No firm plans to build second train station in Drogheda, says Transport Minister
However the only bright hope is the State will review it if the population in the town continues to grow.
Local politicians had been pushing for a second station with park and ride facilities in the and especially since a Bridge or tunnel will have to be built across the Dublin-Belfast rail line to connect the new PANCR route with the docks.
Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien delivered the bad news to new Louth Fine Gael TD Paula Butterly in reply to a parliamentary question last week, She had asked for a new second train station for the town to be built complete with parking facilities.
Such a facility would take a huge amount of traffic away from the town centre, reducing congestion as people rush to and from McBride Train Station on the Dublin road for their daily commute.
Minister O'Brien said; "! am currently unaware of plans for a new train station on the north side of Drogheda, though this can be kept under review as the population changes.
"An additional station would require funding and would have to secure relevant approvals required under the Infrastructure Guidelines. Iarnrod Eireann will engage with any parties proposing a new station and my Department will continue to keep me informed of this issue."
There was some good news however on the commuter front from the Junior Transport Minister Sean Canney.
He told local Sinn Fein TD Joanna Byrne that new train carriages ordered by Iarnrod Eireann as part of the DART+ Programme have started arriving into Ireland and are undergoing testing.
The new battery electric DART trains will start entering service between Dublin and Drogheda next year , replacing the diesel trains and providing Drogheda passengers with a modern DART service for the first time.
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The Minister also confirmed that the DART+Coastal North project will extend overhead electric wires from Malahide to Drogheda along with other infrastructure improvements.
This will increase rail capacity between Drogheda and Dublin from 4,800 to 8,800 passengers per direction per hour, thereby serving the growing population along the route.
Mr Canny said a Railway Order for DART+Coastal North was lodged with An Bord Pleanala in July, 2024 and following this submission, a statutory public consultation period closed in October,2024. The project is now awaiting a decision from An Bord Pleanala.
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