Malahide Media Coverage

[ThomasJ]

Irish Times
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0825/1224253195957.html



Inquiry focuses on seabed erosion

FRANK McDONALD and RONAN McGREEVY

EROSION OF the seabed under the Broadmeadow Estuary rail viaduct has been identified as the primary line of inquiry into its partial collapse, according to a preliminary assessment by Iarnród Éireann.

While not excluding other factors or possibilities, the investigation by engineers and other experts “centres on a recent and significant erosion of the seabed in the vicinity of the pier involved in [last] Friday evening’s incident”, the company said.

“It is believed that in a relatively short time-frame, possibly in recent weeks, a small breach occurred in a causeway plateau within the seabed. This would have resulted in changes to water flow, with increased water pressure on the area.

“Recent low tides, coupled with major rainfall on Wednesday, would have seen the volume and speed of water flowing out of the estuary increasing, causing water pressures to increase, with ultimately the forces of water pressure widening the breach quickly.

“The effect on the causeway plateau and seabed would ultimately result in the sudden and catastrophic undermining of the pier supports from below water level, resulting in the collapse of the pier on Friday evening,” Iarnród Éireann’s said.

The continuing investigation will examine “all other factors” relating to the viaduct, including tidal issues in Broadmeadow Estuary, rainfall and climatic issues as well as inspection of maintenance reports and procedures, with an input from all relevant personnel.

Iarnród Éireann said it would “immediately establish” an inspection team, assisted by independent advisers and overseen by a board committee, to inspect bridges and viaducts across areas of running water throughout the entire rail network.

Referring to last Tuesday’s inspection of the Broadmeadow viaduct by an engineer, it said this was “specifically a visual examination of the condition of the piers as visible above water, to ensure that any markings were cosmetic and not structural in nature”.

The inspection confirmed this, and Iarnród Éireann was “completely satisfied that the inspection was thorough, professional and accurate”. A track-monitoring vehicle had also travelled over the line last Thursday and no deviations from normal conditions were recorded.

The Broadmeadow viaduct’s last biannual inspection was carried out in October 2007 and the next such inspection was scheduled for October of this year. A separate inspection to assess water scouring and associated issues was carried out in 2006.

Iarnród Éireann said this inspection had been undertaken by independent specialists. “The outcome of this inspection was that no scour issues had arisen, and [it recommended] that the next scour inspection be scheduled for 2012.”

Labour Party transport spokesman Tommy Broughan TD called yesterday for a full review of Iarnród Éireann’s procedures for inspecting rail lines in the light of the collapse of the Broadmeadow viaduct.

The general manager of Translink, the Northern Ireland company which jointly runs the Belfast-Dublin Enterprise service along with Irish Rail, said yesterday he believed it would take up to six months for full services on the route to run again.

But Iarnród Éireann spokesman Barry Kenny said it was still sticking by its three-month time frame to replace the viaduct.

“At this point in time we would say six months is a bit pessimistic. It is our personnel that are on site and that is our own engineers’ best estimates – three months.”

He said the rail operator was pleased with the first day of operations yesterday where replacement bus services were put on routes affected by the collapse.

There will be one significant change from today. Direct buses will operate from Balbriggan to Dublin city centre. Yesterday people had to travel from Balbriggan to Skerries by train and then get a bus into Dublin.

[ThomasJ]

Independent
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/minister-orders-urgent-review-of-rail-bridges-over-water-1868289.html



By Paul Melia


Tuesday August 25 2009

TRANSPORT Minister Noel Dempsey has ordered Iarnrod Eireann to carry out an urgent safety review of all viaducts and bridges which run across open water on the rail network.

And the rail company last night revealed that a preliminary investigation had identified erosion of the seabed as a possible reason for the collapse of a 20-metre section of the railway viaduct near Malahide, which has left thousands of commuters without a train service.

Investigators are now focusing on "recent and significant erosion of the seabed" as inspections of the viaduct in 2006 and 2007 found that it was structurally sound.

Heavy rainfall, coupled with low tides, may have seen water pressure increase on the bridge, which could have then caused the collapse.

Pressure

"It is believed that in a relatively short time-frame, possibly in recent weeks, a small breach occurred in a causeway plateau within the seabed. This would have resulted in changes to water flow, with increased water pressure on the area," the company said.

