Last week, while I was using public transport, a train I was travelling on between Dublin and Roscommon had a small fire on board and had to stop. Too often we come in here and talk about a service not having done its job, but I want to compliment Irish Rail, the fire service, An Garda Síochána and our ambulance service on their quick response. They came to a remote part of east Roscommon where the train had to stop. We all had to disembark from the train and were transported to the nearest train station but it was reassuring to know that if the incident had been an awful lot worse, the resources and plan would have been in place to address it in a timely and reassuring way.

On a related note, I had a meeting with some representatives of the ambulance service over the Easter break. I would like a further debate in this Chamber on the ambulance service because there is a disparity with the dynamic distribution model of the ambulance service, specifically for counties that do not have emergency departments, such as Monaghan, Carlow, Laois, Leitrim and Roscommon, to name but a few. Ambulance calls are assigned to ambulances rather than ambulance bases and we are leaving a certain cohort of our society at a slight disadvantage when ambulances are called to emergency departments or are dropping people off to emergency departments. People in those counties are left with reduced numbers of units serving their communities when situations like that arise. I would welcome a debate on that matter.

Very similarly, in relation to public transport and improving services for commuters in County Mayo, I would like to raise an issue that has been highlighted to me on many occasions. In my role on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport, I have been advocating for a shelter at the Manulla Junction platform. For those who may not be familiar with it, in County Mayo there are two train lines, one originating in Ballina and the other beginning in Westport. They meet at Manulla Junction, which has no road or vehicular access. Over the past number of years as a public representative, I have been passionate about campaigning for improved connectivity between Mayo and Dublin. We were successful in achieving the early-morning rail service, which has gone from strength to strength since it was introduced a number of years ago, and it connects a whole cohort of people in north Mayo.

A constituent contacted me a number of days ago to explain how, when the Westport line stops and lets passengers off for the Foxford and Ballina line, all the passengers are left out on the platform and in inclement weather, especially at this time of year, all of the passengers are soaking wet by the time they get onto the next carriage because they have to wait for the other train to come. It is a very small and basic ask. The answer I received from Irish Rail was that the passengers can stay on the first train because it will not leave before the next one goes, but try telling that to people who are afraid they will miss the connecting train and that the train will take off before they leave. Generally, human nature is to get off the train and be ready so you do not get stuck on a train going in the other direction. I ask that we have a discussion on rail infrastructure with the Minister for Transport to improve shelters, whether they be at bus stops in areas where they are needed or on platforms like the Manulla Junction, in order to improve the public transport experience for all routes. I would appreciate if we could consider having that debate.