KENNY HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR BETTER QUALITY TRAIN ANNOUNCEMENTS

Posted on July 24, 2012 2:17 PM   |   Permanent Link   

Seán Kenny, the Labour TD for Dublin North East and Oireachtas Transport Committee member has highlighted the need for better quality announcements on board Irish Rail trains.

"I have been hearing from constituents that the quality of onboard train announcements leaves a lot to be desired. People who are visually impaired are finding it difficult to know when their stop is because a great many trains do not make onboard announcements, or if they do, they can be inaccurate.

"I have been in contact with Iarnród Éireann on the matter, and they tell me that they understand the frustration that visually impaired customers feel due to the fact that onboard announcements are not working correctly on all DART services at present. They tell me that this is a matter they have been working to resolve.

"Irish Rail tell me that in relation to the DART, 52% of the DART fleet had a completely new system installed in 2007-2009 as a result of the Transport 21 programme, which is operating correctly and that €120,000 has been spent upgrading some of the more obsolete systems on un-refurbished DART trains and this work is almost complete.

"I also understand that Irish Rail is currently seeking a new modern system for the remaining DART and Commuter trains. The Department of Transport has indicated its support for the project, though there is still a question mark in terms of when funding for this will be made available. I will be taking the matter up with the Minister for Transport to ensure swift delivery of the funding. It is important that any system chosen meets all of the performance criteria expected and this will take time to implement, and I will be watching this closely also."