[Article] Graffiti costing Iarnród Éireann up to €750,000 a year

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Full article http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/graffiti-costing-iarnr%C3%B3d-%C3%A9ireann-up-to-750-000-a-year-1.2353910

Iarnród Éireann is spending up to €750,000 a year on the removal of graffiti as artistic - and frequently less artistic - vandals target trains, buildings, bridges and tunnels across the rail network.

The company said a growing enthusiasm among spraypainters meant specially trained cleaning staff have to be deployed on a full time basis - with two operatives dedicated to cleaning graffiti from trains in Dublin’s Fairview depot alone.

devnull

Surely it would be cheaper to deploy security measures at depots than paying for the cost of train cleaning?

Captain Chaos

Well they leave sets out in the open for years on end, so they will get sprayed. Stored DART set 8523/24 has been out in the open at Fairview for around 2 years now. It gets sprayed almost every weekend, all it's cab windows are smashed at both ends and multiple windows within the set.

Perhaps if they actually ran the stored sets and added much needed capacity to 4 car trains at peak times and weekends they would not have to spend money cleaning stored trains as they would be out improving services and helping to increase revenue and not sitting in sidings for vandals to have fun with.

Del.Monte

I have been pursuing CIE/IE for years about this problem - the DART system in particular is a graffiti artist's playground. Private as well public property is under sustained attack because CIE/IE cannot or will not secure its property. It's Ireland and, as usual, nothing will be done.

n97 mini

I have sympathy for them. Graffiti is reaching epidemic proportions with some serious repeat offending. I'm sure lots of people have seen "kunt" all along the Maynooth line and beyond, and while IR have dealt with the worst of it, it's really the gardai that need to be rounding up these delinquents.

Jamie2k9

Security is the way to go, they would get 5 or 6 for that 250,000 pa. Why can't they just deploys the ones at stations who appear to have changed company again.

Chemical Byrne

Graffiti is a serious problem here. It's just another symptom of the Irish disregard and lack of respect for anything not directly owned by them. I just got back from Oslo and it is astounding how clean and well maintained everything is, railways included.
Coming from Oslo to the airport I noted that there was almost no graffiti and the cutting slopes weren't covered in fly-tipped rubbish as almost all of Irish railways are.
Arriving back into Dublin I came to see it for what it really is - dirty. Dirty looking buildings, dirty streets and even the people are dirty. Relative to Oslo, Dublin is a grimey sprawl inhabited by stunted inbreds!

Jamie2k9

Chemical Byrne wrote: »

Graffiti is a serious problem here. It's just another symptom of the Irish disregard and lack of respect for anything not directly owned by them. I just got back from Oslo and it is astounding how clean and well maintained everything is, railways included.
Coming from Oslo to the airport I noted that there was almost no graffiti and the cutting slopes weren't covered in fly-tipped rubbish as almost all of Irish railways are.
Arriving back into Dublin I came to see it for what it really is - dirty. Dirty looking buildings, dirty streets and even the people are dirty. Relative to Oslo, Dublin is a grimey sprawl inhabited by stunted inbreds!

The level here in Ireland is tiny and IE should be given credit where it's due and they removed it as soon as possible. Just travel through Europe and trains are completely destroyed with it and even line side it's much bigger issue.

As for comparing with Oslo we are talking about the a much more superior nations in terms of just about everything so not comparable while I suspect the cost of spay would set most back a packet with their prices.

Del.Monte

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

The level here in Ireland is tiny and IE should be given credit where it's due and they removed it as soon as possible. Just travel through Europe and trains are completely destroyed with it and even line side it's much bigger issue.

As for comparing with Oslo we are talking about the a much more superior nations in terms of just about everything so not comparable while I suspect the cost of spay would set most back a packet with their prices.

Whatever about the rolling stock side of things, the lineside situation is out of control on IE. Their lines are so badly patrolled that a myriad of private property is also being attacked from the railway - schools, private houses etc.

Captain Chaos

Captain Chaos wrote: »

Well they leave sets out in the open for years on end, so they will get sprayed. Stored DART set 8523/24 has been out in the open at Fairview for around 2 years now. It gets sprayed almost every weekend, all it's cab windows are smashed at both ends and multiple windows within the set.

Perhaps if they actually ran the stored sets and added much needed capacity to 4 car trains at peak times and weekends they would not have to spend money cleaning stored trains as they would be out improving services and helping to increase revenue and not sitting in sidings for vandals to have fun with.

Speaking of the above set, it looks like work on bringing it back into service began today. It has been moved to the north end of the depot and fitted with new bogies. Some windows have been replaced while others are still missing.







