Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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This is an old chestnut: overcrowding on the train service from Dublin to Ballina, Castlebar and Westport. Regularly at weekends there is overcrowding, people are standing and sitting all over the place. It does not seem to be a very safe or satisfactory service for Iarnród Éireann to deliver. The most recent big flare up was at the June bank holiday weekend when many people were travelling to Bloom and other festivals. There was a severe case of overcrowding on the train leaving Heuston Station. Listening to people’s complaints I have to think there must be a better way to manage this. Will the Minister intervene with Iarnród Éireann and ask it to do something about it? It does not seem to consider putting on extra carriages or to factor in online bookings. I am told that many bookings are made online but Iarnród Éireann does not seem to cater for these passengers. It might be possible to provide a bus service for the people at Heuston. Some may be going to Athlone but there are many on the Mayo train, who are elderly and so on. It really is not satisfactory.

This may seem to be a small point to bring to the Minister’s attention but it reflects the value placed on the service that the number of the platform for the Ballina-Westport-Castlebar train goes up only ten minutes before the departure time. It is platform No. 7, which is way down the station. There is a stampede down the platform although people could have been notified earlier. Staff have raised this issue. These are practical measures that could be taken to address what has been complained of for forever and a day. From a health and safety point of view people pay to travel on the train but they are not being facilitated. They should be dealt with in some shape or form better than they are now.

There is one early bird service from Mayo, through Castlebar. That train ordinarily arrived in Dublin at 8.30 a.m., which was good for people going to meetings or medical appointments and all the other appointments they come to in the city. It has now been pushed back by ten minutes and many people regularly use that train, including those who drive from my town, Ballina, to Castlebar. People find it difficult to make the deadlines they made before. The service has been pushed back to accommodate an express service out of Cork. There is a service every hour from Cork during the working day and into the night whereas there are four trains out of Mayo and back. People feel that they are being treated as second-class citizens, that the focus is on a high-speed train out of Cork and the Mayo train has been pushed back to convenience a further service for Cork.

People from Ballina have to drive 25 miles to the early bird train from Castlebar although there is a train station in Ballina that links to the Castlebar station. Why do they not get a service directly from Ballina instead of having to head to Castlebar? They are willing to use the train service.

Is it now policy to have unmanned train stations, because this seems to be happening in Castlebar? Do people have to buy tickets from a machine and if there is a problem with the machine and they get on the train, will they be booked for not having a ticket? Is there a facility to buy a ticket on the train? I understand there is only a driver on the train now. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport might address some of these issues in the interests of equity for Mayo passengers.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The provision of rail services is an operational matter for larnród Éireann in conjunction with the National Transport Authority. As the matter had been raised by the Deputy, I contacted the NTA on this matter.

The NTA has entered into a public service contract with larnród Éireann for the provision of rail passenger services. The contract specifies the service and capacities to be provided for intercity, commuter and DART services. Intercity services generally operate over regional distances, while commuter services serve commuter belt areas with a greater stopping frequency. There are key stations on the rail network where passengers are able to avail of either an intercity or commuter rail service. larnród Éireann continually manages the capacity of its services on both a short-term and a long-term basis to ensure it provides the optimum capacity on all its services through the timetable for the company's customers.

Earlier this year, there was significant pressure on capacity on Friday evening services from Dublin to Westport in particular, and the company responded by increasing the seating capacity by 200 seats on Friday through adding extra carriages on the 17.10 Friday service only. This service alone now provides in excess of 300 additional seats for Westport line customers on a Friday and on the 18.15 Heuston to Westport service on Fridays. The company therefore maximises available capacity on Fridays, including public holiday Fridays. However, there can be occasions when there is demand in excess of seating capacity, and the company regrets any inconvenience this causes for customers.

All trains are designed to accommodate standing safely and are certified to do so by the Railway Safety Commission, RSC. In urban rail services internationally, including Ireland, full loading is the norm at peak times. However, it is accepted by larnród Éireann that it is desirable from a comfort point of view that those travelling longer distances outside the commuter area should have a seat for their journey.

Furthermore, some intercity services also serve commuter stops, serving a dual commuter and intercity purpose. For example, the 17.10 Heuston to Westport service on Fridays serves Newbridge, Kildare, Monasterevin and Portarlington, among others, and the 18.15 service has high demand from Tullamore and Athlone daily commuters. Pressure on capacity eases significantly after commuter customers alight at these stations.

The NTA will continue to monitor and review the loadings on rail services through the Dublin commuter belt with a view to identifying whether service adjustments are necessary to achieve a more balanced passenger distribution across the various services. In particular, a review of the last annual rail census will inform the adequacy of the current train set configuration in relation to passenger loadings on the network.

The NTA is undertaking a review of its public service contract with larnród Éireann. As part of this review, the performance regime is to be reviewed and consideration given to the feasibility of including specific passenger capacity targets that limit the amount and frequency of passengers standing on the network.

Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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What I described to the Minister goes beyond the item set out as a Topical Issue matter. The service does not compare with the Cork service.

10 o’clock

I understand all passenger services are subsidised. People in County Mayo are entitled to have an early bird service arrive in Heuston Station at the scheduled time in order that they can conduct business in Dublin. They should not be delayed because their train is required to make way for a new train service from Cork, which is already well serviced. The general attitude appears to be that certain services are secondary.

In some circumstances, passengers must stand on a train for the three or three and a half hour journey to County Mayo. The problem is not confined to commuter areas. While there is pandemonium until commuters disembark, people still cannot secure seats further west than the commuter towns on the route. Iarnród Éireann should address the problem in a better fashion. If the company does not have sufficient capacity, it should be able to deal with passengers turning up to board a train rather than loading them on like cattle.

Will the Minister ask Iarnród Éireann to explain the reason it cannot schedule the early bird Cork train, rather than the Mayo train, to arrive ten minutes later? I do not know of any good reason not to do so, other than that the company intends to provide a premium service to one area and not to another area.

Is Iarnród Éireann pursuing a new policy of leaving stations unmanned? This problem is occurring in Castlebar. What happens when people who are unable to use ticket machines at a station board a train and are found not to have a ticket?

I ask for equity in the train service to County Mayo as I do not wish to raise these issues again and again.

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I emphasise again that Iarnród Éireann, in response to increased demand, increased capacity by more than 300 seats on the 5.10 p.m. and 6.15 p.m. train services to County Mayo.

On the knock-on effects of changes in the Cork service and the early service from County Mayo, as the Deputy will be aware, I do not determine the arrival times of particular train services. This is a matter for Iarnród Éireann to decide and it does so in response to demand. However, I will refer the matter raised by the Deputy to the company. I accept that when trains arrive later than 9 a.m., it affects the ability of passengers to attend meetings or arrive at work on time. I will ask Iarnród Éireann to respond to the Deputy on the point she raises in this regard.

There has not been a change in Iarnród Éireann's policy on the manning of train stations. When it is appropriate and feasible the company's preference is always to have personnel present at train stations. If the Deputy has information to indicate a recent change in the manning of a station in her constituency, I will refer it to Iarnród Éireann, with a view to obtaining some clarity on the matter for her.