Scutting it fine

Sixty incidents of train and tram surfing in three years

MORE than 60 incidents of train or tram surfing have been reported by Irish Rail and the operators of the Luas in the past three years.

Also known as “scutting”, it involves a person holding onto the outside of a carriage as it moves away from a station.

A database of incidents released by Irish Rail revealed it is far more prevalent on Dart services. It shows one incident was reported on the Northern Commuter line.

However, 55 incidents were recorded on Dart services on both sides of the River Liffey.

According to the log released under Freedom Of Information, there were 20 reports of tram surfing in 2018, 32 incidents last year and three so far in 2020.

For the 19 incidents where an exact location was provided, the highest numbers were at Salthill and Glenageary stations, both in Dublin, which had three.

A spokeswoman for Irish Rail said: “We include a requirement in new vehicle specifications for manufacturers to consider this in the design to seek to prevent or minimise the risk.

“So for example we will reduce the ledges or hand holds to make it difficult to ‘grab on’. Most door steps are covered.”

Irish Rail also said when trains are refurbished, steps are taken to “remove the surfing area”. The number of instances

DANGER of “scutting” on Luas trams has dropped dramatically over recent years.

In 2018, there were two on the Red line and four on Green line services.

By last year, that had fallen to just one incident on the Green line and there have been no reports so far this year.

A spokeswoman for Transdev, which operates the

Luas services in Dublin, said: “While the number of incidents associated with tram surfing are very low, our message is the same. If you witness a person surfing, call gardai immediately. Seconds could change a life – surfing can be fatal.”

One of the most notorious instances of “scutting” was on a Luas service where a young girl suffered life-changing injuries after falling from a moving tram.

Rebecca Kelly, who was 13 at the time of the incident in 2010, settled her case for €550,000 while accepting what she did was a “silly thing”.

were happy to share the snaps of their bundles of joy looking tipsy after a good feed. The crashed-out positions and facial expressions have been described as being like someone who’s had too many pints. But these satisfied kids are so much cuter.

Scutting