Maximum passengers on a commuter train

eth0_

I was wondering if anyone here knows why there seems to be no laws regarding the maximum number of passengers allowed on each carriage of a commuter train?

You see signs on buses stating the max. number permitted (seated and standing), but not on trains.

The train I get (Connolly to Drogheda) gets more and more overcrowded every week. Last week I got the 17.38 train home and I was shocked at how many people were trying to pile onto the train. There literally wasn't a spare inch of space. I've never seen a train so crowded in my life and i've been taking the commuter trains for years.

What was even more galling was the fact the train inspector and the driver walked down the train platform to see if they could fit any more people on, and at portmarnock (a stop where no one gets off), the driver asked passengers to 'move down the train to let more people on'. Even though he knew there was absolutely no space.

What would happen if there was a crash? Surely Iarnrod Eireann would get sued into a black hole in space, or can they do what they like because they own their infrastructure and they make the rules?

murphaph

eth0_ wrote:

...can they do what they like because they own their infrastructure and they make the rules?

They don't make the rules, these guys do;

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John R

eth0_ wrote:

I was wondering if anyone here knows why there seems to be no laws regarding the maximum number of passengers allowed on each carriage of a commuter train?

You see signs on buses stating the max. number permitted (seated and standing), but not on trains.

The train I get (Connolly to Drogheda) gets more and more overcrowded every week. Last week I got the 17.38 train home and I was shocked at how many people were trying to pile onto the train. There literally wasn't a spare inch of space. I've never seen a train so crowded in my life and i've been taking the commuter trains for years.

What was even more galling was the fact the train inspector and the driver walked down the train platform to see if they could fit any more people on, and at portmarnock (a stop where no one gets off), the driver asked passengers to 'move down the train to let more people on'. Even though he knew there was absolutely no space.

Asking people to make room is hardly an unreasonable request, if there is no more room then nobody will move anyway.
They weren't FORCING people on to the trains were they? You have the choice to wait and get the next one. The people already on the train have mouths, they can tell the staff and other passengers to p!ss off because the carriage is full, I'll bet YOU didn't say a word.

eth0_ wrote:

What would happen if there was a crash? Surely Iarnrod Eireann would get sued into a black hole in space, or can they do what they like because they own their infrastructure and they make the rules?

In Japan they have people employed to physically cram people onto carriages.

There isn't really a crash safety issue with railways as fatal accidents are so rare, AFAIK it has been over 20 years since the last one on Irish Rail.

Obviously overcrowding is unpleasant and possibly dangerous of itself but IMO passengers have to take some responsibility to deal with it either by not forcing their way on or by stopping others doing so.

The London underground is far more crowded in peak hours than Irish Rail and has been like that for decades, they seem to cope with it somehow. When I was living over there it was an everyday occourence that I would let a train or two pass before getting a space in the evenings and in the mornings if I was by a door I would often stop others from crowding on.

crippledshutin

Eth0, you might want to have a look at this site regarding rail transport in Ireland www.platform11.org