The man with the mop didn't have to step around the crowds as he cleaned the deserted concourse at Heuston Station, Dublin, yesterday.
Staff outnumbered customers in the station, with just a handful of people waiting for the Waterford train. This was the only service still operating from the station yesterday as the unofficial action by train drivers continued.
The strike meant Lorraine and Chris Leddin had to get up at 4.30am to arrive in Dublin in time for a hospital appointment.
The couple from Templemore, Co Tipperary, had to drive to Kilkenny to catch the Waterford train to Dublin. "I'm nearly falling asleep here," said Mrs Leddin as she sat on the platform waiting for the train home after her 9.30am appointment at the arthritis clinic.
"If we missed this appointment, she would go to the back of the queue again," said her husband. They arrived at Heuston Station at 2pm for a 4.25pm train. "We were just too tired to walk around the city," Mrs Leddin said. "We'll sleep well tonight."
Patrick Satchwell knew nothing about the strike when he arrived at Heuston Station off the plane from England. He came home for a holiday to his native Castlerea, Co Roscommon, and had planned to take the Westport train. "It's dreadful really. There's a bus going from Bus Áras but it will be choc-a-bloc."
Over at Mullins sweet shop, Lyndsey Kane surveyed the empty platforms from her counter. "It's never been so quiet. I've never seen it like this before," she said.
A solitary booth remained open at the ticket office. "The majority of people just accept it [ the strike] and don't blame me," said the ticket seller. "They just walk away. But there's always a few. We had one lady here earlier and she was irate."
But Michael and Alice Parlon were taking it all in their stride. They were going to visit their daughter in Sweden and were able to take a bus, instead of the train, from Roscrea. "The bus was packed. We'd have more comfort on the train but we can't complain," said Mrs Parlon. "When you have all the time in the world it doesn't matter."
In Cork only three people turned up at Kent Station Cork yesterday at 7am with the expectation of getting the early train to Dublin following heavy media coverage of the strike.
Andrew Roche, Iarnród Éireann area business manager in Cork, said it was a very unusual working week for him as normally he spends his time trying to attract passengers to Kent Station whereas at the moment he was devoting his energy to informing them of the dispute.
Mr Roche yesterday advised prospective passengers to continue to monitor news reports or to check the Iarnród Éireann website (www.irishrail.ie) or information line on 1850-366222 before travelling to Kent Station with the hope of boarding a train.
A limited bus service was in place between Cork-Cobh and Cork-Mallow during peak times yesterday to accommodate rail passengers impacted by the strike.
Serious concern about the impact of the rail strike on tourism in the west was expressed yesterday by Ireland-West Tourism and Galway Chamber of Commerce. Mr Michael Coyle, the chamber's chief executive, said he hoped the issues could be resolved speedily and called on the Minister for Transport Martin Cullen to intervene. "A sudden action like this means that all the confidence built up in the service diminishes very rapidly," he said.
(Additional reporting by Lorna Siggins and Olivia Kelleher)
