Waterford Fine Gael Senator John Cummins and Tipperary Fine Gael Senator Garret Ahearn have jointly welcomed the launch of a new bus service which will improve connectivity between Dungarvan and Clonmel from Monday 12th June. This new route is part of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan which is a major national public transport initiative developed and funded by the National Transport Authority (NTA) as part of the Transport for Ireland (TFI) Network.
Senator Cummins said “Route 356 will operate 5 daily return services 7 days a week creating a brand new connection from Dungarvan to South Tipperary Hospital in Clonmel. The route from Dungarvan to Clonmel will offer enhanced connectivity to villages and areas such as Ballinroad, Touraneena and Ballymacarbry. This is something which residents in these areas have raised with me while I have been out engaging with communities on various issues and I have no doubt this new route will prove very popular in both directions.
“This route is just one of the 67 new or enhanced rural bus services which government are rolling out this year as part of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan. Other routes which will be developed in 2023 are the Youghal to Dungarvan via Villierstown (357) route and the Carrick on Suir connection to the 354 route which operates from Portlaw to Dunmore East. The new 356 route being launched today will also increase the frequency of service between Ballinroad and Dungarvan which is something I know the community will really welcome.
Senator Ahearn said “"The new bus service from Dungarvan to Clonmel will be extremely welcomed by local communities in both west Waterford and south Tipperary. Increasing public transport in rural Ireland has been a major priority for Fine Gael and this is a perfect example of connecting two significant towns in the South East Region. I look forward to seeing this route being a success over the coming years and more routes been added to enhance the overall experience of commuting in rural Ireland."
Speaking ahead of the launch, TFI Local Link Waterford Manager, James O’Donoghue said
“The timetable is designed to allow people travelling from Dungarvan and other locations to get to Clonmel before 9am, with 5 return services Monday to Sunday, the first service to Clonmel will leave Ballinroad at 7.30am and the last return service in the evening will leave Clonmel at 9pm, creating a vital link between the two towns. The route will also provide a service between Ballinroad and Dungarvan. We believe that there is a significant demand for a public bus link from Ballinroad and it will now have 10 services Monday to Saturday and 5 on Sundays to Dungarvan.”