I would probably take the family to Dublin from Longford a few times a year if there was an earlier train. There are quite a few things for kids that start around 10 on a Saturday that the first train is just too late for. I've made a couple of submissions to the NTA about this. They could even operate earlier morning services and later evening services with buses to see if there was demand but of course this is impossible.
There is a 4 car and an 8 car ICR parked up in Longford for most of the weekend - I think all they get used for is a student special from Carrick during the winter. So there are even trains in place to operate such a service.
People are always dismissive about the need for extra services on the Sligo line, but the reality is that it carries almost the same number of passengers as Belfast with considerably shorter hours of operation and much poorer on-board amenities.
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