Fianna Fáil’s record on transport policy

On politics.ie the other day I participated in a debate on transport policy and Fianna Fáil’s record over the past few years. While I’m always one for objective analysis, credit where credit’s due and likewise when the opposite is the case, I do think the government has made strides in this area that are not always acknowledged. Similarly there are a few areas where I would like to see more being done. I detail below the arguments I made.

To start with I don’t think the party/govt have done all that badly in the rail arena over the past couple of years, in the time I’ve been an activist on either front anyhow.

When I got involved in rail campaigns I was aware of Platform11’s then proposal to ‘Extend the Dart’ by creating three new Dart lines linked by underground tunnel. I was a fan of the proposal and exchanged correspondence with the offices of both the Taoiseach and the then Minister for Transport. I also championed the issue at the Killarney Ard Fheis a few years back. Sure enough Transport 21 was announced and the Interconnector was a key component. So good start.

Other developments in my own area include the Kildare Route project which is certainly in progress, and due for completion on target. The Spencer Dock station opened in 2007 for commuters on the Western/Maynooth line which relieved the slot contention in Connolly and allowed commuters more choice travelling into the IFSC. Recently moves have been made to reopen Broadstone station for trains on the Southern/Waterford line which will improve contention at Connolly and again represents a step in the right direction.

Metro North and West are badly needed and whilst there may be debate about the routes, Metro West in particular will open up a huge corridor all along the west city which is not particularly well served at the moment, and also aid connectivity meaning that a commuter from say my part of the world (Kildare line) could hop an Arrow to Clondalkin and in one change board Metro West for the airport. With the Interconnector make a similar change at Stephen’s green or Pearse and head for the Southside DART.

The LUAS has been a success and is hugely popular. More lines are planned and the railway order went out for the citywest line just before Christmas. The Lucan and other additional lines can only be good news for the residents in those areas.

Services such as the hourly Cork-Dublin are welcome additions I think, even though some may label them as expensive playthings, anyone that’s had to make the journey appreciates the service. Significant service frequency improvements are due to occur on most routes over the next 2-3 years.

I am also consider progress on the Western rail corridor a positive development.

The government has pledged huge funding, 31BN in Transport21, the Department plans 4BN spending in 2008 alone. Half of this (1.9BN) is on public transport.

Park and ride facilities could be improved but are starting to emerge and I think a congestion charge will need to be considered for city centre motorists within peak hours once adequate alternatives are in place. I believe we are not that far off and a carrot and stick may have to be applied at some point. London has made great strides since it was introduced and even in Dublin car traffic between the canals has actually lessened in recent years showing public transport is succeeding although it’s a long war.

Although a strong advocate of public transport, I would not at all dismiss the progress on our roads. The M11, M50 and M7 are just three roads I happen to use regulalry and have all seen massive improvement in the last couple of years. The M50 might be in flux at the moment but remember only a few years ago it ended at Dundrum. Now I can drive from Kildare to Wexford without ever leaving motorway. This sort of upgrade is occurring on roads and motorways all over the country. The M1 in particular is a fantastic road now and highly praised by anyone who travels North on a regular basis.

While I am not familiar with the detail, in Cowen’s budget speech he referred to a number of local projects in the Cork (and Waterford?) areas, so it seems commuter services outside Dublin are beginning to gain traction too.

Are there things I don’t like? Well yes of course.

I had understood Meath on Track would occur, or at least get a good start under this administration – I’m not up to speed on the detail but have heard murmurs this may not be happening – I think it is a no brainer but I’m not in the Ministers office and I don’t have the whole picture.

The Kildare route project was initially due to four-track as far as Kildare town to include Sallins/Naas and Newbridge stations along the way and now ends in Hazelhatch. I’m still a little suspicious on this one although I’m told by Irish Rail and by some trainspotters of my acquaintance that four-tracking for the inner commuter loop is all that’s necessary and we will enjoy faster more frequent mainlines once the inner shuttles are out of track contention.

I cannot understand the fact that it takes two hours and five minutes to travel sixty odd miles between Gorey to Conolly whereas similar distances to mid-land and Northern line stations can express it in around the hour.

I would prefer the LUAS not have to contend with cars at red line junctions between Heuston and Connolly although it seems to have settled into a reasonably harmonious rhythm at this stage.

The two Luas lines not being joined funnily doesn’t bother me that much. In London which has a fantastic underground there are lots of connections where you have to switch by bus or on foot over ground. The Interconnector to link Heuston and the DART line is a far bigger deal. But funny noone except transport anoraks (including myself) seemed to care about joining the two city centre rail lines yet the world and its mother was in arms over the Luas lines being so.

Day to day stuff is what irritates me most although I see that as implementation of policy and an operational matter for the provider, i.e. Irish Rail. Our line has really dogged punctuality issues of late, which I might well raise with the Minister next opportunity at least he can direct a boot in the right direction and maybe get someone moving on it. Overcrowding was a problem on our line and chronically on the Maynooth line but that has been addressed significantly on the Maynooth line with 300% capacity increases and to some extent on our line through additional services. It seems we’ve been waiting forever for the new railcars but over 200 of them are on the way and the first ones went into service on the Sligo line just before Christmas. Less trumpeted projects such as the new depot in Portlaois will see a step change in frequencies and services on Southern and Western lines, including Kildare, and will open later this year. Stations all along the line will be upgraded under the route project, ineed the planning notice is up at Sallins station already.

So all in all, as far as I can see, it doesn’t stack up too badly.

Note: More info on these projects available at Irish Rail and Transport21 (detail under ‘projects’ tab).