"Recent low tides, coupled with major rainfall on Wednesday, would have seen the volume and speed of water flowing out of the estuary increasing, causing water pressures to increase, with, ultimately, the forces of water pressure widening the breach quickly. . . The effect on the causeway plateau and seabed would ultimately result in the sudden and catastrophic undermining of the pier supports from below water level, resulting in the collapse of the pier on Friday evening."

Thousands of commuters are facing disruption for at least the next three months, with services to Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush, Drogheda and intercity services to Belfast affected.

Iarnrod Eireann's investigation will also examine tidal issues in the estuary, rainfall and climatic issues and inspection and maintenance procedures, and last night it said it would undertake a "detailed inspection" of bridges and viaducts across areas of running water.

This comes after Mr Dempsey ordered the review last Friday. A spokeswoman said the minister wanted the review completed as quickly as possible.

An Iarnrod Eireann board committee is to be established to oversee the investigation, and will retain independent advisers to assist. The company confirmed the viaduct was inspected twice last week, and that it stood over the quality of those inspections.

A full bridge inspection was also carried out in October 2007, with the next scheduled inspection in October this year.

Independent engineers also inspected the viaduct for scour -- or structural damage caused by water erosion -- in 2006 and no issues were raised

The next scour inspection is scheduled for 2012.

Last night Labour's transport spokesman Tommy Broughan called for a full review of the inspection regime, saying that if the bridge passed two inspections last week than there was something wrong with the system.

Investigations

There are now three separate investigations under way. The Rail Accident Investigation Unit is charged with establishing the cause of the incident, but it does not attribute blame or liability.

Iarnrod Eireann is conducting a separate inquiry, while the Railway Safety Commission will investigate if safety standards were complied with in relation to maintenance and inspection schedules.

Over €1.1bn has been spent upgrading the rail network under two railway safety programmes over the past decade.

- Paul Melia

[ThomasJ]

Belfast Telegraph
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/when-will-belfast-to-dublin-train-services-be-back-on-track-14467100.html



When will Belfast to Dublin train services be back on track?

Three-month timescale for repairs to collapsed viaduct is labelled ‘optimistic’... it could be more like 11 months

Tuesday, 25 August 2009



There have been calls for a definite time frame on how long it will take to repair the main Belfast to Dublin railway line following its collapse at the weekend.


Thousands of Ulster passengers face delays in their daily commute to the Irish capital after a viaduct collapsed into the Broadmeadow estuary near Malahide on Friday evening.

Irish rail authorities have said it could take around three months to repair the damage and get services back to normal, but there has been speculation that it could take as long as 11 months.

Wendy Blundell, from the Institute of Civil Engineers, described the collapse as “serious”.

“Probably three months is optimistic at this stage,” she said. “An inspection will take some time and then the remedial work is to take place. It depends if further damage has happened to the bridge and any of the other spans.

“I would have thought three months is fairly optimistic, and will probably take a bit longer than that.”

The first Monday-morning commuter passengers were faced with delays of up to 30 minutes yesterday as they were bussed between Drogheda and Dublin.

With thousands of Northern Ireland travellers using the service every week, there have been calls for greater clarity over when the service will be available again.

“Passengers who use the Enterprise Service need confirmation on how long it will take for the bridge to be repaired and services to return to normal,” said Aodhan O’Donnell, head of transport at the Consumer Council.

“This is particularly important for those who buy multi-journey tickets in advance.

“The collapse of the railway bridge near Malahide is an extraordinary situation and we are thankful that there were no injuries or deaths as a result.

“However, there is no doubt that it will cause severe disruption for passengers and commuters who rely on the Enterprise service to travel to and from Dublin.”

Meanwhile, there was further travel misery for one trainload of passengers to Dublin yesterday morning after the Enterprise service broke down en route to the Republic.

Around 100 commuters were left temporarily stranded at Lisburn after the 8am service to Dublin broke down.

Translink blamed a “mechanical failure” for the breakdown, which added a delay of around 45 minutes to the journey. The passengers aboard the train were transferred to another train to continue their journey, which departed from Lisburn shortly after 9am.

Passengers on a return service to Belfast also found themselves waiting at Drogheda for around 45 minutes last night following a delay in the bus connection from Dublin.

