Gardaí remove two from trains for refusing to wear face coverings

Gardaí boarded and removed a male who refused to wear a face covering on the Dublin to Cork train on Thursday.

Gardaí have escorted two people off trains in recent days for refusing to wear face coverings.

One person was taken off the Translink Dublin to Belfast Enterprise service on Wednesday and the second person was taken off a Dublin to Cork train service on Thursday.

Irish Rail said the man at the centre of Thursday’s incident was one of 204 passengers on the train.

“200 passengers were wearing face masks. Three had medical reasons for not wearing a mask, and one person refused,” said a spokesman.

“The level of compliance amongst passengers on all of our services has been very high and we are very grateful for the overwhelmingly positive rates of compliance.

Our staff are focused on engaging, encouraging, and educating passengers on the requirements to wear a face covering and the removal of a passenger from a train in such circumstances is a last resort.

“We are sensitive to the exemptions and we are taking those into account. But this is about protecting the health of everyone on board a train.” 

The wearing of a face covering by passengers on all forms of public transport has been recommended by public health experts for several weeks but it became mandatory last Monday under the Covid-19 temporary restrictions regulations.

In a statement, gardaí said in circumstances where a non-compliant passenger, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with a ‘relevant person’s’ request, gardaí may be called to assist.

During Wednesday’s incident, Translink staff on board the Enterprise service alerted gardaí that a passenger was refusing to wear a face covering. 

Gardaí boarded at Ballbriggan and escorted the passenger off the train.

On Thursday evening, a passenger on the 7pm Dublin to Cork service also refused to wear a face covering, despite repeated requests from Irish Rail staff on board the train to comply with the regulations.

Staff on the train alerted gardaí and two gardaí were waiting at Thurles to board at around 8.30pm.

A Garda spokesperson said in supporting the Covid-19 public health guidelines and regulations, Garda members engage, educate, encourage, and, as a last resort, enforce.

He said that following the attendance of the two gardaí on the train in Thurles, the man complied with the public health regulations.

But he was later arrested for an alternate offence and was detained at Templemore Garda Station.

Irish Rail said the train was delayed for no more than seven minutes.