NASRUG negotiate extra train in evening gap

NASRUG (Naas and Sallins Rail Users Group) is a commuter lobby group serving the users of Naas and Sallins railway station. A strong advocate of public transport, and a daily commuter to Dublin myself, I have been involved with the group since its inception.

We lobby on a number of matters but primarily on timetable changes, station facilities (parking, shelters, buildings), service levels (punctuality, reliability, announcements), ticketing and fare structures and longer term projects such as Transport 21 and route upgrades.

Looking back over the last few years I would say we have consistently punched above our weight and no less this week.

Platforms at Heuston Station

As in previous years, we received an advance copy of the timetable and whilst it was reasonable overall and included a few sweeteners (such as a later last train at 11pm which we’d always listed as a ‘nice-to-have’), there was one outstanding issue.

This was a gap in the evening service between 18.35 and 20.05 returning from Heuston to Sallins. For many people working a little later than the traditional 9-5 this posed significant problems in getting home. Allowing for the fact that Heuston itself is a bit away from most workplaces, many folk were stranded between these trains until the 20.05 and were stuck getting home at 9pm daily as a result.

Previous years negotiations had seen repeated improvements (we made a lot of breakthroughs in the 07 timetable including an improved evening service and a Sunday service) but this gap was the one remaining ‘black spot’ in the Sallins timetable.

Armed with a flood of protest from the online group I approached our contact in Irish Rail and made him fully aware of the difficulties posed. There were challenges around rolling stock and conflicts with mainline trains, but we kept on the pressure and IR kept with it, and I finally got the good news on Wednesday that we would indeed get an additional train.

From Monday, 10th December, the 18.50 service ex-Heuston will stop in Sallins. It will not be printed in official timetables, being an 11th hour concession, but it will operate.

Credit where credit’s due and Irish Rail took our points on board here. They showed flexibility and a willingness to meet us halfway and I am certainly appreciative.

NASRUG have always had a policy of positive engagement and whilst we can and do get tough when the occasion calls for it, equally we listen to the other side at all times and usually we meet in the middle.

Communications build trust, trust builds communications. It’s certainly worked out this time.

All eyes on the big man

Budget 2008 will be presented on Wednesday and for political anoraks there’s something terribly satisfying about the fact that Minister Cowen has restored the hallowed nature of the occasion and the air of revelation and expectation that surrounds it. In recent years the ceremony of budget day had begun to diminish as the month long drip feed of information that was the estimates process meant that surprises were fewer and farther between. But the spectacle has been restored this year and all information will again be released upon the same day.

As always there is much speculation about what exactly he will do. Will he reform stamp duty, will he cut the top rate, will he revise the PRSI ceiling, will he cut spending, current or capital, how much will go on the pint etc…

We’ve been hearing for months how his hands are tied due to tighter than expected economic contraints. It’s not all that unexpected though – McWilliams has been warning us for years! And I’m sure it won’t be all that big a surprise to Tánaiste Cowen either. He’s a clever man and he didn’t come down in the last shower so I’m sure he will make a good fist of it, making perhaps some necessary tightening measures whilst keeping the broader economy intact and ensuring social justice is met.

After the huge increases in child benefit in recent years and the €1,000 a year under-sixes payment (due next week, thankyou Minister) he will hardly revisit childcare again this time. He will keep the focus on pensions though moving towards the government’s stated target of €300 a week old age pension by the end of the current term. The PRSI ceiling revision was a component of the election manifesto and I think it is a just and sensible measure, removing an artificial protection for high earners which meant the lower end paid disproportionately more. Alarm bells seem to be ringing that he will leave the top rate unchanged at 41%, rather than reducing again and quite frankly I think he’s right – one small concesssion for the individual, one giant cost for the state.

I do fervently and confidently believe he must, at minimum, maintain capital spending at the current level, or better again, increase if he has any scope to do so. Whatever about an economic blip now, it is essential for the long term economic outlook that we put serious infrastructure in place in this country that will stand us into the future. In the recent International competitiveness report this was cited as one of our weak points, it is being addressed through huge spending programmes, particularly Transport21, but that must continue. No slippage there is acceptable. I’ve often made the argument that we are a young nation, that we were levied by a foreign land for centuries, it’s only a generation since we gained real economic freedom, and all of that is true, but now at last we do have some money so lets get the house in order.

On stamp duty I think it is inequitable, the reform was over hasty and I would have preferred us continue preaching the fiscal rectitude gospel which ironically the Minister will be practising by now anyway. The biggest flaw with the reform that was introduced is that there is no upper limit on first time buyers duty free purchases – which allows for obvious abuses of the system. I don’t think we’ll see changes there this time though.

It is expected we will see a curtailing of the many high end loopholes which currently enable accountants siphon millions for their wealthy clients – however I am sure new and more innovative ways will be uncovered instead by the collective creative acumen of the financial consulting industry – a constant game of cat and mouse there in every country me thinks..

Lastly on a personal interest area, my own pet request in this budget is a relief on commuter parking. A month or so back I made a pre-budget submission to the Tánaiste, through Deputy Brady’s office, for an extension of the taxsaver scheme to park and ride fees, giving every possible encouragement for use of public transport, ultimately getting people out of their cars and onto the train or LUAS. It shouldn’t cost a whole lot and it would be a nice sweetener now that pay parking is being rolled out across the commuter network. Any minor reduction in revenue should be offset by economic and social benefits as people free up time to spend at homes or in their communities rather than being stuck in traffic jams.

Anyway on Wednesday, all will be revealed.. I look forward to the grand unveiling!