Petition to reduce train fares for customers in Newbridge gathering momentum

A petition to bring Newbridge into the Short Hop Zone has gained over 1,000 signatures since it was first drafted on Monday, and the Labour party in Kildare are continuing to apply pressure to bring the town into the Dublin area rail network.

Newbridge has already been included in the Rent Pressure Zone to ensure that landlords can't increase the cost of renting on their homes by too much, but Labour representatives Mark Wall and Patricia Callinan believe it matters little if the fares for train services in the town are not reduced.

As things stand, it currently costs €3.56 to travel from Heuston to Sallins, but costs four times as much (€15.05) to go the extra seven minutes to Newbridge.

Labour Councillor for Kildare, Mark Wall, said that “The establishment of the Rent Pressure Zone around Dublin will only make a meaningful difference to the cost of living for those living in and around the capital if affordable public commuting options are available within it.”

Patricia Callinan, a spokesperson for the campaign, said: “There are currently some discrepancies between the Government’s Short Hop and Rent Pressure Zones. Both ‘zones’, it seems to me, are essentially attempts by Government to alleviate the housing crisis in the capital.

“The mismatch, however, creates some anomalies wherein certain towns fall between two stools. Newbridge, seven minutes beyond Sallins, or Laytown just outside Balbriggan are examples of this The intention behind both zones is admirable, but a little more joined-up thinking is required to make them truly effective.”

“The Labour Party is the party of work and as such advocating for decent travel options to and from work is of great importance to the party.”