An Irish Rail worker who was signed off work after being physically attacked has said that abuse from passengers is “getting worse”. 

Recently, John spotted a teenage boy and girl shouting and roaring at each other “oblivious to everyone else around them” and asked them for their tickets; when neither could produce one, they were asked to leave the train. 

“We stepped him [the teenage boy] off the train but when he realised that he wasn’t going to be allowed back onto the train, he grabbed hold on my collar and started pulling me down towards him,” John told The Hard Shoulder.  

The teenager fell down a seat behind him and began to physically attack John.  

“He pulled me down on top of him and kept screaming and roaring and shouting at him,” John said. 

“Eventually, he kicked my knee and I just collapsed. 

“I’ve been out of work since. Hopefully, I’m due back over the weekend to start a new shift but it’s an occurrence that’s not few and far between these days. 

“It seems to happen more regularly.” 

John has been working for Irish Rail for over two decades and knows colleagues who have had “horrendous experiences”.

He personally does not feel scared going to work but does feel that the “threat of [violence] is always there and it’s getting worse.” 

“I’ve had a lot of experiences, put it that way,” he said.  

“I’m on the railways now 21 years and I’ve had all sorts of things; from people threatening to pour petrol on me and set me on fire to thrown bottles at you that break your feet. 

“Certain things happen and I myself have not really been hurt before physically but I’ve had lots of incidents.” 

03/01/2019 DART Commuters. Pictured is early morning sunlight on the DART platform this morning, after Irish Rail angered commuters by suggesting they take off-peak DART services to reduce congestion. The website peaktime.ie was launched in September, and provides commuters with suggested times to take earlier or later trains. Photograph: Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie

Last year, Irish Rail received 444 antisocial behaviour complaints - a 60% increase on the 277 it received in 2021.

One passenger on the Cork train claims a person took out a white substance and snorted it right off the table and a couple claims they were subjected to verbal abuse and threats of violence from a group of sports fans.

Another passenger claims they were verbally and sexually harassed by two drunk men.

One person said they witnessed a woman screaming in a man's face and threatening to kill him.

Main image: An Irish Rail train standing at a platform.