DART services beefed up to meet demand

THE size of 15 peak-time trains have been increased on the city’s DART line in recent weeks to meet extra demand on services.

Rail bosses initiated the action in an effort to operate as efficiently as possible

“in a situation where Exchequer funding for our services has been dramatically reduced

?.

“The DART, as with other urban rail systems internationally, is designed to cater for full loading safely, and continues to do so,

? a spokesperson said.

“We are monitoring train sizes and have increased the size of 15 peak time trains in recent weeks as we manage demand.

“We operate with a mix of eight, six and four carriage trains at peak times, according to the demand for each service.

?

The spokesperson added:

“Our trains are consistently catering for demand, and where they do not, we have and will change train size in response.

?

The measures come as a survey carried out among passengers on Southside DART services highlighted complaints of overcrowding on some trains.

The survey was conducted by Fine Gael Dun Laoghaire TD, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, who welcomed the

“active and honest engagement by Dun Laoghaire DART users

? with her online survey.

The survey was launched last month to determine the level of satisfaction, or otherwise, of local users with Irish Rail services.

“The results of my online survey, which was carried out in conjunction with my colleague Simon Harris TD, in response to representations we had been receiving about overcrowding on DART services were very telling,

? Deputy Mitchell O’Connor said.

“More than 300 people from the Dun Laoghaire catchment area took part in the survey and a staggering 98 per cent of them said that they felt dangerously overcrowded on the DART at some point.

?

Deputy Mitchell O’Connor said she followed up her survey with letters to both the Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar TD, and the CEO of Irish Rail to outline the situation.

“Irish Rail insisted that a policy of reducing carriages at peak times has not, and was never, employed,

? she added.

“I have been assured that carriages have been restored to a number of services where capacity issues arose and that Irish Rail has identified a number of areas where policy issued needed to be revised in response to customer feedback.

?