By Dan Walsh
Today, Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ), Ireland’s largest public transport provider, introduced its second Youth Board who will continue to drive forward the future of Ireland’s public transport system.
The group includes 12 young people aged 18 to 24, from nine counties: Carlow, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Louth, Offaly, Roscommon and Wexford.
The group met today for the first time since their formal appointment last month and were introduced to the CIÉ Board at CIÉ headquarters in Dublin’s historic Heuston Station, followed by a visit to Iarnród Éireann’s mechanical and engineering hub at Inchicore Works where they experienced a 180-year-old history of Ireland’s railways and see the new battery electric train, expected to rollout in 2027.
Marykate Donohoe, is a new Youth Board member from Rosslare, who told WexfordLocal.com; “I’m delighted to be joining CIÉ’s Youth Board to help make a positive change for transport in Ireland. I rely on both bus and train to get around Dublin and to travel home to Wexford, and I know first-hand that public transport works best when it is frequent, reliable and easy to use.
“I want to make sure young people across the country feel they have a real say in how our public transport develops, and I’m especially interested in using my voice to ensure that choosing public transport is the easy choice for my generation,” concluded Ms. Donohoe.
The new Youth Board will continue to act as an advisory board, providing insights, feedback and suggestions to feed into CIÉ’s board. They will contribute thoughts and ideas on the key challenges and opportunities faced by CIÉ Group – and share a youth perspective on operational issues to reimagine how the public at large engage with public transport.
