DCU train trip causes controversy with Irish Rail

Rail said that the train was discovered to contain vomit, ‘other fluids’ and even a used condom.

A train had to be taken out of service to be deep cleaned after two DCU societies, the Engineering Society and Science and Health Society and chartered it for a trip to Galway.

The trip ‘Shnakes on a Train’ according to the Facebook page, promised a ‘rave on a train’ for 300 students. A spokesperson from Irish

Rail said that the train was discovered to contain vomit, ‘other fluids’ and even a used condom.“The train was left in a dreadful state,” said a spokesperson for Irish Rail.“The train was not able to enter service on Tuesday as it had to be deep cleaned on Tuesday and overnight on Wednesday before going back into service.”

The charter was a first for DCU, and a similar trip due to happen next week has been cancelled by Irish Rail. The company has previously chartered trains to Trinity, and commented that “We regularly have student charters from Trinity and have never had a problem with the condition that the train was left in,”

Una Readmond from the Office of Student life, DCU said in a comment to The College View, the DCU student paper that she is planning to meet with Irish Rail to discuss the alleged incident and said there were security staff employed by the SU on the train.

She also said that security had not reported back any incidents and  “there was one toilet among 160 drunk students” which is in contradiction to Irish Rails statement saying that two out of the 6 toilets on the train were out of service. She also commented “the student organisation on this event was top-class. Whatever a student chooses to do outside of that is a matter for them as individuals.”

Katie Cogan, TCD Ents officer speaking to Joe Duffy on Liveline explained “We have done three events where we have chartered the train but our last event we chartered two trains… I can’t understand why it went so appallingly for the DCU students… we found that our students, and I can speak from personal experience I have had close to 10,000 students at my events in the last 6 months and all of them are the nicest, most polite, interesting, well mannered crew so I can always guarantee that they will behave to a very high standard.”