Clongriffin residents call for safer access to DART station

Over 2,000 residents have signed a petition on Uplift requesting safe access to the Clongriffin DART station from the Baldoyle side.

Speaking to Northside People, local resident Elaine Verdon said that the lift on the Baldoyle side of the station does not work, the stairs have fallen into disrepair, and there is prominent anti-social behaviour at the station. 

Verdon, who also serves as chairperson of Myrtle The Coast Residents Association, said “at a time when we’re all being encouraged to use public transport, using the DART from the Clongriffin station would actively put you off using it.”

“We want to use it, we are blessed to have the DART on our doorstep, but when you see the disrepair and utter state the station is in, you simply would not feel safe using it,” Verdon said.

Verdon said there are concerns among local residents about the lift being out of service, which greatly hinders those with buggies or require the use of a wheelchair, and has called on Irish Rail to take over the station and ensure accessibility options are brought into place.

At present, the station is being operated by a private company, and the land is owed by Richmond Homes.”We have had great help from our elected representatives with Joan Hopkins and Cian O’Callaghan really helping us out on this issue, but we would like to bring this issue to the attention of the Minister for Transport,” she added.

Verdon said “the lack of accessibility in this day and age is a disgrace – when the lift does work, it’s often in such poor condition with regards to cleanliness and hygiene that people don’t feel comfortable using it.”

“There is regularly urine, faeces and even drug paraphernalia to be found inside.”

“Given the rise in drug use, gangs of young adults, and antisocial behaviour within the stairwell, people are fearful to even pass through, particularly in the evenings or darker winter months.”

Verdon said that while the issue is tolerable in the summer months and brighter evenings, she says she does not anticipate using the station in the winter and when the evenings draw in.

“Clongriffin is the only station that we know of in which access to the train station is managed by a privately owned company – CIE/Irish Rail would have the experience of, and the expertise for, managing access to public transport that Richmond Homes doesn’t have.”

“Furthermore, we feel as a public transport provider, it should be their duty to ensure that access to said public transport is provided to all. The petition calls for the temporary structure to be replaced within a 3-year timeframe and not being pushed back further until the end of the development by Richmond Homes as a whole which they claim “could go on another 5-10+ years.”