Translink have said that services to Dublin generally can expect a 20 to 30-minute delay on average in passengers' journey times.

In Dublin last night, Irish Transport Minister Noel Dempsey ordered Iarnrod Eireann to carry out an urgent safety review of all viaducts and bridges which run across open water on the Republic’s rail network.

And the rail company last night revealed that a preliminary investigation had identified erosion of the seabed as a possible reason for the collapse of a 20-metre section of the railway viaduct near Malahide.

Investigators are now focusing on “recent and significant erosion of the sea-bed” as inspections of the viaduct in 2006 and 2007 found it was structurally sound.

Heavy rainfall, coupled with low tides, could have seen water pressure increase on the bridge which could have caused the collapse.

“It is believed that in a relatively short time frame, possibly in recent weeks, that a small breach occurred in a causeway plateau within the seabed. This would have resulted in changes to water flow, with increased water pressure on the area,” the company said.

“Recent low tides, coupled with major rainfall on Wednesday, would have seen the volume and speed of water flowing out of the estuary increasing, causing water pressures to increase, with ultimately the forces of water pressure widening the breach quickly.

“The effect on the causeway plateau and sea bed would ultimately result in the sudden and catastrophic undermining of the pier supports from below water level, resulting in the collapse of the pier on Friday evening.”

Thousands of commuters are facing disruption for at least the next three months, with services to Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush, Drogheda and intercity services to Belfast affected.

Iarnrod Eireann's investigation will also examine tidal issues in the estuary, rainfall and climatic issues and inspection and maintenance procedures.

The company confirmed the viaduct was inspected twice last week, and that it stood over those inspections. A full bridge inspection was also carried out in October 2007, with the next scheduled inspection for October.

[ThomasJ]

Analysis from Frank Mc Donald for Irish Times

Irish Times
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0824/1224253138336.html



ANALYSIS: The collapse of a troublesome viaduct has created a logistical nightmare for Iarnród Éireann, writes FRANK McDONALD, Environment Editor.

THE VIADUCT over Broadmeadow Estuary has given trouble since it was first built by the Dublin and Drogheda Railway in 1844, mainly due to tidal scouring of its support piers. Indeed, the first structure – made entirely of timber – had to be replaced by wrought iron superstructure on stone piers as early as 1860.

As engineer Niall Torpey recounted in the Irish Railway Record Society’s journal, the superstructure had to be strengthened to carry heavier locomotives on the Dublin-Belfast line in 1932. The stone piers also needed regular attention because of Broadmeadow’s tidal scouring and were repointed in the 1960s.

“Finally, following the observed deterioration in the wrought iron in this marine environment, it was further replaced in the period 1966-1968 with the current prestressed concrete structure”, Mr Torpey wrote. Since then, no further major works were carried out on the viaduct, which is 180m (594ft) long.

In 1998, as Fine Gael transport spokesman Fergus O’Dowd recalled yesterday, International Risk Management Services (IRMS) identified sections of the viaduct as being among the most unsafe stretches of rail track in the country, assigning it a 60 per cent security risk on a scale where 5 per cent is “best practice”.

The IRMS report led to a major improvement in railway standards, including relaying track on precast concrete rather than wooden sleepers. Two follow-up reports, also by IRMS, in 2001 and 2003 monitored the progress on what Barry Kenny, spokesman for Iarnród Éireann, called “this massive investment programme”.

In 2003, the derailment of a freight train hauling cement wagons from Limerick Junction to Rosslare caused a section of the Cahir viaduct in Co Tipperary to collapse. But there was a major difference between that accident and the one that took place near Malahide on Friday, in that none of the Cahir bridge piers crumbled.

An investigation by the Railway Safety Commission of the Cahir derailment found “serious deficiencies” in Iarnród Éireann’s management of its infrastructure, and concluded that these critical shortcomings in the company’s inspection and maintenance regime “were principally responsible for the accident”.

According to Mr Kenny, every bridge on the rail network is thoroughly inspected at two-yearly intervals. The inspection of the Broadmeadow viaduct that was carried out last Tuesday – just three days before the collapse – was clearly not in this category; it was a purely visual inspection of the bridge deck and its support piers.

The Broadmeadow viaduct has 11 piers, one of which collapsed, bringing two of the deck spans with it.

