Iarnrod Eireann staff at Sligo station have had to tell passengers to wear extra warm clothes and bring flasks of hot drinks because of the failure of the heating system in both trains running on the line. The problem persisted throughout the cold spell and trains were running without any heating until Tuesday. At the same time there was a shortage of catering staff and passengers were unable to get a cup of tea or coffee during the journey to Dublin, which usually takes three and a half to four hours.
Staff at Sligo station confirmed that booking clerks had advised people over the phone to ensure they had eaten a warm meal before travelling and to wear leg-warmers or thermal underwear if possible.
A number of staff have admitted they were embarrassed by the conditions people had to travel in. The problem was caused by delays in getting maintenance work done in Dublin. Staff in Sligo also accepted that there had been a record number of complaints over the past 10 days.
One elderly woman said she was afraid she would become ill after the journey. "We had to sit all that way in the freezing cold without even a cup of tea. I was numb with the cold," she said.
Another woman who turned up at the station to go to Dublin for the sales with her family said she decided not to travel at all. "After we heard there was no heating, we said it wasn't worth it and went home again."
Iarnrod Eireann spokesman Mr Barry Kenny accepted there had been "a lot of problems" in the week after Christmas and said the failure of the heating was caused by snow getting into electrical boxes under the carriages.
"There was damage done and we addressed it progressively as trains were in Dublin. It was quite a job to fix and we apologise to people who were affected, but it has been repaired properly now," he said.
There have been ongoing problems with the heating/air conditioning system on the Sligo trains for many years. On occasion, during warm summer weather, trains have had to stop to allow passengers off to cool down and get cold drinks.
"We always knew we were the poor relation on the country's rail network, but it really showed up this Christmas," said a member of staff who did not want to be named.
The carriages used on the Sligo line date from the 1970s and repeated repairs to the heating system over the years have failed to solve the problem.
Mr Kenny said there had been a lack of investment over many years but this was now changing. "Some of the equipment has been replaced, and others reset. I cannot say that new problems will not arise, but the problem that was there has been rectified," he said.