Lakeside to get new bus service
A new bus service from Portumna to Nenagh, serving villages on or near the shores of Lough Derg, is being introduced, aimed at boosting tourist services and to help reduce the dependence of rural communities on car use.
The service, to be launched this coming Monday, will run four times daily, providing a new transport link to the towns of Nenagh and Portumna, as well as a traservice for tourists visiting the pretty lakeside villages such as Terryglass and Dromineer.
The new servcie has been hailed by the Kilbarron based Independent councillor Joe Hannigan as a major boost for the entire area along the route.
As well as linking Portumna and Nenagh, the bus will serve villages such as Carrigahorig, Terryglass, Ballinderry, Coolbawn, Puckaun, Dromineer and Ballycommon.
It’s run by TFI Local Link as part of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan, which is a major national public transport initiative developed and funded by the National Transport Authority.
Route 322 will operate four daily return services Monday to Saturday, with one additional return service between Puckaun and Nenagh as well as three daily return services on Sunday.
Cllr Hannigan said the new service will provide greater access for tourists in the Nenagh Municipal District to some of the most beautiful villages in the lakeside area and give local communities travelling to towns an alternative to the car.
Speaking at last Thursday’s meeting of the Nenagh Municipal District authority, Cllr Hannigan said that the development of a dedicated public transport hub at Nenagh Railway Station would greatly enhance the new services and other public transport services in the district.
He pointed out that the station had been designated as the end stop of the new lakeside bus service. This was despite the fact that the National Transport Authority (NTA) had consistently resisted a plan by Tipperary County Council to develop a dedicated transport hub at the station.
It did not make sense to him that all other buses into Nenagh were currently stopping in the town centre at Banba Square. He wondered if those getting off the lakeside bus at the station were expected to walk back up the town to avail connecting services at Banba Square.
TRANSPORT HUB
Cllr Michael O’ Meara said the best place for all bus stops in Nenagh was at a dedicated transport hub at the railway station. Unfortunately, the council had failed to persuade the NTA of the merits of the case.
Cllr Hannigan said that in an ideal world the grounds of the station would have a coffee shop and other services to make it a perfect site for a hub instead. It would be much better than having parked buses clogging up the centre of the town as was currently the case.
pushing case
Council Director, Marcus O’ Connor said the council had been pushing the case for a transport hub with the government for ten years. “We have been banging the drum on this for a long time now. The station would seem to be the obvious place were people could park their cars and avail of public transport, such as trains and buses.”
It was the perfect site to develop a hub, incorporating bus shelters, a café, toilet facilities and other facilities typical of a modern dedicated hub. “In our view it’s a no-brainer.”
Mr O’ Connor said council officials recently met with representatives of the NTA who indicated that they would consider some public transport services being based at the station. “But what we need is a complete change of mind and that all bus services would operate from there. However, we [the council] are not the ones making the decision here.”
Cllr Hannigan said establishing a dedicated hub was such a logical move that it had to be pursued. He urged that representatives of the council call a meeting with CIE companies and other parties involved to press the case.
Mr O’ Connor said he had discussed the issue with the Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan on the two occasion s already. The council had failed to persuade the NTA of the merits of what was “a sensible, logical development for the town”.