Sir, – Iarnród Éireann is running a campaign, “Break up with your car”, to encourage people to take advantage of a 20 per cent reduction in fares. Amid a climate emergency and rising living costs, cheaper train travel is a step in the right direction and Iarnród Éireann should be applauded.
However, Iarnród Éireann’s highly restrictive policies on travelling with dogs mean a massive proportion of the over 40 per cent of households in Ireland who have a dog won’t be able to “break up with their car”.
Unlike rail operators in almost all other European countries, Iarnród Éireann’s only allows small lap dogs on its services, with other sized dogs only allowed in the guards van (only available on intercity services for Dublin-Cork and Dublin-Belfast, excluding most of the country).
Despite providing examples to Iarnród Éireann of pet-friendly rail operator policies for France, UK, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium, which allow dogs of all sizes to travel on trains while ensuring other passengers are not disturbed or inconvenienced, Iarnród Éireann has told us it has no plans to review it policies.
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With almost half of households in Ireland having a dog, huge numbers of people are unable to use the train for journeys and holidays with their pet, meaning the only option – for those who can afford it – is buying a car. Given the climate and cost of living emergency, this seems to be the exact opposite of what we should be encouraging right now.
Come on, Iarnród Éireann, if rail operators in other countries have been able to find the balance between passenger safety and comfort, and accommodating dogs, surely you can too?
At the very least, you could do a pilot study and see what happens? – Yours, etc,
CIARÁN DONNELLY,
Drumcondra,
Dublin 9.