In partnership with Iarnród Éireann, Transdev Ireland and the National Transport Authority (NTA), gardaí will carry out patrols on Dart and Luas services in Dublin and on a number of intercity services.
“An Garda Síochána welcomes this ongoing opportunity to engage positively with the users of public transport, Iarnród Éireann, Transdev Ireland (LUAS) and the NTA as part of Operation Twin Tracks,” garda chief superintendent Padraic Jones said.
“This day of engagement allows An Garda Síochána to maintain a visible presence on board these services while preventing and detecting anti-social behaviour. It also allows for positive engagement between An Garda Síochána, customers and public transport providers.”
As part of Operation Twin Tracks, local crime prevention officers and community policing gardaí will also be in place at Pearse, Connolly and Heuston Stations as well as a number of regional stations.
NTA chief executive Anne Graham said: “NTA and the transport operators work in close co-operation with An Garda Síochána on an ongoing basis to ensure that our customers feel safe and secure while using public transport.
“I welcome the rollout of Operation Twin Tracks as part of that effort and look forward to our continued involvement.”
There will be patrols on Luas red and green line services as well as Dart services in Dublin. The operation will also cover stations on intercity routes in 13 counties, including:
Security guards were introduced on Dublin Bus as part of a 20-week pilot scheme launched by the operator last month. The new Dublin Bus Safer Journeys Team is operating in two mobile units, one on the northside of the capital and the other on the southside.
Figures show the number of anti-social behaviour incidents reported on Dublin Bus services has doubled from 500 in 2019 to 1,000 in 2023.
The Dublin Bus Safer Journeys Teams have been placed in locations identified based on feedback from passengers and other data.
The pilot period will be used to measure the effectiveness of the scheme against a number of factors, including response times to incidents, customer satisfaction and the overall number of incidents.
The work of the security guards is ongoing alongside other safety measures such as CCTV, driver training and cooperation with gardaí.
