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DART PASSENGERS HAVE reported a number of incidents involving assaults, sexual harassment, racist abuse and intimidation on board services since the middle of last year.
Earlier this month the company launched a new text alert system to tackle anti-social behaviour amid high-profile reports of such incidents and concerns for passenger safety.
It also announced that it will increase security patrols, install new CCTV cameras and increase co-operation with gardaí in a bid to crack down on the problem.
However, complaints from before the launch of the new system to report anti-social behaviour, submitted via Irish Rail’s ‘Customer Care and Feedback’ option on the company’s website, detail the nature of anti-social incidents on board the service.
Correspondence from members of the public seen by TheJournal.ie also includes allegations of drunkenness, intimidation, physical threats, fighting, smoking, and drug-taking by passengers using the service.
Politicians, campaigners and unions have led calls for both the government and Irish Rail to tackle anti-social behaviour and increase security measures at trains and stations.
Last week, the National Bus and Rail Union passed a motion to withdraw bus and rail services from areas considered to be ‘blackspots’ for anti-social behaviour in the run up to Halloween, and called for the establishment of a Garda Public Transport Unit.
Asked about these claims by TheJournal.ie in an interview this week, Minister for Transport Shane Ross said that while public order incidents on public transport were “unacceptable”.
“It’s certainly something which concerns me enormously,” he said, but added that the Department was “not inclined” to hire gardaí to police rail or bus services.
Complaints about such behaviour on Dart services rose to 96 last year, almost double the 52 complaints Irish Rail received from users of the service in 2017.
Since the introduction of its new text alert system, the company has received between two and five complaints daily.
Racist and homophobic abuse
Several complaints dating from June 2018 describe passengers being intimidated and verbally abused, including allegations of racism and homophobic abuse towards themselves and others.
One passenger who travelled on a southbound Dart from Killiney to Shankill told Irish Rail that they were spat on and the subject of a racial slur after asking a group of youths to stop cycling in a train carriage.
A different passenger who boarded an afternoon train at Clongriffin said they feared for their safety after a group of men directed homophobic abuse at them, saying:
They began to cause physical damage to the train before shouting homophobic abuse to me and my partner before giving indications of beginning physical abuse.
We had to leave train in fear of our safety. I use the train service everyday and I am disappointed that people so drunk with alcohol can get on train, but also that there is no security for passengers.
Other complainants contacted Irish Rail to report drunk passengers, including one who claimed they were subjected to “absolutely intolerable” behaviour on board an evening Dart service from Malahide to Sydney Parade.
The individual contacted the company after a group of “about forty teenagers” boarded the train and played “loud expletive filled rap music” from a speaker.
They said:
They began chanting loudly and shouting at each other. All the boys were topless and began blowing balloons around the train carriage.
My journey is absolutely unbearable and I wanted to report this behaviour as it is not what I am used to on Iarnród Éireann services.
Sexual harassment
A number of female passengers also contacted Irish Rail after reporting being sexually harassed on board the Dart.
In one instance, a woman who travelled on an 11.30pm service from Dublin to Greystones complained after she claimed that “inappropriate and worrying” advances were made towards her by an older man, despite her telling him she was uncomfortable.
“He asked me whether I was a student which makes me worried that he’s targeting young women in this way,” she said.
“I took a picture of him to send to a friend as it got to a point where I was concerned he may get off the train at the same stop at me and I was genuinely in fear for my safety.”
Another woman also reported issues regarding a man on a southbound Dart from Pearse Street:
I was made incredibly uncomfortable by a man on the same carriage as me who stared at me throughout the journey and proceeded to touch himself through his trousers.
I understand that this is not the fault or the responsibility of Irish Rail but I would appreciate that the person in charge of driving the Dart check in on the CCTV occasionally as there are rarely security staff on the ground.
Assaults and fighting
Several instances of assaults or fighting among passengers on the Dart were also reported to the company.
On one occasion, a complainant asked why gardaí did not call to the scene of a fight on a train despite being contacted by passengers on board.
“We were stuck on this train for a considerable period of time with all sorts of people who obviously had too much to drink,” the individual wrote.
