Vol. 500 No. 6
6 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if her chief railway inspecting officer has indicated to her that he is satisfied that passenger safety is being catered for by Iarnród Éireann regarding the overcrowding of trains on the Maynooth suburban line and the Arrow line; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4555/99]
I have no statutory function in relation to this matter.
Responsibility for ensuring the safety of railway operations rests with Iarnród Éireann. Accordingly, it is a matter for Iarnród Éireann to satisfy itself that the number of passengers being carried in any particular train or carriage does not compromise overall passenger safety.
There are no safety standards in place in relation to overcrowding of trains either in this country or at EU level. However, as I have said previously my Department's railway inspecting officer has been in contact with Iarnród Éireann drawing its attention to the importance of keeping this matter under review.
In order to meet the increased capacity demands on this and other suburban lines, EU and Exchequer funding is being provided to purchase 20 diesel rail carriages at a total cost of £20 million. Of these, 12 are for use on the Maynooth line. The extra rail carriages will allow for three additional services on this line during morning and evening peak times.
In addition the doubling of the track between Clonsilla and Maynooth, the re-signalling of the line and the lengthening of the station platforms will facilitate additional train services and increase the passenger carrying capacity of the line.
