Delay to expansion of Kildare train services 'will hit quality of life'

A swathe of County Kildare - where the population is rapidly increasing - will see no substantial improvement to the rail service “for many years to come.”

Cllr Bill Clear has  attacked the delay to the DART+ Southwest project, which means it won’t start for four years.

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"The residents of the largest and fastest-growing area in Kildare are being seriously discommoded. Despite promises made during the last general election, the electrified, high-capacity line has been pushed so far down the schedule that we will not see it for well over a decade,” he said.

He said people living in the Naas, Sallins, Kill, Johnstown and Clane areas, will continue to face infrequent trains at peak times and insufficient carriages for one of the fastest-growing commuter belts in the country.

He added between 2016 and 2022, County Kildare grew by 11.36%, consistently ranking among Ireland’s fastest-growing counties due to its proximity to Dublin and reliance on overstretched transport links.

“We are building thousands of new houses in this area, yet no transport upgrades are being delivered,” he said, adding “all of these new families will be added to an already packed M7 and an overburdened rail line. This is utterly serious bad planning and a complete failure to plan for growth.”

He predicted it will have a serious impact on the wellbeing, and work life balance and quality of life of residents caused by lengthening commutes, unreliable services and daily gridlock.

“This once again proves that (people) have been badly let down by our national representatives.”

The project has planning approval and it’s understood it's not the subject of court action.

“We will not see DART+ reach Sallins until 2035 at the earliest, and realistically even later This is shameful and will push even more cars onto an already severely congested M7.”

Meanwhile local TD and Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless has urged Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien to ensure that the project “remains a priority and moves forward without delay and in parallel with the DART+West project.

He said delivering both together will maximise efficiency, reduce long-term costs and ensure real transport improvements for communities.

Mr Lawless also stated there is a strong case to extend DART+Southwest beyond Hazelhatch to Sallins and Newbridge, and to examine the delivery of a new station at Naas as a regional park-and-ride hub.