Political support is growing for midland commuters to Dublin who feel they are being pushed off mainline rail services by Iarnrod Eireann.
Laois, Offaly and Westmeath county councils are expected to back calls by commuters for better services to the midlands, from where hundreds of people travel to Dublin every day.
And with local elections due in June, the commuter groups, which are based in Portlaoise, Tullamore and Clara, are piling on pressure for a better deal.
Already, Tullamore Urban District Council has sought a meeting with Iarnrod Eireann to see if it will upgrade services for the commuters.
Senator Pat Gallagher (Labour) said he was recently horrified to discover that four people he knew had given up their jobs in Dublin because of the poor service.
"I know young people in the midlands who have told me they are going to move to the city rather than have the hassle of travelling on a service that cannot deliver," he said.
"That goes against the whole Government policy of trying to keep people in the provinces and trying to put a lid on the inflow of people to Dublin. "The whole idea is to develop towns along the railways and the main roads, but this depends on a proper service for those who want to use it," he said.
Mr Gallagher said the issue was one for the whole of the midlands, and his urban council had asked for the support of the local authorities in Mullingar, Portlaoise, Birr, Athlone and other towns.
The commuters were provoked into action when the rail company recently announced a new timetable which will mean they will not be able to travel on mainline trains.
While alternative services are being provided for the travellers, for many it will mean longer delays getting home in the evenings and will add to travelling time.
It brought to the fore allegations that the trains they use are already frequently late, overcrowded and dirty, with the company failing to provide the services they require.
Anti-company feeling is being hardened by media comment. One paper, the Offaly Express, accused the company of failing to respond in a positive or progressive way to the commuters, who have threatened a mass picket on Iarnrod headquarters in Dublin.
"It is typical of a company which also ran such a bad bus service to the towns and villages of the midlands that they forfeited their monopoly advantage as passengers abandoned them in favour of the private sector, which moved in to provide a better service at more competitive fares," the newspaper said.