Concerns regarding a proposed footbridge connecting Killarney’s train and bus stations were again raised in Dáil Éireann this week by Deputy Danny Healy-Rae, despite the Department of Transport stating last month that it was not a priority project.

During a Dáil debate on Wednesday, Deputy Healy-Rae highlighted the inconvenience for travellers.
"In Killarney, the train station is on one side of the railway platform. The bus station is on the other side of the rail track," he said.
"We looked for a connecting bridge so that people would not have to go out on the street and down by the Great Southern Killarney with bags and everything, but we were told there was no funding for that. I ask the Minister to look at this again."
Last month, the National Transport Authority (NTA) had designated the €5 million project a low priority, citing a need to address "acute accessibility deficiencies" at other stations and a "limited funding environment."
A 2019 Irish Rail review had identified a pedestrian bridge with lifts and steps as the preferred solution for the Killarney connection.
Deputy Healy-Rae also used the debate to call for improved rural bus links, acknowledging some recent enhancements to services (see side bar.
"We have more public transport at the present time," he said, citing the service from Kenmare through Kilgarvan to Killarney as an example.
However, he suggested that a medium-sized bus might be more suitable for that route than the current large one as well as the need for more bus stops.
"Maybe we could get more bus stops," he said, adding "it is not much good to have a bus passing by when people are waiting by the side of road who cannot be picked up because they are too far away from the bus stops, we have."
He called on the local authority to collaborate with the Department of Transport to provide these additional stops. Deputy Healy-Rae specifically mentioned that places like Clonkeen continue to experience difficulty accessing public transport.