“We made a mistake, and we’re truly sorry to our customers. The disruption over the past few weeks has been significant. People plan their work, education, and childcare around our services, and we’ve let them down. We apologize for that,” Kenny said on RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show.

He explained that while changes made on September 16 improved the evening peak service, issues persisted with morning services. Irish Rail has been working closely with Translink, which co-manages the Belfast service, and regular commuters to address the problems. According to Kenny, the changes were “too ambitious.”

“We underestimated the impact on the morning peak, particularly with the service delays causing a cascading effect on people’s entire journeys.

We placed too much emphasis on ensuring smooth running times for the Belfast service at the expense of commuter routes. We’ve now adjusted this, with new changes coming into effect next Monday.”

Kenny also noted that, starting then, many customers would see their previous travel patterns restored.

In response to criticism of Irish Rail sending 37 officials to a transport trade fair in Berlin, Kenny defended the decision, saying the event covered key aspects of the rail industry, including infrastructure, fleet, and capital investments. “With up to €8 billion in projects confirmed under Project Ireland 2040 and the potential for €35 billion in strategic revenue on the island, it was essential for our technical specialists and program leads to attend,” he said.

He added that those who attended the conference were not involved in the recent timetable issues.

Regarding the upcoming timetable changes, services operating from Connolly Station until approximately 9:30–10:00 a.m. will revert to the schedule prior to August 26, with some minor adjustments. This includes trains that previously terminated at Pearse, Grand Canal Dock, and Bray, reducing the need for transfers at Connolly during the morning peak.

Belfast services will also see revised running times, including the 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Belfast-Dublin trains, which will now arrive at 8:23 a.m. and 9:20 a.m. respectively. These changes aim to improve punctuality for commuter services and address a key gap in the Northern Commuter morning schedule.

Additionally, the 7:50 a.m. Dublin Connolly to Belfast train will now depart at 7:40 a.m. to prevent congestion at Malahide. Some evening services currently starting at Pearse/Grand Canal Dock will now start from Bray or Dun Laoghaire, and there will be minor adjustments to departure times on DART, Northern, Maynooth, Phoenix Park Tunnel commuter trains, and one Dublin-Rosslare train.

Increased services on the Galway, Waterford, and Belfast lines, introduced on August 26, will remain in place.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee confirmed that, after engaging with Minister James Lawless and Irish Rail, a new timetable will be introduced on October 14. This will largely restore the pre-August 26 morning schedule for commuters from North County Dublin.

“This new timetable addresses the significant disruption caused by the September 16 changes. While not all issues are resolved, it’s a positive step for North County Dublin commuters, particularly in improving morning journeys, which were heavily impacted,” Clifford-Lee said.