With the permission of the House, I propose to give Senator Glennon a few minutes of my time.
Adjournment Matters. - DART Service.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am sorry the senior Minister is not here but I hope my remarks will be conveyed to her. Given that the Minister of State is from a constituency which has several DART stations, I hope he will take on board what I have to say.
I want to refer first to the question of overcrowding on the DART system, which is reaching a dangerous level. I am already aware of various accidents that have taken place, with older people being pushed around. About two years ago an old friend of mine was knocked down getting off a DART, an incident which led to her early demise some weeks ago.
There should be a complete review of the DART system in relation to the need for extra carriages, expansion of the stations and the service currently being provided. This week a mudslide near Killiney prevented the DART operating between Dalkey and Greystones. If a tree falls down near the Merrion gates it causes the system to come to a halt.
There should be a complete review of what is a very good service which runs from Greystones to Howth, and hopefully, on to Malahide.
And possibly to Skerries.
I would support that and I am sure Senator Glennon has other suggestions. There should be an overview of the whole system because a tree coming down near a line, a mudslide or a driver not turning up for work for one reason or another should not bring the ser vice to a halt. The Minister of State knows the system well and I ask him to urge his senior colleague to order an immediate review of the entire system.
We need to find out what is happening on the ground in relation to the DART service. There is overcrowding, some stations do not open and we are still waiting for ticket machines. In any other country one has a ticket to leave the station but here there is a man at the exit trying to collect as many tickets as possible. The current system is Dickensian and it needs a total review. The operation of stations, the platforms, etc. must be examined. Every time I travel towards the airport I can see new larger carriages parked near Fairview. Are they merely on show? I do not believe they are operational.
The Minister of State is well aware of the problem. He is a reasonable and level-headed man. I am disappointed that the Minister, Deputy O'Rourke, has not come into the House to reply to this matter. To return to what Senator Ross said this morning, any Minister comes into this House but the one who should be here. I am sure Senator Glennon will agree that the Minister, Deputy O'Rourke, should be in the House. Perhaps she has other business to attend to; I saw her in the building. I ask the Minister of State to respond as positively as he can to the various matters I have raised. A disaster is waiting to happen if matters are not addressed immediately.
I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Jacob, to the House and thank him for his interest in this topic. Not only is he representing the Minister but, coming from the Wicklow constituency, he knows very well what we are talking about. I particularly thank Senator Cosgrave for sharing his time with me. It is an indication of the gravity of the problem that there is a cross-city and cross-party desire to have it dealt with as quickly as possible. Senator Cosgrave has put the case particularly well in relation to the DART. If we cannot extend the DART line to Skerries, at least we can extend this discussion to Skerries, Balbriggan and even further afield.
There is no doubt that there is a serious overcrowding problem on the DART, and it is not confined to south County Dublin. I spoke recently about accidents waiting to happen. I also raised the issue recently of a 12 year old girl who had been assaulted on a train. That incident was caused by overcrowding. I am not talking about assault in the usual meaning of the word in terms of her being pushed or shoved. It was a most unfortunate incident and, as often happens in these cases, because her parents considered that pursuing it would cause more trauma for the girl it has been dropped, although officialdom was notified of it. This incident happened as a result of overcrowding. Incidents similar to the unfortunate one involving Deputy Cosgrave's elderly constituent happen day in, day out. This is unacceptable.
It will be said that overcrowding is a problem in every major conurbation in Europe and elsewhere in the world. That may be the case but it has not been the case in Ireland and we should not allow it to develop. What we are doing is creating an acceptable level of discomfort and risk. We have already exceeded that acceptable level and are now into the realm of unacceptability.
