UPDATE: Irish Rail apologise to pensioner and ill-woman who had to stand on Carlow train
The statement was issued to Carlow Live this morning
Irish Rail has apologised to an 88-year-old man and a woman receiving treatment for cancer who were forced to stand on the Carlow train to Dublin.
In a statement this morning, Irish Rail said all available carriages are in use on a daily basis:
Firstly, we apologise to any customer who had to stand for a long journey with us, particularly those in greater need of a seat.
While standing is a normal feature of travel within the commuter area (e.g. Kildare to Dublin), we do want customers travelling longer distances with us to have a seat to ensure a comfortable journey.
However, all of our available carriages are in use on a daily basis around our network. In summer, on days of major events and concerts, we can experience significant pressure on our capacity. While standing from Carlow is unusual, we do monitor advance bookings to ensure we meet demand as best we can, given the capacity constraints which exist.
We will see funding for new trains under the National Development Plan. However, the lead times involved and the legacy of underinvestment over the past decade is resulting in this pressure on our resources at particularly busy times.