Sir, - So Mr Barry Kenny of Iarnr≤d ╔ireann thinks that overcrowding on suburban train services is "not a safety issue" (The Irish Times, November 15th). I must disagree.
On Friday evening I refused to board the 17.35 Arrow service to Kildare for my own safety. The train consisted of just three carriages and was, to my mind, dangerously overcrowded well before its scheduled departure time. Not only were all the seats occupied but all of the available standing room was also taken. Yet people were still being allowed through the barriers and onto the train.
No attempt was made to advise passengers that the train was already full and there did not appear to be any Iarnr≤d ╔ireann officials monitoring the situation. I was able to board the 18.05 train to Athlone, which stops at my local station. This train was also severely overcrowded when it left Heuston.
Iarnr≤d ╔ireann has very little respect for its passengers on the Kildare line. While passengers on the Western Suburban line to Maynooth have an eight-carriage train to take them home in the evenings, the 17.35 Arrow service often only has three carriages, when it needs a minimum of four to cope with the evening rush.
The 18.05 train to Athlone now stops in Sallins, adding an extra stop to an already full train. The 18.40 Arrow service to Kildare was extended to Portlaoise a couple of years ago and now also serves the new station in Monasterevan, without any obvious increase in capacity. It's not just about comfort, Mr Kenny! - Yours, etc.,
Ann Murphy, Morell Court, Naas, Co Kildare.