Mattie McGrath urges urgent investment in Waterford-Limerick rail

good minister i'm delighted that you're here i want to compliment you on your appointment and wish you well i know i've been working with you on many issues so forward to engaging fully look we have um you know a rail service from the waterford to limerick and it's wholly inadequate i get on myself in care and change the limerick junction this case station is an open you can't buy a ticket they lay in letters and so they're and two manor but on a lot of a lot of fun and on a more fun you know the same way station is there buses all stopped there but the train stations were locked don't test it's not good enough that people come there maybe long journey and they want to use the toilets or use the facilities say with carrick and sure you can't buy tickets you can buy you have to write it on the train or buy the limerick junction when you change but so we need huge investment in the waterford it's a strategic line waterford uh on to uh canmel carrick and sure can mel carter and east and indeed on to uh temporary town again it's closed but it doesn't get on there and in limerick junction of course there's a train every hour great central service i want to salute the drivers the staff the office staff and everybody's and the floor staff and ground staff in limerick junction and thornless they're exceptional i got the train yesterday according to four and thornless i was in this chamber six o'clock after getting the bus in from uh in from houston we're blessed to have that but we need to look after this small line upgrade that they can go faster on them but importantly that they'd be a us guilty go knee and that people know about it nobody knows that the train goes in care very few times there's no absolutely no marketing whatsoever and same from i'm sure from carrick and sure or clonmel and indeed a tipperary town people don't know they say how do you get a train from care i said in the station they don't believe it so look we must um praise the staff that are in there but please that is a strategic line so important to the southeast region so important to temporary limerick and indeed waterford and we must um invest in that line to make sure that is there's more trains there's only a number of services today there's that one in the morning carry 25 there's another one until evening and then there's only one tonight back in my daughter's going home today and it's five o'clock houston to case the only one so we need more trains on him we need more we need definitely need the letter of sir rusk it god with you it's just not fair to people to come off a bus and whatever train and they have no facilities just not good enough and fine stations lovely iconic buildings they're neither from repairs but they must be kept open and and functional and i think it's a pity that we haven't so i'm looking forward to engage your minister and i'm asking you to come down and visit and see for yourself and big fear for the road could you put it on has