Trevor Laffan: A rail security force would be great, but I’ll still avoid trains

It’s not a paper I read every day, but according to the Asia Times, India has the fourth-largest railway network in the world, after the United States, Russia, and China.

It serves around 23 million passengers on 14,000 trains daily.

However, in terms of passenger service and rail safety, Indian Railways’ record appears to perform poorly compared to its global peers.

More than 100,000 train-related deaths occurred in India between 2017 and 2021, according to a 2022 report. This figure includes cases in which passengers fell from carriages and were hit by speeding trains, in addition to railway collisions.

Passengers in the country are often forced to sit in toilets due to overcrowding. This issue is common across many trains and is not new.

In 2023-24, there were 313 passenger deaths and four railway employee fatalities in 40 train accidents in India, the highest number in a decade.

India’s top audit body cited serious inspection shortfalls, delayed inquiry reports, misuse of dedicated railway funds, declining track renewal funding, and insufficient staffing in safety operations as key factors behind these accidents. More than 27,763 coaches (62%) didn’t even have fire extinguishers.

India’s trains are still bywords for overcrowding, poor hygiene, and delays. Passengers often report that, despite having reserved seats, they are unable to sit in their booked places. That last bit isn’t confined to India; it can happen on Irish Rail too.

Thankfully, we haven’t resorted to climbing onto the carriage roofs yet, but we too have a far from perfect system of public transport.

Listening to a discussion on the radio recently, it seems that overcrowding is still an issue. Some also bemoaned the loss of the tea trolley on various routes, while others suggested there were more serious issues to deal with such as anti-social behaviour.

Contributors to the programme complained of regular incidents of fighting, boisterous behaviour, criminal damage, verbal abuse, physical assault of either passengers or employees, and smoking or drug use.

According to the Journal.ie, packed, sweaty and feeling unsafe was how many readers summed up their experience of commuting on Irish Rail services. Overheating, fainting, and being forced to stand for over an hour were just some of the issues they said they were encountering on their daily commutes.

There were complaints too of older people sitting on the ground with the carriage aisles full in every direction. One commuter who wished to remain anonymous described the overcrowding on rush hour trains is an “accident waiting to happen”.

I used public transport regularly in the late 1970s and early ’80s when I lived in Dublin. The Cork to Dublin rail route was very familiar to me back then. I was sick to death of public transport by the time I left the capital for good, and I swore I would never use a bus or a train again if I could avoid it.

That was 45 years ago, but I can still remember those days vividly. The train to Cork on a Friday evening was usually full to overflowing, and having to sit on the floor between the carriages on a folded-up coat wasn’t ideal. It wasn’t the most comfortable way to travel.

Bad behaviour was a problem then too. There is no pleasure in sharing a carriage with a bunch of rude, drunken revellers shouting and bawling.

I can remember there were calls for the establishment of a special transport unit within An Garda Síochána to deal with offenders, but now it seems the government has finally decided to establish a Transport Security Force.

The details have yet to be worked out, but it’s a move in the right direction at last.

However, while they might get to grips with the unruly passengers, I doubt they’ll solve the overcrowding issue or improve the comfort of the passengers.

The announcement is a positive move, even if it comes too late for me, having previously made a vow to avoid public transport for the remainder of my natural life.

So far, I have managed to stick to my guns, but now that both my wife and I have free travel, I’m coming under increasing pressure to avail of it.

I’m not a big fan of travel. I like visiting different countries, but the act of actually getting there isn’t something I enjoy.

That might seem like a contradiction, given that I spend more than half the year living abroad, but to me, flying is something that just has to be tolerated. The alternative is to stay at home.

There’s always an element of stress involved in flying. Getting to the airport on time, getting through security, wondering if the plane will take off on time to catch a connecting flight.

No matter how well organised you are, there are always things you cannot control, like the weather and flight delays.

My wife and son had a difficult experience recently when they travelled to Vietnam for a wedding. The serial number on Gaye’s Vietnam visa didn’t exactly match her passport serial number. It was out by one digit (my fault apparently) and that created a problem when they landed.

They were detained by immigration officials in a hot, stuffy room for about four hours.

While my wife understood there was an issue that needed to be resolved, it was the attitude of the officials that brought her close to tears.

Shouting at her in a foreign language didn’t help, and they were constantly being threatened with expulsion and being sent back home. That changed when they handed over a sum of money and they were eventually allowed to go on their way.

It wasn’t a pleasant experience, and there was more drama with immigration officials when they were leaving the country a week later, so I don’t think my wife will be making a return visit.

In fact, it would be easier to get her on the roof of a train in Mumbai.