Great to see a bit more bike capacity coming down the line, though I'm not sure it will be enough.
Two weeks ago I got the train up to Ballina with my bike on the first train of the day (from Dublin), and back from Sligo on the last train of the day, cycling between the two. A very enjoyable coastal route, and at 70km it was doable in a day.
There must have been 6 bikes on both the outward and return trains. (It didn't help that the 7.35am from Heuston doubles up as a Galway and Westport train as far as Athlone.) Guards are not turning people away who don't book their bikes, so they end up between carriages. Tickets don't even show that you have a reserved space.
Personally, I think it's time to substantially increase bike capacity, just like Scotrail are doing. Clearly, if people are bringing their bikes anyway, despite seeing that there is no booked space left for them, I suspect even more would use it if they knew there was a dedicated portion of the train.
https://irishcycle.com/2021/07/29/ir...bicycle-space/
https://news.stv.tv/scotland/bike-ca...ar-at-home?top