Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 410: To ask the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the overcrowding at peak times on trains on the Maynooth train line; if Irish Rail will conduct a safety audit of these trains; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34412/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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At present, there are no regulations either here or at EU level governing the number of passengers who can be carried on an individual railway carriage. However, I expect the Railway Safety Bill to be enacted before year-end, and the Railway Safety Commission will then have power to make regulations in this area.

Iarnród Éireann has indicated that the issue of crowding is one of discomfort and inconvenience rather than a safety concern and I understand that this view is in line with the consensus in the railway industry worldwide. The company also assures me that proposals for the introduction of additional services in the coming years will provide the capacity required to improve the conditions prevailing on the commuter services concerned.

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Question 411: To ask the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the fact that most DART carriages are not wheelchair accessible due to the gap between the carriage and the platform and the difference in height; and if the investment in accessibility on DART carriages has taken this issue into account. [34413/05]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Question 412: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will investigate ways of making DART carriages easier to access for wheelchair users. [34414/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 411 and 412 together.

The issue to which the Deputy refers to is an operational matter within the remit of Iarnród Éireann. Iarnród Éireann informs me that it follows the UK rail vehicle accessibility regulations when formulating the specifications prior to purchase of all new rail carriages. This encompasses all carriages, including DART carriages purchased over the past decade.

Platforms on the DART alignment have to accommodate a number of different types of rolling stock, including mainline and suburban railcars, and Enterprise services, as well as DART. Each type is a different height from the track. This contributes to a vertical gap between carriage and platform for DART cars. A large number of stations have curvatures at some point on the platforms and this also contributes to the gap, horizontal in this case. All platform works being carried out currently include the standardisation of height from track, which will aid customers. Iarnród Éireann has provided mobile ramps in all of the manned stations throughout the country to assist customers to board trains.