Harris launches survey for North Wicklow DART commuters to assess impact of overcrowded trains

Fine Gael TD for Wicklow, Simon Harris, has today (Friday) launched an online survey for North Wicklow commuters to assess the impact the reduction in DART service is having on their commute to work in Dublin.

“Since Irish Rail announced a reduction in the number of carriages on DART trains last month, I have received numerous complaints from North Wicklow commuters who find themselves crammed onto overcrowded trains, or left stranded on the platform for 30 minutes until the next Greystones-bound train arrives. This is due to the fact that trains have halved in size and simply cannot accommodate everyone.

“To assess how commuters are faring on these reduced capacity trains, I have put together a survey for North Wicklow commuters where they can log their experience of commuting on four and six carriage trains during rush hour, and to seek their views on the overall service. I am encouraging all North Wicklow commuters to log on to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2S3WK8Q and complete the eight questions.

“I intend a seek a meeting with the Chief Executive of Irish Rail and I will bring the results of this survey with me to highlight the difficulties facing commuters on Greystones-bound trains. It is unacceptable for people who are handing over their hard earned money for this service and rely on it to get to work, to be stuffed into overcrowded trains or not be able to board trains because of Irish Rail’s new policy.

“I understand that Irish Rail must introduce cost savings measures so that it can stop relying on taxpayers for bailouts and instead start running a profitable business. However, it receives significant funding from taxpayers both in terms of the direct cost of fares and through Government subvention. I intend to hold Irish Rail to account so that any measures they introduce to manage costs will not negatively impact commuters or compromise safety.”