Green TD Steven Matthews has welcomed the re-introduction of Quiet carriages by Iarnród Éireann on the Dublin-Cork line and has called for this initiative to be expanded to the Dublin-Rosslare line. This scheme, which is common practice in other jurisdictions, offers autistic people, their carers and other rail users who may require it, a quiet space during what can be hugely stressful periods, especially if they are taking a lengthy journey.
Discussing the announcement, Deputy Matthews said:
“This is an issue that was brought to my attention last year by As I Am, the charity that represents people with Autism and I fully support their efforts. I have raised this matter directly with Irish Rail, the National Transport Authority and the Minister for Transport as I believe providing these facilities is simply the right thing to do. Quiet carriages do exactly what they say on the tin and offer passengers one carriage or more on a train where you can’t play music, talk on the phone, or engage in loud conversations. This is particularly pertinent for those with autism and their carers but may be of benefit to any train passenger who wishes to have a peaceful and quiet journey.
“The re-introduction of quiet carriages on the Dublin-Cork line is very encouraging but I believe such services must be provided on more rail services. As a next step, I am calling for the introduction of quiet carriages on the busy Dublin-Rosslare train line.
“Many families and carers have been lobbying for the provision of quiet carriages ever since their phasing out in 2018 and I absolutely understand their concerns. Given the unprecedented investment we are seeing in public transport infrastructure, we need to consider more vulnerable passengers and our focus at a national level should be about making public transport accessible and welcoming to all passengers.
“The small-scale return of these services is a positive first step but in the long term, I think they should go further and trial quiet carriages on all commuter services, possibly at certain times to allow people who require them the option day to day. The Dublin-Rosslare train line is a prime candidate for the provision of quiet carriages, and I look forward to continuing to work with the relevant transport authorities in the coming months to support the extension of the scheme to the Dublin- Rosslare line and elsewhere,” concluded Deputy Matthews.
Comments