Ryan visits dysfunctional DART Station at Clongriffin

Minister For Transport Éamon Ryan visited the troubled Clongriffin DART Station following calls for him to visit by local residents and elected representatives.

Ryan was invited to visit the station to get a first-hand perspective on the issues that have been plaguing the station over the last decade such as the dysfunctional lift, the lack of a park-and-ride facility, and part of the station being under private ownership.

Ryan visited the station on January 5 and discussed the issues with local residents, who have been fighting for better access for months.

He confirmed that an options and feasibility report is currently underway at the National Transport Authority, and while he couldn’t make any concrete promises at this juncture, he said that he was “hopeful” that as a result of the report, a solution could be found to the issue.

Speaking in the Dáil before Christmas, Ryan said the situation was “unacceptable” and was committed to resolving the issue.

Samantha O’Flanagan, chairperson of Myrtle The Coast Residents Association said the visit was a “positive step.”

“We have been campaigning throughout 2023 for something to be done regarding the access, but this issue has been affecting residents for 14 years now. This situation can’t go on. Something has to be done.”

She said that the meeting meeting was a “step in the right direction” and said that she is “hopeful” that 2024 is the year that Government, Fingal County Council and other relevant parties bring the saga to an end.

The temporary access point was built in 2010 and has remained untouched since then.

In the view of the residents, it is no longer fit for purpose.

The access point is currently managed on behalf of the owners by Richmond Homes, who have engaged with Fingal County Council on the issue.

Discussing the problems at the station, O’Flanagan said that the stairwell is covered in rust and is broken in places.

She said that the lift is often out of order, most recently being out of service for over 3 months, and even when it is in an operational state, she says it is regularly filled with urine, faeces, vomit and drug paraphernalia.

“For our residents who are mobility impaired, their access is essentially cut off. And this isn’t even covering the safety issues surrounding the structure which has high rates of anti-social behaviour leaving locals scared to use it in the darker evenings,” she added.

The dysfunction at the station took another unwanted turn in December when the stairwell was closed off at night, meaning that Baldoyle residents couldn’t access the 24-hour nightlink bus.

Alongside the inaccessibility and safety issues, the stairwell has been closed off at night since December leaving residents in Baldoyle unable to access the 24-hour night link bus.

Green Party councillor David Healy, who was present at Ryan’s visit, said, “I’m very glad Éamon was able to come out to see the issue first-hand. It is vital that a proper, accessible, safe access to the train & bus, and between the two communities put in place as soon as possible.”

Social Democrats councillor Joan Hopkins told Ryan that a 3-meter ramp directly from the road to the existing platform on Irish Rail’s land would cost very little and would be “transformative” for local residents.

“If we have learned anything from this 13-year nightmare it is that simple solutions are often the best. We spent millions over-engineering this public transport and ended up with a monstrosity that did not work”

“Any woman who has ever used a train or pushed a buggy could have designed this station better. Government needs to start including us in the conversation”, she said.

Dublin Bay North TDs such as Richard Bruton, Cian O’Callaghan and Aodhán Ó Ríordáin have raised the issue at various stages in the Dáil, with Fine Gael TD Bruton telling the Dáil before Christmas that residents of Clongriffin “feel abandoned” as a result of the issue.

Labour’s Ó Ríordáin said “peoples capacity to have faith in the public transport system is being completely undermined by the situation regarding access. It feels unsafe and the lifts do not work.”

O’Callaghan attended a protest held by Clongriffin residents last September when over 100 residents turned out to protest the conditions at the station.

The Social Democrats TD told the protest “it is totally unacceptable that the ‘temporary’ access, which is not fit for purpose, is still in place 13 years later.”

To illustrate how long the issue has been going on, one sign held up by a teenager read “I was a baby when this temporary structure was built!”