Passengers forced to jump gate to board train

Iarnród Éireann have apologised after passengers at Mullingar station had to resort to clambering over the locked gates to make their train – the second such incident in recent months. The train in question was a Dublin-bound service on the day of the All-Ireland semi-final between Mayo and Dublin, and passenger numbers were high on Sunday June 25 last. A spokesperson for Irish Rail issued a statement to the Westmeath Examiner following a query, and included the apology.

“We are very sorry that customers experienced this issue accessing their train on Sunday.” Barry Kenny, communications manager with Irish Rail, stated that a “security provider did not attend as scheduled to ensure this access was open and available, and we are addressing this with them directly”.

Susan Clarke, a passenger on the 11.30am Sligo to Dublin on Sunday June 25 last, told the Examiner that she and her husband were waiting on Platform 1 along with others, and were travelling to see the Mayo-Dublin match at Croke Park.

“We were all waiting on the nearest platform to the train station entrance to get on the train, and next thing the train pulled up on the opposite track,” she said.

“So we all ran to the other platform via the underground tunnel only to find that the gates at the opposite end were locked.”

Susan is a native of Ballinrobe, County Mayo, now living in Walshestown; she works at North Midlands Credit Union.

“I was the first one to reach the gate so I tried to find how to open it but nothing opened.

“The train was about to pull off and I thought to myself, ‘I didn’t fight for four tickets only to miss the train’ – everyone started hopping over the gate, with prams and babies, and barely made the train before it pulled off.

“It was shocking to see. No staff came around, whatsoever, no announcements were made. I’ve never witnessed anything like that in my life. People of all ages, kids, babies, buggies, all scrambling over the gates.