50 signatures reached
To: the National Transport Authority and the Taoiseach
Duncannon Village in County Wexford Needs a Scheduled, Permanent Local Link Service!
Duncannon Village in County Wexford Needs a Scheduled, Permanent Local Link Service!
Duncannon Village is excluded from having a scheduled, permanent Local Link service. The National Transport Authority (NTA) consistently refuses to add Duncannon to the service currently enjoyed by other communities in the area.
We urge the NTA to reconsider their decision, to treat our community fairly, address this inequality, and provide Duncannon with a Local Link service.
Why is this important?
Duncannon Village in County Wexford is excluded from having a scheduled, permanent Local Link service.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has consistently refused to add Duncannon to the service currently enjoyed by other communities in the area, despite sustainable transport for rural areas being a key component of the Government's Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan.
Our community deserves to be treated fairly and have equal access to Local Link services.
The DUNCANNON VILLAGE RENEWAL COMMITTEE and LOCAL RESIDENTS are organising a campaign to request that the NTA reconsider their decision, treat our community fairly, address this inequality, and provide Duncannon with a Local Link service.
Many people in and around Duncannon do not have access to personal transport. This lack of access affects particularly elderly and young people. A scheduled, sustainable, permanent Local Link service would hugely enhance their quality of life, enabling everyone to access essential amenities and travel quickly and safely to other places not covered by Bus Eireann services. It would also help young people to socialise and attend activities outside of school. Sustainable, scheduled public transport helps to prevent isolation, build community cohesion and strengthen bonds.
The General Manager of TFI (Transport For Ireland) Local Link, Wexford, has been very supportive and has petitioned the NTA board to add Duncannon to the Local Link 399 route. This request has been rejected. The reason given is that the Bus Eireann service 370 stops in Duncannon, but that service is limited. It only stops at 07.25, 12.20 and 16.15, Monday – Saturday, not on Sundays or public holidays, and doesn’t go to other villages or around the Hook Peninsula. In stark contrast, the Local Link 399 service visits the nearby villages of Ballyhack and Fethard-on-Sea seven times a day, seven days a week, including public holidays. There are many other locations that benefit from both services, including local villages of Campile, Ramsgrange and Wellington Bridge.
Why is Duncannon consistently denied this benefit?
Why is Duncannon consistently denied this benefit?
It would add only ten or fifteen minutes in run-time to include Duncannon Village in the current Local Link 399 route.
Bus Eireann are purportedly waiting on funding to increase services on route 370 but there is no indication of when this might happen. And an extended Bus Eireann service would not fulfil the obvious need for a scheduled Local Link service between Duncannon, Fethard-on-Sea and the wider Hook Peninsula.
Duncannon Village is an extremely popular destination, drawing large numbers of visitors at weekends, on public holidays (when Bus Eireann is unavailable), and throughout the summer. Parking is very limited in the village. A scheduled, permanent Local Link service would help to reduce pollution and congestion, alleviate parking difficulties and enable people from other local villages to visit Duncannon.
The General Manager of TFI (Transport For Ireland) Local Link, Wexford understands the issues Duncannon residents and other people face. Working in close partnership with the Duncannon Village Renewal Committee, they organised a shuttle service between the village of Ramsgrange and Duncannon for the Duncannon Summer Festival in July 2025. It was a huge success, carrying well over a hundred passengers throughout the day and late into the evening. It enabled people to access and enjoy the festival, to travel safely and significantly reduced car journeys into the village.
Our local GP, Dr Doyle, is moving her GP surgery onto the centre of Duncannon. Representatives from the HSE were very surprised that Duncannon is excluded from the Local Link service and are very keen to see the village included in the future. Together, the HSE and Local Link could improve the health of the local population by providing an important service enabling access for everyone.
We urge the NTA to reconsider their decision, to treat our community fairly, address this inequality, and provide Duncannon with the same Local Link service that other communities in the area enjoy.