Irish Rail €4m CCTV cameras upgrade a step forward

IRISH Rail has taken flak for a sense among the public that security has deteriorated on its Dart and Dublin commuter services. It is now seeking to invest €4m on security cameras to tackle the problem, Ergo has learned.

While generally the system is quite safe compared to some other cities, at specific times there can be drug and alcohol-fuelled problems so properly targeted investment in passenger security is to be welcomed.

But it’s hard to avoid the feeling that the latest move is a reactive one by a semi-state company feeling a little stung by negative publicity, not least comparisons to security systems already in place on competing transport options such as the Luas.

Irish Rail might argue that its services complement rather than compete with the Luas and maybe that is the case from a passenger point of view. But in a very real sense Irish Rail has long competed with the Luas — for the eye of transport ministers and the shockingly low levels of capital funding they are prepared to spend on public transport.

Take, as an example of where the train company lost out, the prioritisation of Luas extensions and an airport metro ahead of a fundamental and arguably more impactful redesign of the existing Dart system.

Perception matters in these things. If voters prefer fancier-looking trams and metros to oldfashioned trains serving stations in which they sometimes feel unsafe then that is what the politicians will give them, even if engineers and transport planners disagree. The new cameras will be a small but good step forward.