The last full inspection of the structure was carried out in 2006, Mr Kenny said, and it paid particular attention to the effects of tidal scouring.

“No scouring issues were found at that time,” he told The Irish Times.

Local sources, say tides in the estuary were up to 4.5m (15ft high, which is stronger than usual. High tide was at about 1pm and low tide was shortly after the collapse at about 6pm.

A team of railway engineers, supported by divers, is now examining the viaduct’s stability to determine what needs to be done.

“We have to assess whether there is damage to the remaining sections of the viaduct,” Mr Kenny said. “The view at the moment would be to replace the damaged section with a single span, strengthening the adjacent piers to carry it.” However, he conceded that complete replacement cannot be ruled out.

It took 11 months to repair the damage to the Cahir viaduct, even though none of its piers needed to be replaced. The line it serves is one of the most underused in the rail network, with just two passenger trains a day, whereas the line severed by the latest viaduct collapse carried 10,000 passengers a day in each direction.

“If the whole viaduct is going to have to be rebuilt, it could be massive undertaking,” one railway engineering source said. “If one of the piers collapsed, there is a danger of this happening with others, because of the difficult conditions you encounter in a tidal environment with a lot of scouring of these structures over the years.”

Iarnród Éireann is fortunate that the collapse happened during the evening peak period, with no loss of life. Had it occurred at night, the company would now be faced with a severe logistical problem as nearly all of the suburban commuter trains are housed in the new maintenance depot at Drogheda station.

“We have 44 carriages there that can’t now be used on the rest of the network,” Mr Kenny said. “That’s 44 out of a total of 180, so it means that other services can be met” – on the Maynooth, Kildare and Gorey lines. Two of the four Belfast Enterprise trains were north of Malahide, which means they can be run to and from Drogheda.

As for the cost, Iarnród Éireann is certain to lose revenue from passenger fares as well as having to pay for replacement bus services. The physical work of repairing the damage will be considerable – a lot more than the €3 million bill that had to be met from reinstating the viaduct over the river Suir at Cahir.

[Mark Gleeson]

Irish Times Editorial

Keeping track of the railways

Inquiry focuses on seabed erosion | 25/08/2009

THE COLLAPSE of the rail viaduct over Broadmeadow estuary in north Co Dublin last Friday evening might have been a disaster, causing significant loss of life. A commuter train had just passed over it minutes earlier and another would have followed but for the alertness of driver, Keith Farrelly, who raised the alarm when he noticed the bridge starting to collapse as his train was crossing it.

That is how close we came to a real human tragedy on Irish railways. Amazingly, it transpired that the 180 metre-long viaduct had been inspected just three days beforehand and no evidence of any defect was reported to Iarnród Éireann. Yet after one of its support piers had crumbled, the State railway company was able to say there was “little doubt” that tidal scouring was a factor in the incident.

Rail Users Ireland spokesman Mark Gleeson rightly suggested that what happened raises serious questions about the maintenance and inspection regime on Ireland’s rail network – and not for the first time. After the derailment of a cement train caused the partial collapse of the Cahir viaduct in Co Tipperary, the Railway Safety Commission found “serious deficiencies” in Iarnród Éireann’s management of its infrastructure, and concluded in its 2006 report that these critical shortcomings in the company’s inspection and maintenance regime “were principally responsible for the accident”. The number of passengers carried on the line that runs through Cahir from Limerick Junction to Rosslare is minuscule compared to the 20,000 passengers per day using Dublin’s northern commuter line or the Belfast Enterprise express.

All of these rail users are now suffering great inconvenience as a result of the line being severed, with an estimated 30 minutes added to their journey times by transferring to replacement buses; some have reverted to using cars, thus adding to traffic congestion in the morning and evening peak periods. And this disruption to people’s lives is likely to continue for at least three months, and probably a lot longer, depending on whether a decision is made merely to repair the missing section of the viaduct or to replace the entire structure. Given that all of the remaining 10 piers standing in Broadmeadow estuary are subject to the same tidal scouring as the one that crumbled on Friday last, complete replacement might be the preferable long-term solution. Clearly, however, a project of such magnitude cannot be completed in a few months.

What all of this highlights is that, however good we may be at building things, we are woeful at maintaining them. Railway bridges are the most vulnerable sections of any rail network and, as Mark Gleeson said, “it is essential that all bridges are inspected nationwide to ensure no critical faults have been overlooked”. Although strapped for cash due to Government cutbacks – which, ironically, might include closure of the Limerick Junction-Rosslare line, as recommended by the McCarthy report –Iarnród Éireann must embark on a systematic programme of bridge inspections. A cursory glance is not enough if lives are to be saved.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2009/0825/1224253192428.html

[Mark Gleeson]

James in the Independent
Commute 'a little slower' but real test still to come

IT was with a guarded optimism that James Shields reached his desk in the IFSC yesterday morning after a slightly later than usual journey from his home in Drogheda.

While the financial services professional experienced a relatively hassle-free journey into work on a coach supplied by Iarnrod Eireann, he is sceptical about how straightforward his journeys into work will be over the next three months.

Mr Shields usually leaves his home at 8.05am to cycle to Drogheda station where he picks up the 8.20am Belfast to Dublin Enterprise service, which means that he is sitting at his desk just after 9am.

Yesterday was the first day that he had to tackle the alternative arrangements following the collapse of the railway viaduct at Malahide which saw him catch a bus from the station at 8.30am and arrive in Dublin at 9.30am.

"I admit that I was expecting it to be worse than it was. I don't know whether it will be as good for all of the three months but we will have to wait and see," said Mr Shields, who is originally from the capital.

When he moved to Drogheda, one of the main reasons for picking the town was the good rail service on which he travels using a €1,600 annual ticket.

"The morning was surprisingly uneventful. The bus was from Drogheda station and came in through the port tunnel and there was a little bit of delay getting out of Drogheda with roadworks and a little bit of traffic around Swords," he said.

Test

"It wasn't too bad. I don't know whether that was a fluke. When the schools go back next week will be the real test."

Mr Shields' home time varies depending on the number of hours he has worked on a particular day.

He left his office yesterday evening at 7pm, arriving in Drogheda at 8pm. After his cycle home he arrived at his house at 8.10pm.

"I quite often get the Enterprise at 7pm but this evening, I got the bus at 7pm and arrived in Drogheda at 8pm. It is a little slower than the train but with all things considered, I can't complain. It normally takes 40 minutes on the Enterprise so 20 minutes was added to my journey.

"The first day hasn't affected me too much. It is a little bit of extra time travelling. If it goes as smoothly as today for the next few weeks, I won't be too worried," he said.

Mr Shields' hours are flexible but he said to ensure he meets the hours required, he "might have to look at getting an earlier bus to be in work on time".

"There are plenty of buses available this week but I am concerned about availability next week when the schools are back," he added.

- Shane Hickey

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/commute-a-little-slower-but-real-test-still-to-come-1868292.html

[Mark Hennessy]

Once again, more shocking safety implications as IE were told of the change in water flows

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2009/0826/1224253270336.html


IARNRÓD ÉIREANN was warned about possible damage to one of the piers supporting the Broadmeadow Estuary rail viaduct five days before it collapsed.

One of the leaders of Malahide Sea Scouts in north Dublin contacted the company to report what he perceived to be erosion damage, along with a recent change in water flow in the estuary. “This wasn’t something that happened overnight,” said one of his colleagues, who did not wish to be identified. “We had noticed a massive change in the water flow over the past two months, with a third of it going through one of the arches that collapsed.”

...

The breach had happened weeks ago and “wasn’t noticed” by railway inspectors. “This wasn’t an ‘act of God’, as Iarnród Éireann seem to be suggesting, but something that was going on over a period of two months, and yet they took no action on it – that’s incompetence”.


http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/images/2009/0826/1224253266101_1.jpg

[irishsaint]

yeah, read that in the it today..... what a disgrace. heads have to roll for that. Clearly and obviously there is serious incompetence in Irish Rails ability which stems from the TOP because if the men on the ground are not instructed to execute a full inspection including underwater analysis of the support structure after recieving details from people who are in an around the viaduct daily and relying on the water levels and flow.
If and it does, look like to people familiar with the viaduct noticed what appeared to them as errosion, the viaduct should have been put out of immediate use until a full inspection had been completed.
Irish Rail had put lives at risk which includes mine as I used the viaduct twice a day.