There is massive good will and sympathy among the commuting for what CIE and its staff are doing and an acknowledgment of the scarcity of funds, historically, for investment, particularly in the rail structure. However, the time has come for massive and immediate investment in this area. The good will of the public is there for this to happen and I urge the Minister to respond as positively as he can. If Percy French was alive today and launching his song about the west Clare railway he would be up there with the huge earners in show business worldwide. I hope there is not another Percy French out there, although it might need that type of attention for action to be taken. The one thing we do not need is another accident similar to the one referred to by Senator Cosgrave or the one involving the 12 year old girl to whom I referred. I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter and Senator Cosgrave for sharing his time with me.
I thank Senators Cosgrave and Glennon for raising this important issue. As a TD for County Wicklow, I have a vested interest in this matter and share some of the sentiments expressed by the Senators. I am pleased to be able to report some of the major action taken by the Minister for Public Enterprise with a view to bringing about substantial improvements in this area, about which we are all concerned.
The issue of overcrowding on suburban trains, particularly during peak periods, is raised frequently by commuters on DART and other suburban services. Iarnród Éireann has informed the Minister for Public Enterprise that the DART carriages are designed to operate in an urban environment and can cater for a large number of standing passengers. The DART is being operated within its design capability and the company has assured the Minister that this practice is safe.
The Government has been aware of the overcrowding experienced by users of the suburban rail network, including the DART. Until recently the DART fleet comprised the 80 carriages it had since its commissioning in 1984. Ten new carriages have been delivered in recent months and eight are being brought into service. These new carriages will enable Iarnród Éireann to provide increased capacity on DART services, particularly on the Greystones to Malahide line, and will help to alleviate overcrowding. Two more carriages will be available for use at peak times from the end of the year. These new carriages represent a 12% increase in capacity on the DART system. A further 16 carriages were delivered recently and will enter the service next spring, following commissioning. Twelve more carriages have been ordered and are due for delivery late next year and early in 2002. The additional 26 carriages will increase capacity on the DART by more than 30% by next spring.
The DART service increased from a fleet of 80 and a carrying capacity of 14,000 from 1984-September 2000 to a fleet of 90 and a carrying capacity of 15,750 by December of this year. The service is anticipated to increase from a fleet of 106 and a carrying capacity of 18,550 in the spring of 2001 to a fleet of 118 and a carrying capacity of 20,650 by the summer of 2003. Capacity on the suburban rail network, apart for DART, did not increase substantially until this year when 20 diesel railcars were delivered to Iarnród Éireann. These carriages are undergoing commissioning and will increase capacity by 2,500 places when put into service.
The Minister for Public Enterprise has been informed by Iarnród Éireann that 16 of the 20 new railcars will enter into revenue service on the Connolly to Maynooth service on 2 January 2001, with the remaining four going into service in February 2001. The introduction of these carriages coincides with the introduction of the double line from Maynooth into the city. Over the coming months commuters on DART and suburban rail services will see an improved level of service in terms of increased capacity and a more frequent service.
Last Friday, 8 December, there was a mud slide down onto the tracks near Killiney DART station. As a consequence all rail services beyond Dalkey station had to be suspended. Iarnród Éireann worked around the clock to remove further loose mud and reinforce the hillside above the track to prevent a recurrence of the mud slide. The area was difficult to reach and the overhead line equipment and track had to be removed to facilitate access to heavy machinery. However, I am glad to report that the line will reopen today and normal services should be restored by rush hour this evening.
The DART timetable will be extended to facilitate the late night "DART in-DART out" service. Late night services ran on Thursday, 7 December, Friday, 8 December, and Saturday, 9 December, and will run on consecutive Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays up to Christmas. Additional capacity was provided on DART services on Saturday, 2 and 9 December, and will also be provided on 16 and 23 December. An additional Sunday service was provided on Sunday, 3 and 10 December, and will also be provided on 17 and 24 December. In conjunction with Bus Átha Cliath, the expanded Nitelink service is being promoted and a special "DART into town-Nitelink home" ticket, priced at £4, is being advertised. As a result of a recent agreement between the unions and the company, a full DART service will be provided on the Malahide and Greystones lines from next Monday, 18 December.