Forty years of the Dart: ‘Dealing with the public is one of the hardest things anyone can do’

“Throughout the day, there was a steady flow of travellers on the new system, many of them using the system out of curiosity and others taking advantage of the rapid transit service to make trips to the seaside.”

That’s how the front page of The Irish Times reported on the first day of operations for CIÉ’s new electric Dart rail service on July 24th, 1984.

The first trains had whirred into life in the early hours of the previous morning. CIÉ, today known as Irish Rail, estimated 35,000 travelled on that first day, albeit on a limited schedule.

The echoing squawk of the trains’ horns would soon become a well-known sound to Dubliners (and people in Wicklow) waiting on platforms from Malahide to Greystones, followed by the arriving rumble of the now familiar, boxy green carriages. Forty years later, the overhead wires that stretch along the coastlines of two counties are as much a part of the landscape as the waves crashing on the shores next to them.

The stations and the staff quickly became integral to their communities once the new service started, with the people behind the trains often forming bonds that have lasted decades.

Brian Fitzgerald began his railway career at the age of 16 in January 1990 in Kilbarrack, where he met Gareth Walley.

“On my first day I met Gareth here … we’ve been friends the last 30-odd years,” Fitzgerald says, sitting opposite Walley in a Dart being serviced in the Fairview depot.

Both worked as boy porters initially, checking tickets, cleaning the station and any other tasks that needed doing at whichever station they were rostered to. There’s no dining service on the Dart but Fitzgerald and Walley’s families were still able to keep them fed on shift with home cooking delivered by train.

“Every day his mam would come in and say ‘Will you send Brian’s dinner up on the next one?” says Walley.

The pair quickly began recognising the usual faces among passengers, getting to know them by name, keeping an eye out for them and occasionally gaining admirers.

“My first girlfriend came up to me because she saw me every morning on the platform,” says Walley. “Every Valentine’s Day we’d get cards in through the windows.”

The pair recall helping people on their way to the various nightclubs once dotted across the northside, watching matches on a black and white TV in the station as Italia ‘90 fever gripped the nation and learning just how much of a difference the Dart made to people’s daily lives.

“You got to know your passengers … There was trust there,” says Fitzgerald. “You’d make sure they got their train and everyone was safe.”

Walley and Fitzgerald have seen plenty of changes over the course of their careers as they moved into new roles.

Before the railway was electrified, trains to the city only went roughly once an hour from Kilbarrack, says Walley. “You realise when you get older the benefits of the Dart,” Fitzgerald adds.

“It makes you realise the importance of having public transport so close to where you live. Kilbarrack is a fantastic place to live … we were kind of spoiled. We didn’t realise how lucky we were.”

A hectic summer of concerts and events will keep the Darts busy over the next few months, but Walley is confident he has the experience to handle the masses.

“Ask me anything about crowd control, I’m your man … I know by looking at the crowd we need six carriages, we need eight carriages. The guards look at me like I’m a wizard but it’s just from doing it all the time,” he says.

“For me, dealing with the public is probably one of the hardest things anyone can do. I firmly believe you either can do it or you can’t … I love dealing with people. I love going to work with a smile and going home with a smile. That’s the most important thing.”

A job on the railway was really something to be sought after when the pair were younger.

“It was great for a young lad getting [the] opportunity,” says Fitzgerald. Walley remembers “getting my first uniform. I put it on and walked around the whole estate, so proud … everyone knew I worked for CIÉ.”

Both men recall a few of their one-time bosses as “fabulous role models”, including one who would ask them to place gambling bets for them in Raheny by saying: “Go into the church and light a candle.”

The pair have seen things change socially over the years as well and, despite an increase in antisocial behaviour on the Dart and public transport in general, Fitzgerald says: “We face people every day of the week … It’s more positive than negative, even today.”

Antisocial behaviour has become an unfortunate fact of life on the network, in particular during periods of warm weather with people travelling to the seaside.

So far this year, 294 text alerts have been received reporting antisocial behaviour on Dart services and at stations, with alcohol being “the most significant factor” in such behaviour. Aggressive and lewd behaviour and criminal damage/vandalism were among the most common incidents in the first quarter of 2024.

