1,000 car park spaces 'are needed for Kildare commuters'
Better facilities must be provided at Iarnród Éireann facility for train users
A park and ride facility - which would allow commuters to park nearby while they take the train - should be built near Sallins train station.
The Sallins and Naas station, as it’s known, is used by people living in both towns as well as Clane, Prosperous and across north Kildare.
Independent Ireland councillor Bill Clear says the existing parking places are “not enough for the level of demand we are seeing at one of the busiest station in Kildare.”
The need is becoming even more urgent because DART+ South West project will not reach Sallins and Naas as part of the current plan “with the wider programme now stretching beyond 2032.”
DART + South West is a major public transport infrastructure scheme that initially extends electrified DART train services from Dublin city centre to Hazelhatch & Celbridge station.
“We cannot wait another decade for proper transport infrastructure. If the DART is going to be delayed, then Government must act now and provide a major park and ride at Sallins.”
He said the facility should have around 1,000 vehicles with improved access for buses, cyclists and pedestrians as well as a “firm timetable” for extending DART+ South West to Sallins & Naas.”
He added: “Every commuter who drives to Sallins, parks and gets the train is one less car travelling on the N7 into Dublin. This is basic common-sense transport planning. With thousands of new homes planned for Naas and Sallins, this facility needs to happen now, not years from now.”