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A TRAIN STATION in North County Dublin has not had a working lift for over three months, TheJournal.ie can reveal.
Balbriggan – which was one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland during the boom – continues to be one of the largest commuter towns in the country.
Its main public transport hub – its train station – has been without the two disabled access lifts that were installed in 2002 since being vandalised on the 24-25 of June.
Despite this, however, website information for the station has continued to list a lift and footbridge as being available to take travellers to the station’s platform number one – its southbound line.
(Image Paul Hyland/TheJournal.ie)
Despite work having taken place on the lifts over the last number of weeks, and assurances made to customers that they were due to reopen last Friday, they remained closed this week.
Below was the lift on platform one earlier this week – its shutters still down.
(Image Paul Hyland/TheJournal.ie)
Today a spokeswoman for Iarnród Éireann, Jane Cregan, confirmed to TheJournal.ie that the opening of the lifts had been delayed, but were due to open later today.
The Lifts at Balbriggan went out of service on 24-25/06/2012. This was due to vandalism. The youths who caused the damage to the lifts were charged by the Gardaí having being identified on the stations CCTV.
The lifts were due back in service on 21/09/2012 after a major refurbishment but the lift company were running behind schedule.
The lifts are due to open for service this evening. We have been providing taxis for customers with reduced mobility. The lifts, once opened, will be in operation from 05.45hrs and are closed at 00.15hrs.
Unacceptable
Having previously been unaware of the closure, Tony Maher, the National Transport Manager for the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) told TheJournal.ie:
Obviously if it has been out [of service] for that amount of time, we wouldn’t find it acceptable. We have heard that lifts in individual stations have been out-of-service before, but never for anything like three months.
“Lift closures create serious problems for wheelchair users and elderly people,” Maher says.
“We appreciate there are issues around vandalism but we would want stations that are wheelchair-accessible to remain wheelchair-accessible.”
When contacted by TheJournal.ie, the Cathaoirleach (chairman) of Balbriggan Town Council, Larry Dunne said:
It’s really unacceptable to be honest. It’s not as if they’re building them from scratch. There is a huge volume of passengers that use Balbriggan station. Taking three months to fix it is stretching the imagination.
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To be fair, Enterprise Ireland also deserve a lot of credit helping Irish companies grow internationally
Credit where credit is due
CREDIT. Credit got us into this shit!
We have a corporate tax rate lass than half the European average, surely it can’t be so hard to attract foreign direct investment.
Large commercial decisions are not made on only one criterion. We have a supportive open economy, relatively we are low on corruption and bribery, we speak English, are well-educated, and have yankee sympathies.
That also helps…
Another example of an overly simplistic view of our Corporation tax System. Have a look ..,. http://www.ronanlyons.com/2011/05/17/just-say-non-the-facts-on-corporate-tax-rates-in-europe/
to be reaaly fair, the taxpayer who funds both of them deserves a lot of credit also, most of whom derive little benefit
Eh, jobs?
jobs for a small number of citizens at a big cost to other taxpayers but the real scandal is the tax that the companies dont pay, its a neat trick but ask the people who have been dumped when the taxpayer funded Grants run out
Gerry. You are a cretin. For every job the State saves on Social Welfare and earns income taxes etc. That doesn’t even include the plethora of indigenous companies that feed off IDA companies. The positive ratio of investment to return with the IDA has been definitively proven. Would you ever educate yourself about the subject you’re pontificating about before commenting. My eyes are sore after reading your rubbish.
Fair play and well done IDA for a job well done. Keep up the good work!
I’m happy the Guardian mentioned the terrific work of the IDA – which is good PR for Ireland. But as for Jedward (2 grown up men acting like 11-year-old girls) – not so good.
Ah here now, 11 year old girls aren’t as bad as those clown to be fair.
As Roy would say, its like praising the postman for delivering letters.!
Roy who?
The Grauniad rails against tax dodging corpos, yet its editorial praises same to the hilt.
Hypocrites.
The Grauniad? Is that a character from lord of the rings?
It’s a reference to how the newspaper used to be full of typos.
Tried to get a job with the IDA years ago. Having no connections at all made that impossible in the Ireland of the 80′S. I wonder have things changed. Doubt it.
Maybe you didn’t have the necessary skills or experience????
Job advertised was for Assistant Executive, Trainee, a third level qualification (non specified) required. Quite general. Always wondered what the background of the people who landed those very coveted jobs back in the recession hit 80′s was.
Ha I’m sure plenty of people didn’t get the job. That’s what happens when more than one person applies for a job. No need to play the victim
When i went to school it was the industrial development authority. Why the name change?
Things change Joe….
I feel your pain Joe, its just not fair….
Thanks IDA for not providing one job or offering one penny of investment in Cavan in 40 years.
Can’t blame the IDA that multi-nationals don’t want to go to Cavan. Is there anything that Cavan is better for than any other county?
But you had the financial wizzardry of Sean Quinn……just been watching Harry Potter!
This article is highly complimentary to the IDA. The Guardian, being a left-wing newspaper, likes the opportunity to praise the work of a successful government agency like the IDA. The IDA competes successfully against similar British agencies who are trying to attract exactly the same sort of jobs from many of the same investors. Ireland’s low corporation tax system and more effective educational system gives the IDA an edge over the British agencies. The IDA has done a good job over the years but faces stiff competition from many other countries, particularly countries outside the EU where wages, energy costs and income tax and social security contributions are lower. But Ireland has the advantage of being an English speaking country within the EU, the world’s most important single Market. Much has been achieved but much more remains to be done.
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