Great Train Robbery

Cllr Keith Martin says the decision by Irish Rail to impose parking charges at Westport Railway Station is the new "Great Train Robbery".

 

Irish Rail will charge €2 per day or €8 per week for cars parked at the station or in the station car park from next Monday 8th December.  Cars which do not display their parking ticket will be clamped and owners will have to pay €120 to have the clamp removed.

 

Cllr Martin says "as Westport is a rural station with no bus links people using the train service have no option but to use their cars to get to the station particularly for the early train.  While people in the town can walk or get taxis Irish Rail customers from the countryside have no option but to drive into town and park up at the station."

 

"Irish Rail are already charging too much for train tickets, especially for family and student tickets which are more expensive than the Galway line.  This new charge is another disincentive to use the train service.  As using the train gets more expensive more and more people will use their cars for the journey to Dublin.

 

"Westport is not a commuter town, nor is it well served by bus routes or rural transport schemes and for Irish Rail to impose parking charges is just another stealth tax which is part of the new "Great Train Robbery" which has seen us lose our hot food dining cars in the name of progress.  Irish Rail should reverse this new parking charge, bring back dining cars and ensure 'fair' fares on the Westport line for families and students."