“We then got off, myself and my wife and our two children, plus a friend of theirs, and felt unsafe… I am amazed and upset that the garda did not turn up, an issue which I feel is crazy.”
Another passenger reported being spat on during a day out with their family, while another said that they were also spat on after stopping a woman from being attacked by youths on a Dart from Bray to Sandycove.
One complainant contacted Irish Rail after witnessing youths randomly attacking people on a train from Howth, including by using an aerosol as a weapon:
At one point a man was using a deodorant can and a lighter as a makeshift flamethrower either to defend himself or attack others and normal Dart customers were running over each other to get away to the next carriage.
I saw some injured people who were limping getting off the Dart at Howth Junction and Kilbarrack stations… It was insane and people were terrified.
Up to five daily complaints
All of the above complaints preceded the introduction of Irish Rail’s text alert system for monitoring anti-social behaviour earlier this month.
Many were more general in nature, and included questions about why there was a lack of security presence on trains and in stations, as well as asking how gardaí were helping to tackle the problem.
A spokesman for Irish Rail said that while it was too early for specific trends on the new system to be identified, it appeared that the service was being used responsibly by Dart users.
A spokesman for the company also said that the company has engaged extensively with gardaí to proactively plan and reactively respond to anti-social behaviour.
Measures to deal with the issue include creating proactive protocols for major events, such as concerts and sporting events, and enacting a specific liaison for the summer season to cover beach activity.
“The company has successively increased security personnel both in mobile on-board teams and static security at stations over the past 18-24 months,” the spokesman said, addressing a query about security at stations and on trains.
“Current security patrol levels have doubled in this time, and resources will continue to be reviewed and enhanced as necessary.”
The company will also hire a specialised person to strengthen its management of measures to tackle anti-social behaviour.
The spokesman added that, as part of efforts to address anti-social behaviour, 128 Dart carriages had been fitted with CCTV, and that the process to fit CCTV in the remaining 16 carriages in the Dart fleet was currently underway.
Garda Public Transport Unit
The spokesman also said the company regretted that the customers who highlighted these incidents were exposed to the societal issue of anti-social behaviour.
“While the overwhelming majority of the 48 million journeys made annually on the company’ services occur without incident, it is a priority for us to reduce the number of incidents,” he said.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Minister for Transport Shane Ross said arrangements were being made to put officials on Irish Rail services in order to prevent security breaches.
“The new staff will monitor and report on any security breaches reported. We’re also working very closely and talking with the trade unions on what they say about this.”
But Ross said that the Department was “not inclined” to agree with requests by the NBRU to create a Garda Public Transport Unit, although he revealed that discussions on this had taken place.
He added that anti-social behaviour on public transport was unacceptable, and acknowledged that public transport was more vulnerable than traveling in a private car.
“We are keeping that under review. And if we get evidence that putting special staff on [public transport should be done], I think we’d encourage the companies to do that.”
With reporting from Christina Finn.
Using the military on the border would be politically suicidal. There is not one country in the EU that is using its military on the border with another EU country to keep its citizens out.
Would be more a job for border guards or the police.
Did it not take decades to get rid of the British army along the border and this guy is proposing putting the Irish army back on the border. Just what powers would the soldiers have to stop anybody?
@George Vladisavljevic: perfect evaluation ,and you aren’t pulling 200k of taxpayers money,jesus the plebs we put into that Daíl….
@George Vladisavljevic: literally no powers. Stopping people comes under civil remit under which the army has no authority. We would have to have a referendum on it.
@Brian Ó Dálaigh: Not a good idea. It does not require any referendum. Just a Dail vote.
@George Vladisavljevic: the uk is no longer a part of the EU. Remember that big referendum they had a few years back ?
@George Vladisajvljevic: They don’t seem worried about political suicide. Between this guy Blythely suggesting restarting the troubles and that “let’s cancel Christmas” fellah they obviously don’t care about PR. Time to remind them who pays them.
@Cormac: Thank you for that Cormac, I think that I have heard something about that.
