[ThomasJ]

Official Press release with a little plug for RUI!
http://www.labour.ie/press/listing/124836377178147.html

Labour Transport Spokesperson Tommy Broughan T.D. has congratulated Irish Rail on the 25th anniversary of the DART network. But he has also asked DART management today to reconsider their decision not to provide extra late night DART services for fans leaving the U2 concerts in Croke Park over the coming weekend.

Deputy Broughan said, “Ireland’s first metropolitan rail service has been a tremendous boon to commuters and workers living along the coastal DART corridor from Greystones to Malahide. Staff and management of Irish Rail and CIE should rightly be proud of their achievement.

“However, members of Rail Users Ireland, which represents rail users across the country, have contacted me to express their disappointment that Irish Rail will not be providing extra late night DART services to facilitate the tens of thousands of fans who will be leaving the U2 concerts in Croke Park on Friday, Saturday and Monday nights.

“I understand that the last Northbound to Malahide DART train will leave Connolly at 23.43 and the last southbound train to Greystones will leave at 23.28. Given the vast numbers of people leaving Croke Park after the concerts, this means that many fans who would have travelled home by DART will probably not be able to reach the station in time to catch the last train. Irish Rail has commendably laid on a number of extra late night trains on the Cork, Limerick, Galway, Maynooth, Dundalk and Drogheda lines to facilitate fans travelling to Croke Park to see U2. But why were similar arrangements not put in place for DART services?

“I have now contacted DART Senior Manager Mr. Tom Devoy to ask him to urgently reconsider this decision and to make sure that U2 fans who use the DART will be facilitated over the weekend.”