Over 200 Dart carriages have been vandalised since the start of the year costing over 500- thousand euro, according to one Fine Gael TD.
According to Irish Rail, 211 carriages have been damaged with cleaning and repair costs amounting to 516-thousand euro, from January to November alone.
Also in this time, 22 passengers reported youths causing disturbances, while there was 27 reports related to drink, drugs and smoking on trains.
Alan Farrell, TD for Dublin Fingal, says an increased Garda presence, across all public transport, is desperately needed:
"It's not unique to Dublin, and in order to tackle that and to make sure people feel safe, I'm calling for increased Garda presence and indeed a dedicated unit."
“I’m calling for increased high-visibility policing on public transport.”
—@AlanFarrell re the recent increase of anti-social behaviour on public transport.
Read more: https://t.co/VLENTPz4IF pic.twitter.com/P73e1zb1Nj— Fine Gael (@FineGael) November 21, 2021
Alan Farrell, witnessed anti-social behaviour, including young male Dart users making threatening comments of a sexual nature towards a female passenger.
“A recent report from Transport Infrastructure Ireland revealed 34% of women have stated that feelings of insecurity have prevented them from travelling – with a lack of safety infrastructure exacerbating these feelings."
“The presence An Gardaí aboard our trains and buses will not only provide peace of mind for staff members and users, it will also crucially deter anti-social behaviour and abuse,” Deputy Farrell concluded.