The other half of the set is inside the depot and it's paintwork is in a very bad way from all the graffiti removals it's been through.

MGWR

I have no problems with any effective measures to stand up to graffiti. The last thing I would want to do is ride any EMU or DMU that ends up looking like this:

StonyIron

I've been on trains in relatively rural parts of France where you couldn't even see out the windows due to graffiti.

Irish rail is actually relatively clean and tidy by any standards other than a few suburban spots.

The part of Irish Rail that looks hideous is mostly around DART and part of it is the architecture. Some of the older stations are lovely but a lot of the 1980s stuff is terrible.

T-K-O

Anyone been on a train in France or Belgium but Yeh this is an Irish problem.

Del.Monte

T-K-O wrote: »

Anyone been on a train in France or Belgium but Yeh this is an Irish problem.

Your point being?

T-K-O

Del.Monte wrote: »

Your point being?

This is a common problem. With the exception of nordic countries I've sen graffiti almost every time I am abroad.

What I find typically irish is the attempt to suggest that this is uniquely an Irish problem

Cities that have very aggressive anti-graffiti policies tend to find that the vandals give up and don't spray paint everywhere.
With frequent cleanups and high profile conviction of offenders and regular patrols of the areas frequently attacked, the problem tends to disappear.
The issue is that no one is willing to stump up to do this.

StonyIron

Cost benefit analysis kicks in.

In Paris for example the RATP and STIF and the SNCF can't keep up with the graffiti attacks. So they only clean the ugliest bits or anything on trains and signals.

The cost of removing it was just out weighing the benefits.

The only way to curb it is with very handed community service orders and a scrubbing brush!

Jail is pointless and counterproductive and fines can end up hurting someone else like a kid, spouse etc

4 weekends with a roller, scrubbing brush and overalls is far more effective!!

Chemical Byrne

Eh, no it's not. Rolling stock us falling to pieces, as are many stations and the whole system is in a generally unloved state.
I was in Oslo recently, that is somewhere that is well maintained. It's rail network is pristine, and there is no graffiti or rubbish and burnt out washing machines etc strewn all over cuttings and embankments.

The Nordics actually have some pride and respect for their surroundings. I was astounded by the cleanliness & quality of just about everything there!

StonyIron

Norway also has basically limitless public funds due to being a socialist, democratic version of an oil emirate.

Comparing with Sweden, Finland, Denmark is fair though.

I definitely wouldn't rate Irish public transport as particularly dirty though. It's much cleaner than most of Central Europe in my experience.

myshirt

The only piece of Graffiti that I was sad to see very swiftly removed was a piece that said 'Jesus Saves'

And underneath, 'Houghton scores on the rebound'

Chemical Byrne

Brilliant!!

Del.Monte

Chemical Byrne wrote: »

Brilliant!!

That's so old that it has hairs on it.

whisky_galore

StonyIron wrote: »

Cost benefit analysis kicks in.

In Paris for example the RATP and STIF and the SNCF can't keep up with the graffiti attacks. So they only clean the ugliest bits or anything on trains and signals.

Was struck by the amount of it around Paris. Just about every single piece of lineside hardware was scrawled illegibly upon. If you left so much as a broom handle out it would get 'tagged'.

Effects

Del.Monte wrote: »

I have been pursuing CIE/IE for years about this problem - the DART system in particular is a graffiti artist's playground. Private as well public property is under sustained attack because CIE/IE cannot or will not secure its property. It's Ireland and, as usual, nothing will be done.

That's just your typical Irish attitude, thinking it's only Ireland that has this problem.

Del.Monte

Effects wrote: »

That's just your typical Irish attitude, thinking it's only Ireland that has this problem.

I don't really understand your point, I live in Ireland that's why I'm concerned about Ireland. I'm sick to the back teeth of posters saying you should see how bad it is elsewhere - like this makes it alright for Ireland (Dublin in particular) to be turned into a ****hole.

T-K-O

Del.Monte wrote: »

I don't really understand your point, I live in Ireland that's why I'm concerned about Ireland. I'm sick to the back teeth of posters saying you should see how bad it is elsewhere - like this makes it alright for Ireland (Dublin in particular) to be turned into a ****hole.

What did you expect when you come out with 'It's Ireland and, as usual, nothing will be done'

Nobody wants to see graffiti but some of us know only too well, that this is a problem for just about every country with a rail system. An unwanted eyesore, yes. Unique problem to Ireland , absolutely not.

Not aimed directly at you... but I am sick to the back teeth of posters sayings, It's Ireland {insert negative B.S}