Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Border Region Development Brendan Smith TD has expressed his frustration that despite a €18m upgrade of the Dublin-Belfast train service, journey times for passengers are not being improved in any way.  Despite the large investment, people travelling between the two cities can still expect a journey time of up to two hours and twenty minutes.

Deputy Smith commented, “This is the first major investment for the Dublin-Belfast line in quite some time and it was well overdue, but unfortunately it will do nothing to tackle the biggest bugbear for users of the services – namely the need for much more regular services and the excessive travel times.

“The Governments on both sides of the border have a duty to passengers travelling between the two cities but unfortunately a commitment to improve services appears to have slipped down the priority list.

“We need to get serious about our North-South infrastructure, instead of treating it as an afterthought, as has been the case over the past 4 years.  Both Governments must work together to ensure a rail link between Ireland’s two largest cities that is appropriate to the 21st Century.  Vague commitments are no longer acceptable.  The Enterprise service is a key transport link on this island that many thousands of people rely on every week.  Steps must be taken to ensure that the service is a viable travel option, rather than a slower, more expensive alternative to the car and there is a responsibility on the Government here and the Northern Ireland Assembly to give this project the priority it deserves”.