well after. It would make a big difference to people's day.

“I don't think it should be that difficult to be able to do, maybe have fewer stops because there has to be a way to get the morning train to Dublin a lot faster. If you get in your car at five in the morning you will be in Dublin a lot quicker than three hours and yet with a straight line it is taking three hours and 12 minutes,” he told the monthly meeting.

In response, Derrick Curran, Regional Manager with Irish Rail pointed out that the fast train from Cork to Dublin is direct and does not stop at stations along the way. He said that recommendations by the All-Island Strategic Rail Review to double track the Athlone to Portarlington line would shorten journey time but added 'you are not going to get there in two hours... it is not possible'.

READ: Road closure outside Mayo county town to stretch into next week

Outlining plans for the future of the Westport service, Mr Curran said that laying a double track the Athlone to Portarlington line will lead to more services to the west.

“It [increase in passenger numbers] presents a challenge for us to meet the demand and put on a more frequent and reliable service to connect to communities.

“In terms of the Westerport route the ambition over the next few years is to grow the service with a minimum of three extra trains in each direction. To do that we need more fleet and better infrastructure,” he said.

Mr Curran explained that 37 new trains are due to come into service in the Greater Dublin region in the next 18 months which he said will free up the existing fleet for the regions.

The proposal to increase the service to Westport was welcomed by the other councillors in the municipal district.

Cllr Brendan Mulroy said the three extra services coming into Westport 'will be invaluable' as there is already a capacity problem on many of the trains to the west. He added that making a connection with Galway through the Western Rail Corridor will also 'make a big difference'.