The early morning train from Limerick is dangerously overcrowded, say passengers and Sinn Féin TD for Galway East Louis O’Hara.
O’Hara told the Advertiser that his office has had numerous complaints over the last few years, but “quite a lot” over the last few weeks. In a statement recently, he says that passengers are being put in danger due to the overcrowding, which has now reached a “crisis point”.
People are having to shove onto the train, where there is nothing to hold onto, while others are left behind at the platform, O’Hara says. “I have even received reports of passengers fainting and becoming unwell because of the hot, crowded conditions.”
Arriving at Ceannt Station from Limerick at 8.09am, the two-car train is already full by the time it calls at Athenry. Kathryn Petrucelli, parent of a secondary schooler who commutes to Galway from Athenry, says the situation has always been bad but has gotten “exponentially worse” recently.
Petrucelli’s child has been taking headcounts every morning, and on Monday, October 5, they counted 394 passengers. Per Iarnród Éireann website, the capacity for a 3 Car Set is 190. Two cars would have a seating capacity of 126.
“There are people who have mobility issues, people who have extreme sensitivities or other invisible disabilities, neurodivergences,” Petrucelli says. “This makes it essentially impossible for a whole chunk of the populace to take a service that is supposed to be provided for them.”
“I’ve actually started bringing her into school,” says another parent, Norma Fletcher, whose daughter was having severe anxiety around the commute. “She nearly threw up one day when she got off [the train] where there was this older gentleman shoved right up against her.” Fletcher used to take that train into work herself, but stopped because of the crowding.
Petrucelli and Fletcher both reached out to Iarnród Éireann and received the same response, reviewed by the Advertiser, which assured them that “passenger safety is a key priority” and “whilst it is uncomfortable to travel on such a busy train, it is not inherently unsafe”.
According to the statement, Iarnród Éireann has already ordered 185 carriages for the Greater Dublin Area, expected to join the fleet in 2027, and are in the process of ordering more.
The new trains in Dublin will allow the rail to allocate some of the Intercity and Commuter trains currently operating there to other areas. “Unfortunately we will not be in a position to provide significant additional capacity until these new trains begin entering service,” the response read.
O’Hara has raised the issue repeatedly with the Transport Committee, most recently at the Dáil with Junior Minister for Transport, Sean Canney, who said that all rail carriages nationwide are in use at peak times.
According to Canney, it can take several years for rail carriages to be ordered and delivered, and therefore no additional stock would be available in the short term to alleviate overcrowding on services.
O’Hara’s proposal of borrowing carriages internationally on a temporary basis is not possible due to the unusual width of Irish railway track. Sitting 1,600 mm apart, the track gauge is used only in Ireland, select Australian states, and Brazil. Standard track gauge is 1,435 mm.
“The lack of foresight and forward planning that has left us in a situation where there are no available additional carriages across the entire rail network is inexcusable,” O’Hara says. “We cannot accept commuters being put in danger on a daily basis and the Government cannot continue to sit on its hands.”
A bus service between Athenry and Galway would ease some of the strain, but it has not been funded by Government.
“Maybe a couple of the politicians should take that train for a week, when school is on and college is on, so they can actually see and feel what it’s like to be on that train on a daily basis,” Fletcher suggests.
Petrucelli is frustrated by the lack of will to solve the issue now, before it gets worse. “I feel like if something tragic did happen they would suddenly and magically find an extra train car after that.”
Iarnród Éireann did not respond to the Advertiser’s request for comment on safety, given reports of people fainting on this train, or precisely how many people cars are certified to take.
