It’s a great time for rail travel enthusiasts, as Ireland is set to become the latest European country to add a whole host of new services to its train timetable.
Irish Rail, the national rail network operator, have just proposed additional services and are asking for the public’s feedback.
The plans include adding extra stops on multiple services, including at Clara and Ballinasloe, as well as more frequent trains across existing routes, such as from Carlow, Westport, Portlaoise, Mallow and Drogheda.
The Dublin to Portlaoise route would be massively expanded, with a whopping 15 new services – particularly exciting for those travelling to and from Kildare. The operator also expects improvements to journey times.
However, the most notable proposal is a new early-morning train running from Dublin to Cork, the Republic of Ireland’s two largest cities. The train would depart from Dublin’s Heuston Station at 6am and arrive at Kent Street station in Cork at 8.32am, Monday to Friday.
Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland, is a city with rich political, literary and cultural history. With everything from Dublin Castle to the Guinness Storehouse, and maybe some of the merriest pubs in the world, the city is brimming with heart, charm, and stout.
Cork is Ireland’s second most populous city, a bustling urban centre sitting at the heart of the beautiful, wild landscape of County Cork, which is at the southernmost point of the island. It’s a foodie hotspot, and a hub of great art galleries and markets.
The plans to make journeying between these two cities throughout the working week is aimed at commuters, but it’s also great news for those keen to explore the Emerald Isle. Firstly, if you’re a young traveller, hiring a car is a bit tricky – most rental companies want you to have been eligible to hold a licence for eight years. In other words, you need to be at least 25 to hire a car in Ireland, so more train services can only be a good thing.
Travelling by railway is also the most environmentally friendly method of transport, so the potential creation of all these new services is a decent step towards more sustainable tourism, as well as less of a headache for commuters. Pretty exciting, eh?
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