The National Transport Authority (NTA) in the UK is contemplating discontinuation of the direct rail services connecting Co Wexford with Dublin. Studies are considering the option of converting the passengers from the Rosslare line from intercity to Dart carriages at either Wicklow or Greystones. This consideration has emerged as a result of significant growth in numbers of passengers using the line in recent years. Double the amount of passengers in 2022 were boarding daily at the Wexford station compared to 2013. Passenger numbers at Enniscorthy saw a similar increase. In addition, May 2022 saw the addition of a new night-time service between Gorey and Connolly by Irish Rail to fulfill increasing demand.
The rise in demand coincides with fast-paced expansion of the Rosslare port since Brexit, including a €170 million facility for workers such as the gardaí, customs, HSE, and Department of Agriculture personnel. Construction of this facility was initiated by Minister of State Patrick O’Donovan in September last year. Irish Rail, the owner of the port, predicts massive developments at the port with historic levels of investment over the next five years. These include several planned projects such as an offshore renewable energy hub.
As proposed currently, rail services from Rosslare/Gorey would terminate at Wicklow or Greystones where passengers would switch to the Dart service, stated the deputy chief executive of the NTA, Hugh Creegan. The objective of this proposal would be to facilitate increased frequency of services operated by diesel trains along the route from Rosslare to Wicklow/Greystones. Furthermore, Mr Creegan stated that the interchange point should either be Wicklow or Greystones, cited from the ongoing feasibility study for a Dart battery train service between those locations. However, the study is in its early stages and is assessing the possibility for hourly Dart services.
Spokesperson for Irish Rail, Barry Kenny, acknowledged that enhancing the regularity of the Rosslare-Dublin rail line has persistently been a problem since it operates under the high frequency Dart facility from Bray to Dublin. This hurdle might escalate with potential upgrades in the Dart frequency at Greystones. He also noted that an interchange linking to Dart services would become part of strategies to maximise capacity in the wider Dublin area and to foster increased Rosslare line activity.
However, this was not well-received by Mr Byrne, who expressed that compelling passengers to transfer trains at Wicklow or Greystones may not stimulate a rise in rail use. The changes were also criticized by the non-profit organization, Rail Users Ireland, as it warned that altering the trains could result in compromising the Rosslare service. Spokesperson for the group, Mark Gleeson questioned the logic behind making passengers leave a comfortable intercity train at Wicklow, with its current lack of fully accessible entrances. Adding that in the event of the Rosslale train delay, passengers might miss their Dart connection.
Gleeson also likened such changes to requesting passengers to transfer at Malahide on the Belfast line or Hazlehatch on the Cork line prior to reaching Dublin. He went on to label the ideas as “terrible.”