Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Mr. Leo Varadkar T.D. today officially opened Hansfield Station in Dublin.

The station was originally built by developers as part of the M3 Parkway Rail Commuter project development which opened in 2010. The station was built as part of the Hansfield strategic development zone (SDZ), however Hansfield Station did not open at that time, as the developers were not in a position to build the access road. Iarnród Éireann has now built the access road with the co-operation of Fingal County Council, the National Transport Authority and the developers. The construction of the road was funded by the National Transport Authority.

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Minister Varadkar said: "This is a significant day for Hansfield and Ongar and marks the end of a long campaign to get the station opened. As a local representative, I am very pleased to see that trains are finally stopping at the station and I want to thank Iarnród Éireann, Fingal County Council, the NTA and developers for their efforts to resolve this issue. Residents can now take the Dunboyne train from here into the city, in just 25 minutes on the fastest services. The days of watching the trains passing Hansfield Station without stopping are thankfully now over."

It is anticipated that following changes to the SDZ, a planning application will be lodged with Fingal County Council for provision of a car park. There are currently 70 on street parking spaces at the station. The new station will provide a direct rail link for residents of Ongar and the surrounding area to the city centre.

(CD/JP)