Arrow badly hit but Dublin coping well with train strain

Despite the fact that up to 1,000 commuters daily have been affected by the rail dispute, Dublin city has not yet come to a standstill, and neither is it expected to.

Train passengers taking to their cars to commute from Dundalk, Drogheda, Kildare and the satellite towns en route have not caused gridlock. And none of the northbound or southwest-bound Dublin buses, or the Dundalk or Kildare-bound Bus Eireann coaches is overflowing with displaced train passengers.

Two of the four Dublin suburban commuter routes are still affected by the ILDA strikers: the Dundalk/Drogheda line and the Kildare Arrow service. Dundalk/Drogheda commuters are the more fortunate of the two, with between a half and two-thirds of their normal services operating. od Eireann, the strike is impacting on peak times in particular as some key trains are missing.

On a normal weekday there are 18 suburban services each way between Dublin and Drogheda/Dundalk. Yesterday, there were 13.

This is practically normal service compared to the badly hit Arrow, which has been frustrating users with its infrequency. It has reached a service high of just 50 per cent during the dispute. Yesterday, there were just three services each way, compared to the normal weekday 16.

The strike has had "no real impact" on Dublin Bus services, according to the company. The company has noticed some variation in passenger numbers, but according to a Bus Eireann spokesman, this is "balanced by the fact that people are off on holiday and not using commuter services anyway."

It seems what little commuter spillover there is has been absorbed by the roads. Mr Trevor Keegan of AA Roadwatch said while they are busier than normal it was "nothing severe". According to the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, the dispute is having an impact on the summer sales season, with some retailers reporting reductions of 510 per cent on normal figures.

Tourism has also been hit, but according to Dublin Tourism, "the lack of trains is inconveniencing visitors but they're finding ways around it."