New bus service to link Killarney and Waterville

TFI Local Link Kerry has recently launched a new bus route, which will improve connectivity between Waterville and Killarney.

This new route is part of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan which is a major national public transport initiative developed and funded by the National Transport Authority (NTA) as part of the Transport for Ireland (TFI) Network.

Route 280 will operate seven daily return services Monday to Sunday between Waterville and Killorglin, which includes three daily return trips between Waterville and Killarney. The new route will provide a peak-time service for commuters as well as improved connectivity to rail services in Killarney and regional bus services in Killorglin. The route from Waterville to Killarney will offer enhanced connectivity to villages and areas such as Cahersiveen, Kells, Glenbeigh, Killorglin and Beaufort.

The new timetable has been designed to allow passengers to travel from Waterville, Cahersiveen and Glenbeigh and to arrive into Killorglin by 8am facilitating transfer to Route 279 for onward travel to Tralee or Killarney. There will also be a bus from Killarney arriving in Killorglin before 9am with timed connections in Waterville with the recently launched Route 281 from Waterville to Kenmare.

This new service will provide new opportunities for communities across the Iveragh Peninsula and will enable greater connectivity for employment, recreation, education and health purposes.

“We are on call 24/7, 52 weeks a year, but we are only considered parttime workers,” said Killarney Fire Officer Sinead Galvin.

SIPTU said retained firefighters are striking to ensure that the Government's report on the future of the service will be implemented to resolve the recruitment and retention crisis that threatens to collapse this essential and life-saving community resource.

The system is broken,” added Pat Fleming of Killarney Fire Station.

“We have to sacrifice so much that only the firefighters and their families understand fully. We have no time off. We can't leave Killarney or the station won’t have any cover. The pager is on us 24 hours of the day, it is beside us while we sleep and clothes are laid out to be prepared for night times calls."

Main St pedestrianised for summer

The town’s main throughfare will be pedestrianised on weekends until the end of the current tourist season.

Killarney Municipal District will temporarily close Main St from its junction with Kenmare Place and Mission Road to its junction with New St. The street will close at 12 noon and re-open at 8am every Monday.

As a result of this weekend’s Bank Holiday the street will remain closed until Tuesday morning. This arrangement will continue until Monday, September 4.