THOUSANDS of commuters would benefit from voice announcements on the DART, but Iarnrod Eireann has been accused of breaking a promise in failing to introduce them.
The rail company said it is looking at ways of introducing a system of station announcements at a cost lower than the £2.4 million it has been quoted.
Announcements and visual aids on the DART are among the issues on which the Council for the Status of People with Disabilities is expected to press Iarnrod Eireann.
Voice announcements as the DART approaches stations are necessary for blind people, but would also be of immense value to tourists and to people with any deterioration in their eyesight, said Mr Des Murphy. He represents the National Council for the Blind of Ireland on the consultative committee of the Dublin Transport Office.
When the matter was raised at the committee, he said, Iarnrod Eireann undertook to introduce such a system. He was told it would be in operation by the end of last year.
It was not until the end of the year that the company began to object on cost grounds, he said. Mr Murphy said he is frustrated at the company's failure.
He also complained that when installing floor-level lighting in 15 DART stations recently, the company missed the opportunity to lay tactile strips close to the edges of platforms for the benefit of people who cannot see the painted lines beyond which they are advised not to venture while waiting for trains.
A spokesman for Iarnrod Eireann said the company is committed to introducing station announcements. It had begun to develop a system by which drivers would press a button when approaching a station, but had abandoned it on safety grounds.
It had been quoted £2.4 million for a system in which announcements would be triggered automatically.
The company is now exploring alternatives with suppliers. It is looking into how to fund the system, he said.
Voice announcements and visual displays on the DART and other train services are among the many improvements for which the new Council for the Status of People with Disabilities will be pushing.