We are in the EU and no other EU country is using its military actively on its borders except perhaps countries such as Greece in an attempt to control the flow of refugees.
Switzerland too is not in the EU and France, Germany, Italy, for example, do not have their armies on the borders controlling the flow of Swiss watches and chocolates.
Imagine imposing a hard border after screaming and shouting for four years about how a Brexit imposed hard border would be catastrophic for peace on the island. Why do we keep electing these eejits.
@David Law: It’s actually wreaking my head.
Another Dáil circus performer trying to look relevant
It’s actually quite alarming that a TD could be this clueless. One must also note that people in the North can also work in the South
Maybe shouldn’t have backed Varadkar in vote of no confidence.
@David Connell: zero relevance
He’s not wrong, it’s not a coincidence that the border counties have the highest rate
@justinoc: Hello. Have you actually checked Louths rate lately? It seems not.
@Unitedpeople: 3rd highest yesterday son, you think it’s ok for nordies to travel freely around the country?
@justinoc: gone the other way with crowds from the south heading north to shop. its what’s causing the problem in donegal ,the east of the county are all heading across because the shops are open.
northern cars arent coming down for anything apart from work
@justinoc: stop calling people nordies its rude and uncalled for, very insulting.
@justinoc: Correct – third highest, not the highest as you quoted. If we stick to truth, other will have less to undermine you min good points, is ALL I am saying.
Is it good that we have others coming down and infecting us? No – but then our government has not stated how many of the South people have gone up North and done same. All the best. I mean that.
build a wall mabey
@frank_1916: Trump
This is a joke! Plenty of people living on both sides of the border have to cross it every day for work!
@Seán O’Loughlin: not ifvtiur going into & out if the worst Covid19 area there isn’t You stay at home.
I live close to the M1 and take it every weekday. There have always been plenty of NI reg cars but they don’t seem to have reduced in number while ours have, so they are much more noticeable now. Some may have a legitimate reason to be here but it seems they just aren’t restricting themselves as much.
@dearg doom: those living in the north but working in the south aren’t eligible for PUP so that don’t have much choice but to keep attending their place of work if required.
If it’s being abused then yes deploy the army to help the Gardai.
@die Fussballmeister: It can’t be abused when there is no law to say it’s illegal. People from NI are free to travel in and out of the 26 counties, just as are those from the 26 counties free to travel in and out of NI.
@die Fussballmeister: absolutely not
Go to get the motorway exits 17 and 18 and the amount of northern reg cars parked on hard shoulders is unreal, they then cram into vans, travel south, work, travel back north and then head home probably not realizing they are spreading illness and to top it off, the Garda have a daily checkpoint up the road everyday. Why not stop the daily congregation of these people
@Garreth mc mahon: because they’re working. You can’t strip them of their work without supporting them.
@Garreth mc mahon: Government and Council contracts
@Brendan M: point is that they are parked illegally and not using a safe mode of transport which is a high risk of cross contamination. I’d never dream of stopping people going to work but this isn’t a safe way to do so
@Brendan M: yes we can : they’re in another country.
@John Moylan: no they are not
Out of touch, out of date and hopefully at next election, out of job.
It’s hard to believe that anyone living in the Republic of Ireland along the border would propose or support a military presence on either side, let alone someone that served in the Defence forces.
Any border military presence for any reason, is the slippery slope back to the troubles once again and would serve only as a focal point and rallying cry for those on both sides that would happily turn back the clock.
Peter, you are meaning well but you should have a walk in your town. Many of the yellow registrations are standing in front of the houses since years.
Taxes and insurance are cheaper in the North.
Politely speaking Peter Fitzpatrick will you ever go away and read a book or something.
I can remember when a good politician had to be 75 percent ability and
25 percent actor, but I can well see in your case the reverse could be
true.
@Dónal Ó Keeffe: he just needed to manage a team to get robbed by meath
Who elected this knob?? Lol . A hard border.. lol. Just what we need now after telling the EU and U.K. it would be fatal to the GFA.
The guards can’t even issue on the spot fines so whats the army going to do?
Ex Blueshirter buleshirting
Who voted for him, Enda Kenny and the ATM’s
If only there was a United Ireland, the DUP would be irrelevant.
@John Dublin: If only Churchill had been a Kerry man…
Total muppet. That would look wonderful. Hard border.
Great idea the job SFDUP in NI is shocking. Dont think the army is the answer but Garda check points on all major road is the least we should expect
A hard border, aye Peter that will work just fine..
All the trouble and outrage concerning a hard border and that he wants to put the army on the border . Sweet Jesus
@Donal Desmond: you would think that the people along the border would have a little consideration for the rest of the country. While the rest of us are locked within our 5 kms this shower travel willy nily into another country.
@Donal Desmond:
The hard border was about lorries stopping and taxes to be paid. Nothing to do with Covod
Garda and army are to deter non essential travel, The soldiers are not armed.
Less hysteria – people try to make it sound like a military takover with ‘progressives’ in comcentration camps
@Chris Mc: A certain section had no consideration when it came to playing golf.
@John Lynch: Troops on the border is the last thing we need. Unfortunately people cross county bounds every day…do you suggest troops are to be put on the borders of each county in Ireland.
why not change their job description and uniform in the civil roll as covid civil patrol unarmed but enough legal back up to be able instill the 5km rules here, that would stop alot of unnecessary cross border journeys
And as your a Ex Soldier what powers would you give the Defence Forces..
As you should be aware its only Aid to Civil power which requires a Garda to be present..
Your only talking out of your .
Not allowed to finish as it is deemed as toxic lol
Why is a sitting td not writing a bill in order to deal with this situation instead of announcing unplanned, uneducated comments. Why be a legislator that does not legislate!
Theres no law at present that people are breaking, also more are travelling north due to retail being open up there.
Give him his gun and send him up there alone. Laughing stock of the whole world.
Works both ways. A lot of southern regs in Belfast.
He doesn’t like all the yellow regs? Ah the poor fella, well we don’t like having a border on the island, his time would be better spent campaigning for a united Ireland.
WHO IS HE????????
Now that the Donald has more time maybe he could build a wall
Right idea. But no army thank you. Another form of policing would be more acceptable to anybody who is worried about importing the virus. No doubt NI is a dangerous basket case and we cant just ignore this
He didn’t spend much time on the border when he was in the Army.
Given NI’s inability to deal with the coronavirus we should have shut the border weeks ago.
Clueless
Try working in Intel more English and northern men here every week
Finland have their Home Guard they army reserve patrolling their border with Sweden and are checking temps and non essential travellers are not allowed into the country. Finland yesterday was the only country in Europe of a reasonable size to have less new cases than us.
Think health and not politics here. As expecting the NI executive to do so is a wate of time
The army idea is dumb but something must be done, just what is the big question.
The NI builders is an old trick and is another argument completely
Awful not to display intelligence for the sake of populism…..
After a full two years of everyone freaking out about the possibility of a Brexit induced hard border:
“Hey lads things can hardly get worse… Let’s start a civil war while we’re at it.”
I’m struggling a little with the idea that we voted for, and are paying hundreds of thousands of euro to someone who would suggest something this idiotic. Between this guy and the “Lets cancel Christmas” PR genius. I’m starting to wonder what went wrong.
I would very much like a general election right now but I cant imagine things actually improving at this point. It’s weird that after the terrible year its been this is the first time I’ve felt really depressed.
Don’t worry. It won’t happen. Govt closed border barracks and subsequent governments have gutted the defence forces, we have almost half the available soldiers that we had at the height of the troubles. We had 15,000 in the defence forces and over 12,000 reserves, today we have 8,000 fulltime soldiers , sailors and air crew (supposed to be 9,500) and just over 1,100 reserves.
Even back then we struggled to close the border.
Where were these TDs when defence forces were calling for restoration of pay, and navy and aircorps were screaming out for new pilots, air and ground crews and sailors? 4 naval vessels tied up and aircraft that cannot fly without flight crews!?
This is nothing but table banging and optics. Good luck to him finding enough soldiers to close the crossings in one county, nevermind a whole border.
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