‘Dangerously Overcrowded’

at

This morning.

Kieran Ryan tweetz:

Hi Irish Rail, this is disgraceful. People wedged into the 7.15am Westport-Heuston service. Standing room only from Athlone onwards. We’ve just passed Tullamore and this train is dangerously overcrowded, and we still have another few stations to stop at before Heuston. 👎🏼

Anyone?

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40 thoughts on “‘Dangerously Overcrowded’

  1. baz

    Kieran, it’s actually safer ‘packed’

    The most dangerous item in the carriage in the event of an emergency break being engaged would be a bottle of water which would become a missile.

    Now lighten up and accept you’re not getting a seat today

    1. Slightly Bemused

      I would have to disagree, baz. People are not packed tight like boxes in a van. There are spaces, and people are inherently mushable. In the event of a collision and sudden stop, all those standing (and even seated facing forward) will be thrown forward as physics take effect. You see this in part when they sometimes have to come to a more abrupt stop than planned.

      In the event of a derailment, people will be thrown about also.

      These are the reasons Bus Eireann removed standing as an option, and brought in seatbelts.

    2. Ron

      Go and Google the Buttevent railway disaster to see what can happen with Irish Rail and their unsafe practices.

      About time this country tackled the underperforming Irish Rail that has zero regard to passenger safety. They charge premium prices for a crap service. They need to be investigated by the HSA for unsafe practices.

      1. Pip

        Except that today’s carriages are built to a far higher safety standard.
        Them oul wooden ones were prone to complete disintegration on impact with awful consequences.
        Structural integrity tends to be synonymous with survivability.

    3. V

      I was on that Dublin Westport train not a year ago and reported even worse crowding

      Don’t tell me it’s safe to have passengers corralled in so tightly
      With luggage obstacles
      All along the walkways
      And nobody able to access facilities, water
      Or even exit in Athlone safely
      Is better and safer

      I swear t’Christ I’ll never get on that Heuston /Westport train again
      Irish Rail should have had lads making sure passengers weren’t boarding the train at the points where they were getting locked into carriages that were separated from the rest of the train, and their own reserved seats.

    4. BrazilianWax

      Yeah, those that complain about ‘dangerously overcrowding’ obviously have not had to commute in the tropics. It’s only overcrowded when you can acurately count the change in your neighbours pocket (no hands). We’re all suddenly transport engineers?

      Room for improvement, certainly, but how many injuries were sustained?

      1. Janet, I ate my avatar

        yeah imagine paying for first world service and moaning when you get third ..crazzeez

  2. Bertie Blenkinsop

    Kieran’s tweet has probably been screengrabbed and Whatsapped around Dehli commuters to much merriment.

    1. Janet, I ate my avatar

      the metro in Delhi is pretty efficient and clean and wide serving tho plus a ladies carriage, I’d deal with a little squash if anything else about public transport was on point :)

    2. Murtles

      So allow people to sit on the roof of the Westport to Dublin train is what your saying? Personally I think it would work if it wasn’t for the rain….and maybe that one low bridge coming into Athlone. But shure isn’t this why everyone should learn to limbo.

  3. Truthful Ulsterman

    Tough luck Kieran, You cannot commute from Athlone to Dublin.

    Athlone was Mary O’Rourke’s stamping ground and Offally gave us the Cowen’s and the Flanagans.

    I am delighted that these people have to stand.

  4. Spaghetti Hoop

    I’m seeing all modes of public transport operating at over-capacity in the last couple of years. I don’t think the operators are anyway near meeting CSO population projections.

    1. curmudgeon

      Agreed, but Irish Rail employees and management will get their pay, increments and pensions either way so what do they care. Sky high prices (and taxes) and woeful services from a publicly owned company, we Irish are truly suckers for punishment.

      1. Paulus

        Lest we think the “publicly owned” piece is the problem, look to the comedy that is UK privatised rail.

        1. curmudgeon

          Ah but look at the success that is the LUAS. Publicly owned but managment and staffing was outsourced leading to a good deal for the taxpayer. We just get a bill every year, asnd if we’re not happy we can change the arrangement. Cant do that with the semi states. taxpayers on the hook for crap performance, unsackable staff and defined benefit pensions that increase over time whether or not we even use the serivce (I dont use any public transport but I still pay for it, not even RTE gets as much from my tax.

  5. Truthful Ulsterman

    Absolutely delighted that people from Clara didn’t get a seat.
    If I was on that train I’d put my bag down if there was a free seat at Clara and I wouldn’t pick it up.

    Let them go to Dublin in their Swimming Pool!

    1. Ron

      obviously something about Clara triggers Ulsterman. Did they run you out of Clara too for being yourself?

  6. eoin

    I wonder how many on the 7.15am are commuting to Dublin from Westport?

    This is the hidden housing crisis.

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