A man travelling to Sligo by train said he was verbally abused by a woman pretending to sell tickets for charity on board.

Last week, on board the 6:30pm train from Mullingar to his native Sligo, Mike said he witnessed a woman selling raffle lines for charity.

Speaking to Lunchtime Live, Mike said he quickly realised the charity was not legitimate, as the woman claimed she was raising funds for Suicide Prevention Ireland – a charity which does not exist.

"Some, believe it or not, bought some – I'd say out of the fear or naivety and gave the woman money," he said.

"It was very uncomfortable for a lot of people."

Mike said he informed the woman she would need a permit to sell the tickets on board, which caused her to become irate and "abusive".

"She was really aggressive," he said.

"She said she sells lines frequently on the train, and there was nothing anybody could do about it."

Gardaí

Mike said he attempted to contact Gardaí, which further angered the woman.

"When I had the phone in my hand, she threatened to rip it off me and smash it and shove it in my face," he said.

"It wasn't pleasant, because [there was] an elderly lady beside me and I didn't want it to escalate into a violent situation.

"It was aggression, intimidation, in-your-face kind of thing ... a basic lack of manners and respect. Thuggery on the train."

Increased security

Irish Rail spokesperson Barry Kenny said collections of any kind for charity are not permitted onboard the train.

"We have increased security resources, we've doubled it in the last five years," he said. "We will be looking to increase security further."

Mr Kenny said there are a series of "rapid response hubs" around the country which connect Irish Rail with the Gardaí.

"If there is an issue that [is reported to] the customer service officer or they're aware of – that is threatening to the safety of other passengers – they can contact the Gardaí directly," he said.

In instances like Mike's, Mr Kenny recommends trying to seek out a customer service officer onboard the train.

"We have excellent support in terms of response at future stations," he said.

"It's a confined space and that's what amplifies it and causes upset."

Responses

Mr Kenny said CCTV cameras on the train allow Irish Rail to investigate instances on board and should be requested as soon as possible by victims who hope to report these cases.

"The CCTV overwrites after a couple of weeks so it is something that needs to be done," he said.

Irish Rail is currently recruiting to increase the number of customer service agents on board their trains, according to Mr Kenny.

"We track this closely and we look at where we have instances, where we have issues, and you are going to direct your resources [there]," he said.

"We will be increasing those forces."