10 Minute Towns |Access i b i l i t y & Framework Repor t
4.4 Wider Public Transport Connectivity The concept of a 10-minute town is important not only for those living and working within a given town, but also for facilitating access to public transport routes to a wider range of destinations. The three towns of Carlow, Ennis, and Tralee are each situated on national rail and bus routes, and convenient access for residents to these routes opens connections to a wider range of employment, services, and social and leisure activities in other towns and cities such as Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Kilkenny, Killarney, Galway, and Dublin. In addition, each town serves as a hub for its hinterland, and public transport routes between larger towns and their surrounding area can both open access to services and activities that are not available in the smaller towns and villages and facilitate onward connections to regional and national destinations.
“The three towns of Carlow, Ennis, and Tralee are each situated on national rail and bus routes,”
Services from Carlow are infrequent, with an hourly frequency at peak times and gaps of up to three hours between services during the day. The earliest arrival to Waterford from Carlow on weekdays is at 09:39, making the service impractical for commuting. Rail services also terminate relatively early, with the final train from Waterford to Carlow departing at 18:25 and the final service from Dublin at 20:15. Improvements to frequency and timetabling would improve Carlow’s rail connectivity with the rest of the region. Connections with the Dublin-Cork line are available at Kildare, and with the Waterford- Limerick line at Waterford. As relatively few intercity services stop in Kildare and only two services per day run on the Limerick-Waterford line, the actual potential for interchange is limited. Improvements to services on the Limerick- Waterford line and timetable adjustments to facilitate interchange between lines at Kildare would greatly enhance Carlow’s connections with the wider region.
4.4.1 Carlow
4.4.1.1 Rail Carlow Railway Station is located at the junction of Railway Road and Saint Joseph’s Road, approximately 1km to the northeast of the town centre. It is situated on the Dublin to Waterford line, which also passes through Athy, Muine Bheag, Kilkenny, and Thomastown.
The rail service schedule for Carlow is presented in Table 1.
Table 1: Daily rail services, Carlow
Service
Mon-Thu
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
To Dublin
9 8 7 7
10
8 7 7 8
4 4 4 4
From Dublin To Waterford
9 8 8
From Waterford
55
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker