Landslide derails train and closes commuter line
Tuesday November 17 2009
A passenger train was derailed after being hit by a landslide.
One carriage on the train, which was travelling from Arklow to Gorey, came off the tracks after being struck by the mud and debris at around 6am.
The landslide gushed underneath the train, after "extremely heavy rainfall over recent days" caused the landslide, according to Iarnrod Eireann.
The derailment follows the collapse of the Malahide viaduct on August 31 just minutes after two passenger trains had passed -- it cost €4.5m to repair.
No passengers were on board the Gorey train at the time and the driver was unhurt.
One source said: "With the motion of the train passing the land, it created a tremor and it derailed the carriage."
Iarnrod Eireann says the line will be closed for two weeks, and passengers will have to seek alternative transport.
A spokesman said: "It is estimated that the line will remain closed until Monday, November 30, while the embankment is strengthened."
The company says it will not be able to assess the cost of repairs until the mud is cleared.
It is understood the mud fell underneath the train and affected its mechanics.
Bus transfers will now be operating as an alternative to the train due to instability of the embankment at the railway line.
Furious
Meanwhile, locals are furious at the disruption to commuter services -- though they say it's lucky that no one was injured.
One told the Herald that the accident should have been avoided by keeping a check on the embankments close to the railway lines -- "We're now going to have to pay the costs."
hnews@herald.ie
- Geraldine Gittens
