More Good News from the Sunny South East

[PLUMB LOCO]

Make of this what you will. I have have been warned by IE staff about some of the clientelle on Enniscorthy/Dublin trains too. Some of them on bail - with free travel. Barry Kenny where are you?

[Mark Gleeson]

I won't go into the details of the social welfare travel scheme but its nigh impossible to refuse a pass holder.

Sure you can throw people off later but they must be allowed travel. The pass can only be confiscated if it is clear the person using the pass is not the pass holder or the pass is deemed to be a fake.

The security on the 16:40 and another train Dublin bound has been ongoing for some months, bit surprising it took this long for someone to notice.

[ThomasJ]

Thats astonishing that people's safety could be put at risk and security is required because someone on the social welfare travel scheme is guaranteed free travel.

[poolergirl]

I travel on the 16:40, 4 days most weeks and have seen security only twice and an inspector a handful of times, when they are on the troublemakers usually aren't.

[Roy Boy]

If people must be allowed travel, why not post a couple of members of an Garda Siochana on the train from time to time. Anyone committing a crime can then be arrested. Or am I missing something ?

[Mark Gleeson]

Originally Posted by Roy Boy

If people must be allowed travel, why not post a couple of members of an Garda Siochana on the train from time to time. Anyone committing a crime can then be arrested. Or am I missing something ?

This is Ireland, sense doesn't come into it

[DangerM]

Originally Posted by Roy Boy

If people must be allowed travel, why not post a couple of members of an Garda Siochana on the train from time to time. Anyone committing a crime can then be arrested. Or am I missing something ?

Totally agree, I was on the 16:40 train the other day and security were "patrolling" the carriages, I was wondering what exactly can they do? If they catch someone using in the toilets, abusing passengers etc will they call the Gardai and have them arrested at the next station?

[Graham W]

There's another article in the evening herald today about this. At least it's getting some attention at last

[ThomasJ]

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/c...s-1854293.html

Commuters demand action on train thugs
FEAR: Rail chiefs step up security to beat drugs gang

By Geraldine Gittens


Friday August 07 2009

IARNROD Eireann is increasing security on a Dublin train after complaints that a gang has been taking drugs and intimidating passengers.

The thugs have been regularly terrorising people on board a commuter train leaving some -- including senior citizens -- fearing for their lives.

A core group of five men have frequented the Dublin to Gorey train and engaged in loutish behaviour and verbal abuse, making the journey a nightmare for the passengers, it has been claimed.

The men regularly take drugs on the train. They "openly discuss" what drugs they have on them, and then go to the toilets to take them until they disembark at a Wicklow train station.

Passengers are alleging that the men have threatened an elderly woman, and they verbally abuse and shout at passengers, who've described it as "disgusting behaviour".

Iarnrod Eireann says it is increasing security levels on their trains between Gorey and Dublin. A spokesperson for the rail company said: "There's a group who have on occasion caused problems. They have been loud and intimidating to other passengers. We are putting additional security on the train in question, and obviously if we find the people in question, we'll stop them from getting on the train.

"It's become an intermittent problem recently but we will move security up on all of those trains because if we just target one train, the problem will move on to some other time.

"A lot of it is verbal and there have been no assaults, thankfully. Regular customers have seen these people causing trouble and their presence makes them very uncomfortable."

He added that Iarnrod Eireann can prevent people from travelling if they are causing trouble, by confiscating their social welfare passes.

Passengers are increasingly fearful each time the men board the train in Wicklow, and when one particular passenger tried to leave, he was intimidated by the group.

"The group started hurling all sorts of abuse at him and one individual followed the man and threatened to break his back," one source has said.

Some passengers pay up to €1,000 a year for a train ticket and have had to put up with the troublesome gang in the last few months.

One local told the Herald: "People just want to go from A to B and pay their fare, and it's up to the gardai and Iarnrod Eireann to solve it."

hnews@herald.ie

[Mark Hennessy]

That's truly awful for regular customers on the Gorey line.

One can hope there is a targeted clamp down of this gang, one that lasts beyond a few days of extra security guys etc.

[dowlingm]

It would probably cost less for IE to pay for a minibus from Gorey to the facility these guys attend, given the alternative cost of deploying security and losses arising from people avoiding the service - but what would the redtops make of that?

[zag]

I was on the 0740 from Rosslare this morning and apart from difficulties that most people had opening the toliet doors (the sign says slide when in fact a fiece hard yank is required to unlock), the staff on the train decided to lock all the toilets just after we left Wicklow.

This was not good news for a number of people including me as it's a long way to Dublin from Arklow. Some people hadn't noticed the doors being locked and spent 5 or 10 minutes waiting outside the loos before giving up. It was also not good news for the parents of the 5 or 6 year old who suddenly felt a great urge . . . they brought him forward and presumably the guys unlocked a loo for them.

Do they normally lock the loos this far south of Dublin ? It seems a little bit of overkill.

z

[Colm Moore]

The tanks may have been full.