Irish Rail says it has “specific joint initiatives” with gardaí and its security teams, provided by third-party contractor OCS, to concentrate resources on beach destinations, or during major summer events. The operator says it has increased security resources by 80 per cent since 2016, and rosters 30 security officers daily on the Dart network.

Fitzgerald and Walley’s ethos of looking out for people still exists on the network today among the newer staff members, they say.

Pam Murphy joined Irish Rail in August 2022 and has been a qualified driver for 14 months now. Murphy was working in an undertakers before joining Irish Rail but an ad on Facebook prompted a switch to a new career path.

“I was an embalmer … I’d just seen enough,” she says. “When I changed career I wanted a job that I could do for the rest of my working life and I think I’ve found that with the railway.”

While her uncle was once a signalman, Murphy had no previous experience with trains before applying. After multiple rounds of assessment and training, she was able to take her first solo run as a driver.

“The nerves were definitely there but I was quite proud that I’d gotten that far. There I was driving a train. It was very surreal,” she says.

A typical day sees her running two round trips from Bray or Greystones to Malahide or Howth, with a break between each one.

“We come in to work about half an hour before we’re due to take our train. Sign on, get everything ready that we need, our bags, all our safety equipment … then we just wait for our train and head off.”

The view from the cab is something few get to see but “on a good day it’s fabulous”.

“In particular, coming southbound when you’re coming out of Dalkey tunnel and you can see the whole view … It’s stunning,” Murphy says.

While Murphy evidently enjoys her work, some days can be harder than others. Breakdowns and delays can happen, leaving passengers frustrated.

“Every day is different … the weather plays a massive part in it … torrential downpours, snow, even seeing the [train] line in the different weathers, particularly the snow, it’s something most people don’t see.”

Murphy was not daunted by her move into what is still generally regarded as a male-dominated career. “I think the whole company has shifted, they are actively trying to employ more women,” she says.

“The trains themselves have changed so much. There’s not as much manual work as there would have been.”

Barry Kenny, Corporate Communications Manager, says “the rail industry internationally is historically male-dominated, so gender equality is a hugely important focus”. She pointed to several initiatives to encourage more women into the sector, as well as members of the Traveller community, other ethnic minorities and those with disabilities.

On top of the normal checks Murphy does before taking a train out, there’s a small army tucked into Irish Rail’s depots that maintain the trains.

“We do exams, similar to a garage doing a service on a car,” says Fairview Dart depot assistant manager Darragh Reidy, standing just in front of an under-repair carriage being held in the air on four lifts where its wheels would normally be.

Maintenance of the trains is never-ending, even more so in the event-packed summer months.

“The demand is massive here. We’ve to get everything done and have the trains all available for service because they’re all required with the numbers travelling … We have to make sure the train is in the best condition it can be in going out the door.”

The Dart+ programme is set to at least double commuter capacity on the existing lines as well as expanding the network north to Co Louth as far as Drogheda, Co Louth; west to M3 Parkway in Bennetstown, Dunboyne, Co Meath; and Maynooth and Hazelhatch in Co Kildare, with another push further south beyond the current Greystones end point to Wicklow Town.

Planning and design work for the new routes has already begun, along with the construction of charging facilities in Drogheda for the new fleet of battery electric trains at a cost of €318 million.

These have been developed by French builder Alstom and are being built at its factory near Katowice, Poland. The first of these are due to be delivered to and assembled in Dublin’s Inchicore works next year. Irish Rail anticipates the first trains of the new fleet to enter service over the winter of 2025-2026, with testing taking place in the months before.

Overall, Dart+ is projected to cost roughly €3.2 billion, under the latest business case approved by Government, Irish Rail says.

Irish Rail Events and PR Manager Jane Cregan says Dart+ will help the company reach its climate goals and encourage people to move away from private car travel to public transport. “It will also allow us to provide more sustainable and more cost-effective services relative to the current diesel-operated commuter services,” Cregan says.