DART train drivers say they have not agreed to Iarnrod Eireann's plans to run late-night trains on Fridays and Saturdays before Christmas. They say they were not consulted before the plan was announced last Friday and they fear for their safety carrying rowdy and drunk passengers.
Iarnrod Eireann management is to meet union representatives this week. Both the Taoiseach and the Minister for Public Enterprise had come out in favour of such a service.
The branch secretary of the railway services division of SIPTU, Mr Tony Tobin, condemned the management for informing the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, that agreement had been reached with his members. They had been "dismayed" to read it in the papers and hear it on the radio.
?????????od Eireann had announced to the press on Friday that trains would leave the city centre at midnight, 1 a.m. and 1.30 a.m. on the two weekends before Christmas and a fare of £3 would be charged.
"Our members are not prepared to work late night DART trains for security reasons. It is likely that a number of people who use such trains would be drunk and disorderly. Our drivers, ticket checkers and station staff could be put at risk", Mr Tobin said. At the SIPTU public sector regional conference on Saturday morning Ms O'Rourke had warmly thanked "the DART men" for agreeing to the plan. Her remarks were followed by an angry press statement from Mr Tobin denying this.
A spokesman for CIE said it was still hopeful of introducing the service and security would be "substantially boosted".
Meanwhile, the Minister for Public Enterprise has said the DART service to Greystones could become operational early next year.
In a written reply, ail question, the Minister Ms O'Rourke told a Fine Gael deputy, Mr Billy Timmins, that new carriages would not be ready until next autumn but tracks and overhead cable would be completed from early spring. CIE could run a partial service to Greystones at peak hours, but this would be up to the company.
