Irish Rail apologises to Laois wheelchair user but says it 'always seek to do utmost' to help

Irish Rail has apologised to a Laois customer who was faced with a litany of problems on the Portlaoise to Dublin service on his way to and from the Grand Slam rugby match in the Aviva Stadium.

An Iarnród Éireann spokesperson issued a statement to the Leinster Express Laois Live after John Finn outlined an experience that he said should have been "a joyous occasion" but turned into a "disaster".  

Mr Finn got stuck in Portlaoise Station going too and from Dublin seeking help and also encountered problems in Heuston. The situation on the way back to Laois was almost farcical as Mr Finn had to get off the train before having to reboard because the  lift in Portlaoise wasn't working.

The train had to travel away from Portlaoise a short distance and reverse back up the line so that he could get off on the Mountmellick Road side of the track.

The train company apologised.

"Firstly, we apologise to Mr Finn for the issues experienced when travelling with us.  We have received his feedback directly and are liaising with him on the issues raised," they said.

"While Mr Finn had indicated that he was a wheelchair user when booking the ticket, Irish Rail said further steps are needed to get assistance.

"We advise customers who require assistance to request through our access department or their station directly assistance in advance of travel.  While this request was not received for these (Mr Finn's) journeys, we would always seek to do our utmost to assist customers who cannot give notice. 

"Mr Finn entered the station and went directly to the platform without going to the booking office, meaning regretfully booking office staff did not realise a customer required assistance, either at Portlaoise or to notify Heuston for arrival on the outward journey," said Irish Rail.

The company was contrite in relation to the experience on arrival to Portlaosie.

"On the return journey, Mr Finn should have been facilitated with courtesy.  Unfortunately, the lift fault described at Portlaoise occurred on that Saturday night (rectified Sunday morning).  We appreciate the efforts of our staff in overcoming this issue – however, this did delay and inconvenience Mr Finn and the other customers he describes.

"We hope Mr Finn will see improvement in the service he receives as we act upon his feedback, and continue to work to improve accessibility across all our services," concluded the statement.

In his original complaint to Irish Rail Mr Finn said he used the same service in the 1970s for 10 years when attending school in Dublin and got a better service. He said there was always a staff member available in Portlaoise and Heuston.

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He signed off his communication to the company owned and funded by taxpayers as a "disillusioned and disabled passenger".