How do you travel to and from work?

Generally by train from Balbriggan to the Dβil in Leinster House. On my way home, I take the train or bus - depending on whether I have to stop off for meetings in Dublin North or not. I see driving as the last resort and only take my car into the city centre once every two or three months to pick up large packages from my Dβil office.

How long does it take (to get there, to get home)?

It takes 15 minutes by train with 10 minutes walk at either end. Getting home, however, can involve broken journeys to attend meetings so it is hard to say.

What time do you leave home?

Between 7 a.m. and 7.15 a.m.

What time do you arrive back at home?

I often get the last train home at 11 p.m., and if business is late in the Dβil, I might stay over in a Dublin hotel. If I get home early, there is often another meeting to go back out to in the evening.

Do you travel the same route every day?

I travel the same route to the Dβil and I travel by bus or by bicycle to my constituency office in Swords - where I go on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays.

What do you enjoy about your commute?

When in the train, if I'm not listening to the radio on headphones, I am discussing necessary improvements to public transport. I enjoy discussing ideas with people, and it's a great way of keeping up to date on what trains are late, what problems there are with bus shelters.

What bothers you most about your commute?

Inefficiency in the train system: late trains and breakdowns. The lack of shelters in Balbriggan and Skerries (I'm told they are currently being renovated; but meanwhile we have to hope it doesn't rain).

Would you change your mode of transport if you could?

No. The train is the best way of getting into Dublin. I would increase the amount of investment in track capacity by putting additional tracks on the same route. The ones we are using were put in place in 1844, and the Belfast train, the suburban trains and the DART all use the same tracks. I would also like to see more trains running.

How could your journey be improved?

In the long term, my journey could be improved if the same amount of money was put into trains as is put into road transport. In the short term, it could be improved if the toilets on the Arrow trains from Drogheda to Dublin were cleaned before the morning journeys. My journey home from Swords to Balbriggan could be improved if the Dublin to Balbriggan/Drogheda Bus ╔ireann bus came through the village of Swords. As it is now, you have to walk along a muddy grass verge in the dark to get to the bus stop on the Swords bypass.

In conversation with Sylvia Thompson