Irish Rail boss Jim Meade has issued an apology after the chaotic scenes that saw commuters in packed DART carriages breaking open doors on Sunday.
Hundreds of passengers going to the Air Show were crammed into DART trains that had stopped near Bray station. Commuters reported being unable to breathe due to overcrowding and sweltering temperatures.
People, desperate for fresh air, forced open the DART doors and jumped onto the tracks which resulted in other trains being stopped. Customers on other trains that were stopped also did the same with a soldier telling Dublin Live how he had to break open the door "to protect the lives of our citizens".
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Irish Rail chief executive Jim Meade has apologised to "customers who were delayed, disrupted or distressed as they sought to travel to yesterday’s Bray Air Show".
He added that Irish Rail had arranged for nine extra DARTS to run from the city centre to Bray between late morning and early afternoon as the Air Show is traditionally one of the busiest days of the year for the transport service. He added: "As the last of these – the 13:45hrs Connolly to Bray, approached Bray Station, it stopped outside the station, waiting for a platform to become clear ahead.
"Unfortunately, doors were forced open on one of the carriages after it had been stopped for approximately 6 minutes, and a number of people descended onto the track to walk towards the station."
He said: "Quite quickly, others – now concerned at the extending delay, and at the very warm conditions – also left the train, and this continued across a number of carriages. A second train – the 13:05hrs Howth to Greystones – was stopped further back towards Shankill, and after approximately 20 minutes, customers also out of concern for the delay and heat on board began to leave the train.
"What should have been an enjoyable family day out ended for many in delay, upset and distress, including those who felt they had no option but to disembark from trains. We are sorry for this."
He said that Irish Rail will be reviewing their operational plan including:
- Demand before the event, and capacity available to customers. Notwithstanding the additional DARTs which operated, there was significant pressure on capacity reported.
- Information available to customers on board and at stations
- Response to the initial incident of detraining
- Ventilation on board
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