'Drug use' at railway station leads to closure of men's toilet

Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) has said its decision to close the men’s toilet at Tullamore station was due to what it said was ongoing drug use.

A spokesperson for the company said the decision was taken to reduce the numbers of toilets available at the station due to "persistent drug use" in the station toilets. It added that the men’s toilet was located out on the platform and was therefore less protected.

“We have a ladies toilet and a disabled toilet, which men are also welcome to use at Tullamore Station. It should be noted that there are also toilets onboard all of our services,” added the Irish Rail spokesperson. They said the problem with drug use in the station has been an ongoing issue for some time.

The men's toilets have been closed since March 2020 and will not be reopened, the company said.

A bumper weekend of live events took place in Dublin last weekend including concerts by Taylor Swift and Shania Twain, the Longitude Festival, and the four All Ireland football quarter finals, which placed a heavy demand on public transport services and all trains from Tullamore to Dublin were fully booked out. Tullamore railway station has seen an increase in the number of people using its services in recent times.