DART station claims rejected

IRISH Rail has rejected claims from a local Sinn Féin councillor that it has plans to

“de-man

? Kilbarrack DART Station. The company was responding to comments made by Cllr Mícheál Mac Donncha in a press statement to Northside People.

Cllr Mac Donncha said it was ironic that at a time when Dublin City Council was promoting Kilbarrack and the Northside generally through Roddy Doyle’s

‘Barrytown Trilogy’,

“Irish Rail is planning to cut staffing at Kilbarrack station and other DART stations

?.

“The times when our DART stations are staffed have been severely cut in recent months,

? claimed Cllr Mac Donncha.

“For example, in Kilbarrack there is no staffing after 4.30pm each day and no access to ticket machines.

“This is a safety and security issue and a huge inconvenience for passengers, especially for people with disabilities who need assistance to board and alight from trains.

“I understand from reliable sources that management are seeking to remove staff altogether from Kilbarrack station – turning it into a ghost station.

?

Cllr Mac Donncha, who represents the Beaumont Donaghmede Local Electoral Area (LEA), added:

“That would be totally unacceptable and, if attempted, will be fought tooth and nail by the local community.

?

However, in a statement to Northside People, Irish Rail described Cllr Mícheál Mac Donncha’s claims as

“entirely false

?.

“Kilbarrack will remain a manned station and there is no basis for any rumours to the contrary,

? said a spokesman.

“While it would not result in any publicity (for Cllr Mac Donncha), a more responsible course of action would be to pick up a phone and ask us the situation rather than spread untrue information.

?

The spokesman added that in common with the vast majority of its stations, Kilbarrack was not always staffed at all times, with priority given to the busier periods of day.

“We are working with gardaí, local council representatives and residents to address instances of anti-social behaviour, which shows no correlation with manned hours,

? he said.

“Monitored CCTV is being installed, similar to a system employed at Broombridge where anti-social behaviour has thereafter reduced significantly.

“At times when the station is unmanned, for wheelchair users, our policy is for 24-hour notice to guarantee assistance, as discussed with the Irish Wheelchair Association and other representative bodies. But we do recognise that this can be quite restrictive and somewhat impractical on a high frequency service like the DART.

“However, we will work to ensure that there will be staff at all times within a group of stations to allow for a quick response should assistance be required at these times.

?

The spokesman concluded:

“Finally, we are pleased to be supporting Dublin City Council’s One City One Book campaign at Kilbarrack, with the Barrytown signage installed to mark the occasion.

?