Transport

Fine Gael TD for Wicklow, Andrew Doyle, welcomes the response by Irish Rail regarding the DART and rail times and expressed the need for a continued and vigilant accountability on public transport to ensure County Wicklow has an efficient service and a positive impact on commuters.

Deputy Doyle recently raised with Irish Rail matters concerning the policy of fewer carriages per journey during off peak times as an energy saving measure and an outline of each train and DART in County Wicklow.

Deputy Doyle said “In response to continuous representations on behalf of Wicklow East Coast commuters, I have sought for changes needed to deal with the overcrowding on the commuter trains”

“For commuters, Irish Rail have also provided a new tabular format, the number of carriages on each train and the time of commencement and arriving times for both Trains and Darts available on the Irish Rail customer service system.”

In concluding comments Doyle reiterates “While I am happy with portions of the response from Irish Rail, I still believe that the service will need ongoing monitoring as Wicklow’s commuters have been severely affected by the changes as originally made and I am very anxious to ensure that we avoid overcrowding, to provide an efficient rail service for everyone in County Wicklow”, concluded Deputy Doyle.

Deputy Andrew Doyle receives progress report from National Roads Authority on N11 road upgrade

Fine Gael TD for Wicklow, Andrew Doyle, has received an update from the National Roads Authority (NRA) on the progress being made on the N11 upgrade work currently underway between Rathnew and Arklow. The contracts for the project were signed in April 2013 with the work getting underway just a number of weeks later in June 2013.

Speaking on the matter, Deputy Doyle said, “A number of months ago when this project work commenced, I was delighted, given the amount of time and effort that has been put in since this upgrade was first proposed many years ago. Since Day One, I mounted a heavy lobbying campaign for the completion of this bypass. The years of pressure and continuous work are paying dividends, with six months’ work now complete on this very important piece of national infrastructure that will hugely benefit County Wicklow.”

”Having received a report from the NRA on the works so far, I’m delighted to see that the construction work is set to commence shortly on a number of bridges along this new 16.5 kilometre stretch of road. To date, a significant amount of work has been undertaken by BAM, through this joint venture on clearing the route for this new road.”

“Furthermore, the installation of drainage culverts and the diversions of existing streams has taken place. This is crucial for the long-term usability of the road when it opens up. It is in no-one’s interest that the occasional flooding situations during heavy downpours seen further north on the N11 at the M50 junction are repeated between Arklow and Wicklow Town”, stated Deputy Doyle.

“This road, when completed, will efficiently accommodate a large number of commuters, allowing the county to capitalise on the natural advantages from a tourism perspective, reducing travels times for residents and will increase the attractiveness of County Wicklow as a place to do business. The overall project for the completion of the road continues to be on schedule to opened and ready to accept road users in August 2015.”

“This progress update on the first half year is work on the N11 upgrade is very welcome news. I look forward to continuously monitoring the progress being made in the months ahead on this project, ensuring it is delivered on budget and on time”, concluded Deputy Andrew Doyle.