New rail line for Kildare

The Green Party in Kildare has welcomed a new report which would provide new rail services in Kildare.

The All-Island Strategic Rail Review proposed new track between Hazelhatch and Portarlington with a new spur at Kildare to the Waterford line along with the construction of other new rail lines in the Midlands and North-West, increased electrification and more frequent services.

Local Green Party representative for Kildare, Dr Lorraine Benson welcomed the plan and said:

“This is fantastic news for Kildare and train travelers across the island. The increased number of trains together with new tracks and upgrades to Portarlington, Kildare, Hazelhatch and with Dart + to Maynooth will bring benefits across the county.

Rail journey times will be reduced between cities by as much as half. Train services will run at least hourly between cities and at least every two hours on regional and rural routes. The rail network will be electrified to become a net carbon zero rail system. The rail network route length would increase from circa 2,300km to almost 3,000km with the reopening of former and new rail lines. This will almost triple the number of people using the rail system annually from around 65 million to over 180 million by 2050.

“By increasing the speed, frequency and routes of trains, rail travel will become more appealing to everybody living in our area and a strong competitor to car travel. This development will help decarbonize the rail network and take cars and freight off the roads especially the M7 which is heavily congested at peak times during the day.”