Irish Rail considering expanding 'quiet carriages' on more routes

People who decide to take a journey on Irish Rail should only be listening to music through headphones, according to the rail travel company.

Speaking on Newstalk this week, the communications manager for Iarnród Eireann, Barry Kenny, explained that an expansion of the quiet carriage initiative is being considered.

The low-noise carriage has been in use since November in Ireland, although they are popular in continental countries such as The Netherlands. However, the rollout of this new carriage has been met with some confusion, according to Kenny.

READ MORE: Irish Rail to re-introduce 'quiet carriages' on train journeys as popular feature returns

Speaking on the Pat Kenny Show this week, Barry said: "It is public transport and people do need to be mindful of the people that they are travelling with.

"We would say it generally, not just in the quieter coach, but people shouldn't be listening to devices without headphones, or putting up a volume that disturbs other people.

"That's a general rule that we would have throughout the train - but obviously, in particular, we want to ensure that's observed in that area. The response we have from this has been very, very good.

Train Host, Alex Opel pictured onboard a Heuston to Cork service to mark the reintroduction of quieter carriages on this route. This carriage is now bookable online on Irishrail.ie. (Jason Clarke)

"It's an area where customers can choose to book; it's very visible in our booking process, and also on the train itself.

"Obviously - mobile phones - we rely on our devices a lot, but it's an area where people will choose to travel either in some cases with people who have hidden disabilities... or people who just want to have that little bit of a quieter area".

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