Lack of staff on intercity trains...

Derek Wheeler · 08-08-2006, 19:41

As a drinker, smoker and Dublin supporter, Im authorised to comment.

1. Ive drank on trains, got on trains "jarred", and all went trouble free. I honestly admit to getting well oiled on board many trains. Never have I or companions inconvenienced other passengers. Basically, some people can handle their drink, others can't. You'll find that a lot of people, drunk and troublesome on a train, tend to be very similar even when they're sober. For example. Ive been on a couple of ITG tours. People were drinking pints in the on board bar at 8am in the morning and continued for most of the day. Ive never seen trouble. Aidan can verify this some more.

2. Since the all out smoking ban, I havent smoked on a train. But I have jumped off at stations for a quick cigarette. The most recent and high profile example of this was the MK4 launch. I was joined by many people including IE management at both Thurles and Mallow. When it effects other passengers or the operation of the train, I would willingly stop doing it.

3. As for Dublin fans. I was on that wexford train many years ago. It was the same lads that climbed onto the stand roof at the game. (remember that one Thomas?) The problems with some Dublin supporters can be documented as far back as the 70s. In saying that, Ive been on the specials to thurles for the two great duels with Kerry in 2001. Drunk, noisey, yes. Trouble that threatened the safety of the train? No. I was on a scheduled service to and from Carlow for a game against Wexford in 2002. No trouble. The specials went off without incident aswell. (but some lads did light a fire on the grass bank posing as a terrace in Dr. Cullen Park.)The record isn't great, but this kind of thing is also evident from other counties too.

Across all types of services, the solution to drunk and/or disorderly behaviour is "transport police". The Gardai are too under resourced as it is, so expecting them to deal with train issues at their local station will never prove to be an adequate solution. Both IE and the Government have been very poor in relation to the issue. Security guards on the DART are a joke and provide no deterent to troublemakers and CCTV can only go so far.

This issue is just another example of a country that has undergone huge change both economically and socially. Unfortunetly your Government/politicians have either failed or are too slow to legislate, in order to cope with these changes.

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08-08-2006, 19:41	#1
Derek Wheeler Registered user Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Kildare Posts: 1,555	As a drinker, smoker and Dublin supporter, Im authorised to comment. 1. Ive drank on trains, got on trains "jarred", and all went trouble free. I honestly admit to getting well oiled on board many trains. Never have I or companions inconvenienced other passengers. Basically, some people can handle their drink, others can't. You'll find that a lot of people, drunk and troublesome on a train, tend to be very similar even when they're sober. For example. Ive been on a couple of ITG tours. People were drinking pints in the on board bar at 8am in the morning and continued for most of the day. Ive never seen trouble. Aidan can verify this some more. 2. Since the all out smoking ban, I havent smoked on a train. But I have jumped off at stations for a quick cigarette. The most recent and high profile example of this was the MK4 launch. I was joined by many people including IE management at both Thurles and Mallow. When it effects other passengers or the operation of the train, I would willingly stop doing it. 3. As for Dublin fans. I was on that wexford train many years ago. It was the same lads that climbed onto the stand roof at the game. (remember that one Thomas?) The problems with some Dublin supporters can be documented as far back as the 70s. In saying that, Ive been on the specials to thurles for the two great duels with Kerry in 2001. Drunk, noisey, yes. Trouble that threatened the safety of the train? No. I was on a scheduled service to and from Carlow for a game against Wexford in 2002. No trouble. The specials went off without incident aswell. (but some lads did light a fire on the grass bank posing as a terrace in Dr. Cullen Park.)The record isn't great, but this kind of thing is also evident from other counties too. Across all types of services, the solution to drunk and/or disorderly behaviour is "transport police". The Gardai are too under resourced as it is, so expecting them to deal with train issues at their local station will never prove to be an adequate solution. Both IE and the Government have been very poor in relation to the issue. Security guards on the DART are a joke and provide no deterent to troublemakers and CCTV can only go so far. This issue is just another example of a country that has undergone huge change both economically and socially. Unfortunetly your Government/politicians have either failed or are too slow to legislate, in order to cope with these changes.