Bus Éireann appears to have adopted a more positive approach than Iarnród Éireann to calls for a footbridge to be provided to link the Killarney train and bus stations.
Although earlier correspondence had suggested that Iarnród Éireann had seemed somewhat reluctant to move on the matter, a written reply from Bus Éireann to a proposal from Killarney Municipal District Council member, John O’Donoghue, said the matter would be considered.
Bus Éireann official, Stephen Kent, wrote: “I think this is a matter that will require consideration and a coordinated response from Iarnród Éireann.
“The station platform is on the opposite side of the tracks to the bus station and it would require some method of crossing the track safely to allow this connection to be put in place”.
Mr Kent said he would raise the matter with Iarnród Éireann and advise them that observations and queries had been submitted on the matter.
Cllr O’Donoghue said he had been pushing the issue over the last few years and it might be that an approach from another State company may move it along a little further.
“While not exactly a resounding yes, it is far more positive than the reply received from Irish Rail. It does look like Bus Éireann are more open to the idea than Irish Rail but concede that it would require cooperation from Iarnród Éireann,” he said.
“I am delighted to see they are contacting Irish Rail on the issue. I intend to continue keeping the issue of a footbridge linking both stations on the agenda regardless as the current situation is ludicrous and borderline discriminatory to those with a disability,” Cllr O’Donoghue remarked.
He had pointed out that the rail and bus stations are located “a mere stone’s throw from each other” with only a railing separating them, yet passengers are forced to walk out of the train station and down the road to access the bus station and vice versa.
“This walk takes approximately seven minutes, yet it would be a matter of seconds were a footbridge provided,” the Kerry Independent Alliance councillor said.
“For an able-bodied person, this walk is not insurmountable but for the elderly, those with a physical handicap, or people pushing buggies or travelling with small children, it can be quite an ordeal and a far longer journey”.
He added that for tourists visiting the town, it is also a bewildering affair to arrive at one station and be able to see the other station next door with no visible means of accessing it.
“In a time where Active Travel is to the fore of governmental policy, and for environmental reasons, we are all encouraged to avail of public transport as much as possible, it is imperative that it be made as convenient as possible to use public transport and a footbridge linking these two stations would really facilitate this in one of Ireland’s premier tourist towns,” Cllr O’Donoghue remarked.
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