[tigger1962]

I agree, speaking as someone who used to paddle under the "arches" in malahide, I can quite clearly see that the bed layout and flow of the current is different from times I paddled there.....I was a bit taken aback by that photo! Irish Rail should have sent someone to do further checks on the sea bed! Many of the Sea Scout leaders are highly professional paddlers and well used to reading water flow changes.

[losexpectation]

I agree, speaking as someone who used to paddle under the "arches" in malahide, I can quite clearly see that the bed layout and flow of the current is different from times I paddled there.....I was a bit taken aback by that photo! Irish Rail should have sent someone to do further checks on the sea bed! Many of the Sea Scout leaders are highly professional paddlers and well used to reading water flow changes.

whats different what should it look like?

[irishsaint]

whats different what should it look like?

I dont know but I assume it should not look like a grand canyon rapid:confused:

[Colm Moore]

whats different what should it look like?
I'm not sure if that really matters to us. It is the relatively sudden change that is the problem, not that it looks this way or that.

[ThomasJ]

From Breaking News




Collapsed rail bridge faced October inspection

A railway viaduct which collapsed into the sea was due to undergo a full bridge inspection in October, it emerged tonight.

Iarnród Éireann revealed the Malahide estuary crossing was scheduled to have its biennial assessment this autumn.

However the firm confirmed engineer divers only examine underwater structures every six years and the Broadmeadow Estuary Rail viaduct was not expected to be seen again until 2012.

A 20 metre section of the bridge, which carries more than 90 trains a day, fell into the sea on Friday moments after rush hour commuter services carrying hundreds of passengers passed over it.

Train driver Keith Farrelly averted tragedy when he spotted subsidence on the track and all services were suspended.

Iarnród Éireann confirmed a member of the public raised concerns at markings on piers on the Malahide Viaduct and over erosion to the piers four days before the incident.

Spokesman Barry Kenny maintained the firm responded promptly to the call from sea scout leader Ivan Barratt by having an engineer inspect the viaduct and its piers the following day.

“This assessment identified that there were no visible structural issues, and that all markings were cosmetic,” said Mr Kenny.

“We are satisfied that this is accurate, and that the markings identified were unrelated to Friday’s collapse.”

Mr Kenny said a track recording vehicle which travelled the line on Thursday - the day before the collapse – did not detect any deviations in the line either.

However Mr Barratt, who takes scouts canoeing up to three times a week on the estuary, claims he had noticed worsening erosion over a period of several months.

An initial Iarnród Éireann inquiry has found seabed erosion, caused by recent low tides and heavy rains, is suspected of being behind the collapse of the busy railway viaduct.

“It is believed that in a relatively short time-frame, possibly in recent weeks, that a small breach occurred in a causeway plateau within the seabed. This would have resulted in changes to water flow, with increased water pressure on the area,” added Mr Kenny.

Inspection and maintenance reports and procedures and climate factors will all be examined by Iarnród Éireann as part of its ongoing probe, he added.

Fine Gael said it was unacceptable an underwater examination of the railway infrastructure and surrounding seabed was not carried out when the concerns were highlighted.

Fergus O’Dowd TD called on Iarnród Éireann to publish its safety management system which was in place to monitor the Malahide estuary railway infrastructure.

“The public also needs to know how quickly normal service can be resumed,” he added.

Labour’s Tommy Broughan said the Department of Transport’s Rail Investigation Unit should also fully investigate the sequence of events including the phonecall made by a concerned member of the public.

“The reported warnings prior to the bridge’s collapse from a senior Malahide Sea Scout leader raise profound questions over the safety and inspection procedures that are currently in place at Irish Rail,” he added.

Elsewhere a special group has been set up to help minimise the disruption caused by the cancellation of rail services to deal with extra vehicles on the road and assist public transport providers.



There is a programme I enjoy watching "air crash investigation". In one of the episodes, where volcanic ash got into the engine all of the other engines as well also stopped. One of the implementations from this incident was that the aviation industry and geologists work together to ensure they are aware of the threat if it happens.

In my opinion, the people who are out there every day are more experts than these engineer divers because they see this area day in day out, not every 6 years! Thats why they spotted this problem and not IE days ago. If anything can be learned from this is that these people should be communicated with and they can show where the problem lies. By IE working with the local groups who use this stretch they may forsee this problem in future and deal with it promptly.

