By Conor O’Carroll
Iarnród Éireann has ordered almost 1,000 taxis to transport its train drivers, staff and customers to and from stations since 2019, according to documents released under Freedom of Information.
Documents supplied to Village Magazine show how the company has spent over €600,000 in the past five years on 989 taxi journeys for the purpose of transferring staff and delayed customers.
While the number of taxis requested each year has been decreasing from a high of 295 in 2019, 188 orders were still made last year.
Incomplete figures for 2023 show that 118 taxis have been ordered by the company so far this year.
A spokesperson for Iarnród Éireann told Village that taxi services are ordered for drivers travelling to reach their allocated train, for staff in instances of a points failure and for customers following a delayed service where public transport is not available.
Taxi services are also sometimes provided to customers on delayed services who have “an important appointment to attend or a flight to catch”, they continued.
Iarnród Éireann, which is a subsidiary of the state-owned enterprise, Córas Iompair Éireann, has entered into two separate contractual agreements with taxi companies to provide this service.
One with ABC Taxis to transfer drivers from Kent Station or Mallow in Cork to Tralee, and Tralee to Mallow or Kent Station, and the other with Edwards Coaches for journeys between Gorey and Enniscorthy in Wexford, and Connolly Station in Dublin.
Both contracts detail the requirement for both planned and ad-hoc journeys, often taking place in the early hours of the morning or late at night when alternative public transport arrangements would not be available.
Documents supplied to Village Magazine show how the company has spent over €600,000 in the past five years on 989 taxi journeys for the purpose of transferring staff and delayed customers
The documents also show a number of ‘emergency’ situations where Iarnród Éireann ordered taxis for their drivers outside of the contracted scenarios. These include a number of transfers between stations in Galway and others between Tralee and Killarney due to train delays, cancellations and driver illness.
Despite the significant environmental impact of driving between train stations, the arrangement is set to continue, with a recent request for tender seeking a further five years of taxi hire between Cork and Kerry.
The new contract is set to come into effect in the new year.
In a statement, Iarnród Éireann said it “takes its climate action responsibilities very seriously”, but that there are occasions where “it may be necessary to avail of taxi services”.
Last month, the company launched its Climate Action Plan, which targets emissions reductions of 51% by 2030. Among the commitments is a transition to an electric-powered fleet, upgrades to buildings and switching to alternative fuel sources.
Iarnród Éireann also said that line improvements on the Dublin – Belfast line last weekend was its first-ever that was net zero. All on-track machines, welfare facilities, vehicles, small plant and equipment operated on alternative power sources or alternative biofuel, while the remaining carbon emissions were offset by the planting of 300 trees in Wexford.
