Editorial: High time to tackle issue of Kilkenny's train station capacity

An action plan is needed from the Department of Transport and Irish Rail regarding the future of Kilkenny’s MacDonagh Railway Station.

It is a great train station and well used by members of the public, but if we are going to be serious about increasing public transport usage and decreasing reliance on the private car, it will need a helping hand.

In a recent Oireachtas committee, it was noted by a Waterford TD who uses the line frequently that there are capacity issues, particularly from Dublin to Kilkenny, where a lot of people get off. Every station and platform on the Waterford-Dublin line can accommodate eight carriages apart from Kilkenny, which can only accommodate six carriages.

The old station was closed in 1997 when it moved up track to a former goods shed building, then repurposed.

It has been noted in this column previously that visitors to Ireland are left bemused and frustrated by the paucity of rail services —for example, lack of a late night service to and from Dublin, and no direct link at all from Kilkenny to Cork and Galway.

The commuter trains are often packed, with standing room only. Addressing the capacity issue by allowing for the addition of two extra carriages would be a start toward addressing these problems.

SMARTPHONE MANIA
The statistic, published in a survey this week, that almost a quarter of six-year-old children have a smartphone is a staggering one.

Why would a child of six need a smartphone — or indeed, any kind of phone? There is no issue with some screen time now and then to pacify or distract young children. But the same survey shows that almost half of ten-year-olds can use their phone in their rooms, and only 28% of parents said they use parental controls.

Aside from the possibility of accessing inappropriate material, or interacting with strangers, it is well known that excessive time online is not good for anyone’s mental health.

Let the children have their childhood, and stay phone-free until they’re old enough.