Greystones Dart Station To Become Unmanned?

Despite reassurances to GG from Irish Rail earlier in the summer that the Greystones Dart station was not about to become unmanned, all signs point to that distinct possibility today.

With much of the premises up for rent at €50,000 per annum, the plans posted by estate agents Lisney suggest the ticket office will be included.

Which means our beloved train master will have no particular place to go. Except, you know, home. Or the dole office.

Enquiries to Irish Rail and CIE about the immediate plans for our local train station have yet to be answered. In the meantime, local councillors have expressed their concerns.

For Social Democrat Jennifer Whitmore, “Greystones Dart station is a vital piece of infrastructure in our district, and a staff member in the station is essential to provide assistance to members of our community that cannot access the train independently.”

Citing the planned reduction in waiting time for assistance service bookings from 24 hours down to 4 hours, Whitmore was quick to point out that such a service cannot completely replace a staff member.

“In the absence of accessible trains,” she added, “it is essential that Irish Rail ensure that all members of our community can use our public transport and travel as independently as possible.”

For Cllr Derek Mitchell, the fact that Greystones is the 5th busiest suburban station in Ireland and yet only has two Darts every hour on weekdays and one per hour at weekends makes the need for personnel at the station even more crucial. As does the need for a waiting room during those long, wet winter days.

The planned redevelopment, reckons Mitchell, needs a serious rethink.

“The Council has provided 90 bike-parking spaces,” he stated in a press release today, “which are full, and more need to be provided within the station. Instead, Irish Rail had wanted to reduce the amount of bike-parking spaces provided by the Council! The latter idea was ruled out by Council staff, thank goodness!”

We’ll let you know if and when we hear back from the powers that be about the future of our train station. In the meantime, you can go check out its history right about here, and the Lisney listing right here.