By doing a proper check they would have still cause untold chaos with the northern line but at least they wouldn't have had everyone from the government down questioning how they maintain their infrastructure. Fact is we have untold chaos and everywhere you look in the media you see that mess of a bridge!

Hopefully they will also examine how to sort this bridge out not just rebuilt and strengthen it. Maybe its time to have a look at how other countries deal with this problem.

[tigger1962]

that rapid never existed at that level of tide, the level used be at the rocks at each side of the current rapid and there would only be a trickle of water, not enough to paddle unless the tide was at a good level. That photo shows a nice fast and looks deep too.. I might have a few old photos or have friends who have photos of it before hand as a comparison.

[tigger1962]

as a ps... here is a description from playak.com it shoudl give you an idea of the changes based on the levels of watervisible in the photo.

This is a great series of tidal waves, especially in the summer when there is no water on the rivers. It consists of 12 arches in a railway embankment seperating the Broadmeadow river estuary from the sea. Depending on the tides the water either flows into or out of the estuary. When flowing into the estuary the water forms a series of green waves which are good for surfing but not particularly retentive. At very high tides watch out for good broken waves staight behind the main waves. Numbering the arches starting from one nearest Malahide, numbers 3 and 9 are generally the best, but these rapids are different everytime you go. It is only usually worth going when the tide height is above 4 metres. A tide above 4.4 provides some superb potential. Aim to be at the arches about two hours BEFORE high tide. The flow is best about an hour or two before high tide. There are no real dangers as the site is relatively safe. When the tide is going out, the arches are completely different. They then consist of small rock drops with some small stoppers. These are all pretty tame but be very careful as they are extremely rocky and there are a few bits of metal left from old wrecks, hence, capsizing here is unadvisable. The drops are best an hour or two before low tide but never have that much play potential.

[ThomasJ]

Drogheda Independent
http://www.drogheda-independent.ie/news/mathews-coaches-lay-on-extra-services-1869821.html

LOCAL firm Mathews Coaches has laid on extra services for commuters affected by the disrupted rail services following the collapse of a section of the railway line at Malahide last week.

' We have additional capacity on all our morning services to Dublin and the evening services home,' said Paddy Mathews.

The company has put extra coaches on the morning services which run every half hour from 6am to 9am and again for the return journey departing dublin from 3.30pm to 7.30pm.

And while Paddy reports a lot of enquiries from commuters, he says that many people have yearly tickets which they bought from Iarnrod Eireann for which they can't get refunds.

' There is a lot of interest in our service and it's certainly better than driving,' he said, pointing out that the direct service from Dundalk to Dublin takes just an hour and ten minutes, with the one which goes via Drogheda taking an hour and a half.

'The schools will be back next week so there will be a lot more traffic on the road.'

He also revealed that there has been an increase in the number of students intending to commute to college in Dublin instead of seeking accommodation in the city.

'It's much cheaper for students to commute and with the downturn in the economy we are seeing a big uptake in the number of students buying tickets for the new term.

All our buses are wi-fi enabled and once you have a ticket, you are guaranteed a seat,' he pointed out.

Commuting by bus is a particularly viable option for students attending colleges on Dublin's northside such as DCU, St Pat's, and Marino College.

' We even have students going to Maynooth as they can get a train from Drumcondra,' he said.

- Margaret RODDY

[tigger1962]

Matthews run a good service and they do annual tickets if your company will deal with them. The only issue is they go to parnell st which means a walk for southside users. We were told by the drivers yesterday that they will be running extra services via the port tunnel to the ifsc from monday!!

[ThomasJ]

Independent
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/railway-safety-scandal-1871896.html

By Paul Melia


Friday August 28 2009

CRITICAL railway safety checks have not been carried out for the past three years because the watchdog does not have enough staff.

And Irish Rail admitted last night that its inspection regime -- covering more than 1,200 bridges -- would need to be reviewed after one of the busiest rail lines in the country collapsed into the sea last week.

The Railway Safety Commission (RSC) has revealed that it was too busy approving new rail projects to carry out planned safety checks, and it was only able to recruit its full complement of safety inspectors this year.

The RSC is charged with ensuring Irish Rail and other operators perform to the highest safety standards, but last night it emerged that just half the necessary staff were in place to cope with the huge workload of checking safety systems.

