Continued monitoring of DART carriages should help to resolve overcrowding issues – Mitchell O’Connor

Fine Gael Dun Laoghaire Deputy, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, today (Wednesday) said the continuous monitoring of carriage levels on DARTs, as committed to by the Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann, should help to resolve the issues of overcrowding that are being experienced by commuters.

Deputy Mitchell O’Connor also welcomed the fact that the Railway Safety Commission (RSC) is scheduled to discuss the issue with Iarnród Éireann at their next scheduled supervision meeting.

“I have been inundated with complaints from constituents in respect of the service being provided on the DART to Dun Laoghaire and beyond, following a survey I undertook to determine exactly what the public’s grievances were.

“I have been in regular contact with the Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar TD, and the Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann, David Franks, in a bid to resolve the issues of overcrowding on DARTs and the subsequent health, safety and comfort implications for passengers. I recently presented the survey findings, which outline the experiences of more than 300 respondents to Mr. Franks, who was eager to act on the company’s shortcomings to meet commuters’ needs.

“Despite the fact that Iarnród Éireann is making headway in addressing these concerns, I am continuing to receive reports from constituents who are dissatisfied with the service. I take some comfort in the commitment given by Mr. Franks to continue to monitor the situation and to remain vigilant to the requirements of service users and to ensure that adequate carriages are being provided at all times.

“Reducing train sizes in a bid to minimise the use of electricity as a cost saving measure for the company makes sense but not at the expense of those who are using, and paying good money for, the service. I will continue to stay in close contact with Minister Varadkar and Mr. Franks and am confident that together we can sort this issue out so that a comfortable reliable and value for money DART service is delivered for the people of Dun Laoghaire.”

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