NTA Considering Route 162 Bus Improvements for 2027, but Funding Needed
The NTA says improvements to the frequency and capacity of Route 162 (Monaghan–Castleblayney–Dundalk–DkIT) are being considered for its 2027 Service Plan. Cllr Sinéad Flynn is calling on the Transport Minister to fund them.
By the Monaghan Brief staff·Edited by Seamus McKenna·Published · 2 min read
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Main Street, Castleblayney, 2013. Archive location photograph; not a photo of the events in this story. Eric Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and colour-graded; cropped in layout.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) says it is considering improvements to the frequency and capacity of Route 162, which serves Monaghan, Castleblayney, Dundalk and DkIT, as part of its 2027 Service Plan.
Northern Sound reports that Sinn Féin Cllr Sinéad Flynn received correspondence confirming this from Jeremy Ryan, the NTA's Director of Public Transport Services. She welcomed the response, but said the NTA had made clear that the improvements depend on funding and on operator readiness. She has called on the Minister for Transport, Darragh O'Brien, to significantly increase funding for public transport across County Monaghan in the 2027 allocations.
Background
At October's meeting of Monaghan County Council, Cllr Flynn's motion calling for an urgent review of Bus Éireann frequency and capacity in the county, with particular reference to the Monaghan–Dundalk route, was supported unanimously, the Anglo-Celt reported. She told the meeting that students from Ballybay were being left stranded in Castleblayney because the Dundalk bus was often full.
In a parliamentary reply in September, the Minister listed "Enhancement of TFI 162 (Dundalk - Monaghan) bus service", including a significant uplift in frequency and hours of operation, among plans for County Louth. The same reply noted that the implementation date for a separate proposed Dundalk route, DN1, was subject to confirmation of funding.
Sources
This article is an original summary based on the following reporting. We encourage readers to visit the original sources for full coverage.
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