Future rail commuters can add park 'n" ride charges to road tolls and train fares

Proposals to introduce parking charges at the new park and ride facility at the commuter railway station in Dunboyne has met with a furious local reaction. Angry commuters point out that, between two M3 tolls and parking charges, commuters from north Meath hoping to avail of the new rail link from Dunboyne into the city could face charges of up to €50 a week, or €2,500 a year, making Meath one of the most expensive counties in which to live and commute from. Last week, CIE confirmed that that it was introducing the charges at dozens of railway station in the commuter area, including Laytow,n and probably the proposed new facility at Dunboyne. Charges are already in place at Gormanston station in east Meath. Deputy Damien English described the decision as grossly unfair and said it was nothing more than a stealth tax that would hurt commuter families who have no choice but to pay the fees to get to work. 'Not only do workers in commuter towns have to suffer from long commutes, but now they"ll have to fork out an additional €500 a year to CIE. In an economic situation where every penny counts and with inflation skyrocketing, the imposition of additional charges on the workers will do nothing to help struggling families or the struggling economy,' he said. 'This year, Iarnród Eireann received an operating subsidy of €196 million from taxpayers and, if CIE insists on introducing this charge on commuters, then the Minister for Transport should definitely cut their subsidy by whatever amount CIE makes off the backs of hard-pressed commuters. CIE should be focused on improving their efficiencies while reducing their operating costs instead of levying another stealth tax on commuters,' he added. He said Transport Minister Noel Dempsey should either order CIE to drop this charge or cut the Iarnród Eireann subsidy. The proposals were described as totally unacceptable by Senator Dominic Hannigan. 'Plans to ask people to fork out another eight euro a week for car parking facilities that have been free for years cannot be allowed to proceed,' he said. 'I feel strongly that commuters should be able to claim tax back on these parking charges, just as they are able to do with their train fares. I raised this issue in the Seanad and was told that the Government would consider it, but I feel this change is imperative and needs to be introduced immediately.' He also said that the charges should be well regulated. 'Train fare increases require ministerial approval; however, these parking charges can be raised at will by Irish Rail and we need to avoid a situation where parking charges are at an inflation busting level with no end in sight. Regulation of these charges is the best answer,' he said. 'If these fees are to be introduced, it is very important that any revenue raised at local stations must be spent in local stations, not miles away from the people handing over the money.' Cllr Joe Reilly said that in a situation where the Govt was trying to encourage people to use public transport, there should be no charges at the proposed park and ride facility at Pace until people got used to using it. He said that the parking charges would force people to use the roads and the combination of parking charges and tolls would make Meath one of the dearest counties to live and work in. 'We are trying to attract industries into Meath but all these charges are a disincentive,' he said. Cllr Tommy Reilly said he didn"t believe that €2 a day was excessive for somebody travelling into the city for a day but felt there should be good reductions for regular commuters. Cllr Noel Leonard said it was important to keep costs down as much as possible in order to encourage more people to use trains. He said that the new parking charges at Dunboyne, along with tolls and train fares, would leave commuting from the north of the county via the train at Dunboyne fairly expensive.