Free parking at new M3 rail station for commuters

Hard-pressed Meath commuters got a boost this week with the news that free parking is to be provided at the brand new M3 Parkway station when the new Dunboyne-Dublin passenger railway line opens next month. The 1,200-space park and ride facilility at the interchange with the M3 motorway at Pace, north of Dunboyne, should encourage commuters to use the the new rail link, according to Iarnrod Eireann's spokesperson, Barry Kenny. However, there will be parking charges at the railway station in Dunboyne village of €2 per day, €8 per week or €30 for four weeks. Meanwhile, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey last week travelled on one of the first driver-training journeys on the new rail line to Dunboyne from Clonsilla. The 7.5km Clonsilla to Dunboyne railway line will open to fare-paying passengers in early September following a three- to four-week driver training and safety sign-off period. The new line will branch off the Maynooth line at Clonsilla and serve Dunboyne and the brand new M3 Parkway station. The train will travel from Dunboyne to the Docklands station via Clonsilla, Coolmine, Castleknock, Phoenix Park, Ashtown and Broombridge. The journey time will be about 27 minutes at peak. The price of an adult day return ticket to Dublin will be €4.20 and a weekly rolling rail ticket will be €19.30. Service pattern upon opening will be at half hourly intervals and the infrastructure will allow for greater frequency as demand increases, says Iarnrod Eireann. There will be 300 car park spaces at Dunboyne Station with a parking charge of €2 euro per day or €8 euro for a weekly ticket. The new M3 Parkway station will feature a free 1,200-space car park, the largest park and ride facility in the country. There will be an expected 31-minute journey time from the M3 Parkway station to Dublin. The price of an adult day return ticket to Dublin will be €6.00 and a weekly rolling rail ticket will be €26.80. In Dublin, the Luas runs to the Docklands station to connect passengers with other parts of the city. Mr Dempsey was welcomed at Dunboyne station by fellow Fianna Fail TD Mary Wallace and Dunboyne county councillor, Noel Leonard. "The opening of the Dunboyne railway line next month will be hugely significant for Dunboyne people and for the surrounding areas who experience the challenges and pressures of getting to and from work and college every day and who will be able to use the new M3 Parkway park and ride facility," Deputy Wallace said. "I have remained focused to this project over the years to ensure that we have a real alternative for Meath commuters. I am delighted to be here today to witness one of the first driver training runs and I look forward to seeing the first passenger train in Dunboyne in September," she added. Cllr Leonard said the opening of the Dunboyne line will be hugely significant for Dunboyne people, particularly as some people believed it would never happen since the downturn in the economy. "It means a lot to me, particularly as I have been lobbying for the re-opening of this line since 1997 with the then Minister of Transport, Mary O'Rourke. I would like to thank Deputy Mary Wallace who has lobbied with me extensively to ensure that Meath residents have access to a modern public transport infrastructure," Cllr Leonard said.