Major new bus hub to be piloted in Navan?

A major shift in public transport policy in Meath will see an emphasis on the use of buses rather than trains as the county council contemplates making Navan a pilot hub for the movement of passengers in the region. The plan would also see the building of a new central bus station in the town. The switch in policy, earmarked in the proposed new county development plan which will run from March next year to 2019, sees the bus as central to future transport plans. Out goes any hope of an extension of the rail line from Pace to Navan as encapsulated in the development plan sentence "Given the decision to defer the delivery of Phase II of the Navan rail line, the bus network will be the predominant public transport alternative serving the county." The plan stresses that it is "vital" that bus services and facilities are enhanced to make travel by bus more attractive to existing and potential users. Meath has seen significant improvements in the quality and frequency of bus services to and from the urban centres of the county to Dublin and other regional centres and the council plan aims for improvements in the quality bus corridor network as "a priority". To read the full story see this week's Meath Chronicle.