The imposition of a limit on the number of passengers to be carried on carriages on Iarnród Éireann's trains would be an operational matter for the company. Iarnród Éireann has a statutory responsibility for ensuring the safety of its passengers. It is therefore a matter for the company to satisfy itself that the number of passengers being carried in any train or carriage does not compromise overall passenger safety.
There has been continuing growth in passenger numbers in the past few years and this has resulted in heavy loading at peak periods, in particular on the weekday DART and suburban services and on the weekend inter-city services. I am aware of the discomfort that passengers have experienced as a result of this. To address the current difficulties, the Government is committed to providing additional capacity on the railway network. Significant funding has been and continues to be made available to Iarnród Éireann for investment to improve the safety of the network, increase the physical capacity of the system and improve the quality, reliability and speed of services.
In 2000, ten new DART cars were brought into service and an additional 16 DART cars have already entered service this year. A further 12 DART cars have recently been delivered and will go into service early next year. These increases in rolling stock on the DART line will increase passenger capacity from 14,000 when DART services were launched in 1984 to almost 21,000, an increase of 50%.
In relation to the suburban network, 20 diesel rail cars were delivered in 2000 for use on the upgraded Maynooth line. These new railcars have increased the capacity of the Maynooth line by 100% at peak times. A further 80 diesel railcars are on order for delivery in 2002-03. The first of these is due for delivery in June 2002.