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Irish Independent
14-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Delivery of Dart to Wicklow town meets with delay as new deadline set
Plenty of what proved to be broken promises have been made down the years regarding the introduction of the service. In 2019, it was announced that the Dart for Wicklow town would be operational by 2023-2024. Timeframes for 2025 and 2026 were also announced, but were subsequently rowed back on. NTA CEO Anne Graham and NTA Deputy CEO Hugh Creegan both gave a presentation at Wicklow County Council's monthly meeting in October of last year, confirming that the NTA are looking at a four to five year timeframe to introduce the service. However, during a meeting hosted by the Transport, Infrastructure Delivery and Emergency Services and the Strategic Policy Committee of Wicklow County Council in March of this year, those in attendance were informed that the target for the arrival of the Dart to Wicklow town had been reduced to an expected arrival at the end of 2028. But now Deputy Whitmore has been informed that the service won't be introduced to Wicklow town until 2029. She stated: 'Last month in the Dáil, we were given firm timelines for the Drogheda Dart, so why not for Wicklow? Drogheda is set to expect its battery-electric Dart service from 2026, and yet Wicklow keeps being delayed and delayed without any firm commitment. 'Iarnród Éireann recently informed me that a capacity study is being carried out for Wicklow, wherein the battery-electric Dart fleet will be considered for use on this line. I welcome this study and look forward to its publication, but it is long overdue, and the fact that the electric Dart is now a mere consideration for Wicklow is deeply concerning.' Despite multiple promises and shifting deadlines, the project has most recently been pushed back to 2029. 'The new battery-electric Dart was first promised in 2019 when then Minister Shane Ross stated his expectation that we would see them by 2023-2024. Since then, we have seen delay after delay - in 2021, a local government backbencher ambitiously stated that the carriages would be operational in Wicklow by 2025,' explained Deputy Whitmore. 'A year later, Iarnród Éireann reiterated that statement, heralding that 95 electric and battery-electric rail cars would enter into service in 2025. In 2022, former Minister Stephen Donnelly announced that the electric Dart would be operational by 2026, then in February of this year the date was pushed back to 2028. We are now being told that it won't be until 2029 that Wicklow sees a battery-electric Dart. "This continuous shifting of deadlines is completely unacceptable. Every time we ask, it gets moved out another year. This is more than a political issue – people are making huge life decisions based on these promises, promises that directly impact where they can live and work. Insufficient and inefficient public transport options are not just an inconvenience; they are a barrier to economic growth and quality of life.' ADVERTISEMENT Deputy Whitmore feels even once the Iarnród Éireann study has been carried out, it will still take some time to implement any of the changes. She said that she would push for a bus service from Wicklow town to Greystones. She added: 'It is incredible that, in 2025, there is no connecting service between these two commuter towns and Wicklow town is only serviced by two peak morning trains. The government talks about providing infrastructure and public services, yet two large towns, in a county only an hour and a half away from Dublin, still have no connecting service.'
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Maine lawmaker wants MaineCare to cover Ozempic and other weight loss drugs
Mar. 4—The Maine Legislature is considering a bill that would require MaineCare to cover popular weight loss drugs like Ozempic. The proposal went before the Health and Human Services Committee for a public hearing on Tuesday. Ozempic and other similar drugs such as Wegovy and Zepbound can help people lose weight by controlling appetite and reducing cravings. But the drugs can be pricey, with 30-day prescriptions typically around $1,000 to $1,500. The cost is causing some private insurance to exclude them from coverage in their policies, although that practice has also resulted in lawsuits, including two in Maine. Despite the cost, the drugs are popular, and according to a 2024 KFF poll, one in eight adult Americans have taken the Ozempic class of medications. Ozempic and similar drugs were originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration as diabetes medicine, but they have also been found to help control weight. However, of the adults taking the drugs, about 40% are using the medications to treat diabetes, 22% were taking them primarily for weight loss, and the remaining for other reasons. Anne Graham, D-North Yarmouth, a retired nurse practitioner, and the primary sponsor of the bill, L.D. 480, said MaineCare should cover the popular weight loss medications because patients should have access to all available tools to help them be healthier. "Everyone should have access to obesity treatment, including these weight loss medications," Graham said. Thirteen states — including New England states Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island — have approved the Ozempic class medications for their Medicaid programs. MaineCare is the state's name for Medicaid, which is a federal program operated by the states funded with a mix of federal and state dollars. Dr. Allen Browne, of Falmouth, a retired pediatric surgeon, testified in favor of the bill, and said it is "wrong" to tell patients that a drug "exists, is safe and effective, but it's not available due to the cost." Browne said some health care providers will not even mention the weight loss medications to their patients, knowing that it's too pricey for their patients to afford. But Courtney Pladsen, MaineCare's medical director, testified against the bill, arguing that it would simply be too costly. "Our conclusion is that the cost of adding this coverage would be prohibitive," said Pladsen, who pointed out that children in the MaineCare program can currently be prescribed Ozempic or similar drugs, but that the drugs are not available in MaineCare to adults. Pladsen said that adding the medications would cost MaineCare $42 million in 2026 and $53 million in 2027. "Requiring MaineCare to cover (these drugs) for treating obesity would have a significant fiscal impact. This is untenable given MaineCare's current budget shortfall," Pladsen said. MaineCare is currently facing an $118 million shortfall in the current fiscal year. Under Gov. Janet Mills' budget proposal, a number of controversial cutbacks would be made to stabilize the MaineCare budget, including eliminating a cost-of-living increase for direct care workers and reductions of stipends for child care workers. Mills' overall $11.6 billion biennium budget calls for some cutbacks, but also raises revenue with a cigarette tax increase from $1 to $3 per pack, and a 40% increase in the adult use cannabis sales tax, to 14%. Copy the Story Link