And it emerged:


The RSC had warned about a lack of inspectors since it began operations in 2006.
It said this "lack of resources" prevented it from "devoting the time we would wish" to safety checks.
It had just four inspectors responsible for almost 2,000km of rail line and hundreds of bridges until this year.
Only in 2009 could it recruit an additional three inspectors, bringing the total employed to seven.

The Broadmeadow viaduct, which runs over open water in north Dublin, collapsed into the sea last Friday despite being passed as safe following two inspections by Irish Rail engineers.

The company last night stood by its inspection regime, defending a decision to pass the structure as safe despite being told by the Malahide Sea Scouts that one of the supporting piers was damaged.

It has also emerged that the pier that collapsed, causing the viaduct to fall into the water, will not be rebuilt. Instead, engineers will strengthen the line.

But serious questions have been raised over how a supposedly 'safe' bridge could fall into the sea after two inspections.

There are also concerns about safety on the network, especially as the Railway Safety Programme was extended from five to seven years in an effort to reduce costs in last year's Budget.

Ensuring that bridges, viaducts, rail lines, level crossings and all other pieces of rail infrastructure are safe is a key plank of the RSC's brief.

Last year, it also approved 57 infrastructure projects, ranging from construction of new bridges to approval of Luas extensions, which led to it postponing inspections.

"The number of railway projects that required RSC approval meant that we were able to commit less time to performance auditing and monitoring than we would have wished," it warned in its 2008 report.

"A safety management system is only as effective as its implementation. Assessing the railway undertakings' safety case compliance is an essential part of the RSC's work but lack of resources has, in the past, prevented us devoting the time we would wish to this task."

Fine Gael's Transport spokesman Fergus O'Dowd said that the Railway Safety Programme had seen its funding cut, and that there was a "lack of accountability" in relation to the Broadmeadow inquiry.

"They're the regulator of the industry and the guarantor of safety on the trains. I would be very concerned," he said.

Under the Railway Safety Act 2005, Irish Rail is required to commission an independent audit of its safety management system every four years. The next audit is scheduled for 2010.

It will consider if inspections of the Broadmeadow viaduct were regular enough, and if an underwater survey of the pier should have been conducted.

Irish Rail and the RSC are also expected to appear before the Dail Transport Committee next month to answer questions about safety.

- Paul Melia

[tigger1962]

not nice :(
A STARK warning that the entire viaduct north of Malahide may have to be replaced, resulting in years of disruption to Dundalk commuters, emerged yesterday ( Tuesday)

Louth County Councillor Mark Dearey revealed the 'very worrying possibility' had been gleaned from former Green Party leader, Trevor Sargent.

'He uses the Northern rail line several times a day, and has been keeping in close contact with engineers who are investigating the collapse of the bridge at the Broadmeadow Estuary.'

The Minister of State had contacted Cllr Dearey yesterday to relay the 'worst possible scenario' that had emerged. 'Engineers are saying that if their initial assessment is correct that sea bed erosion led to the partial collapse of the viaduct then there is a strong possibility that other areas of the viaduct have been compromised,' said Cllr Dearey.

'If this is true, we are talking about years of disruption, and it doesn't bear thinking about the severe impact this will have on the local economy in Louth and across the North East.'

He added that as the viaduct was built in 1844, 'The day may have come when we are looking at the need for it to be re-built.'

Iarnrod Eireann stated on Monday evening that erosion of the seabed under the rail viaduct has been identified as the primary line of inquiry into its partial collapse.

Investigating engineers have learned that over recent weeks a small breach occurred in a causeway plateau within the seabed, which would have resulted in changes to water flow, with increased water pressure on the area.

'Engineers are now assessing if there is degradation in other areas of the viaduct, and if there is, we will urgently need to look at the long term contingency plans for the DundalkDrogheda-Dublin commuter network.'

- Olivia RYAN

[ThomasJ]

thats a serious possibilty but there are reports now that iarnrod eireann plan on using a temporary bridge to transport drogheda/dundalk (could be in place in 3 months...) while they work on the problem

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2009/0828/1224253398969.htmlDisruption of Dublin rail route

Madam, – To state that “however good we may be at building things, we are woeful at maintaining them” (Editorial, August 25th) casts an unwarranted slur on the professionalism of generations of railway engineers who have maintained the Irish railway system in safe and serviceable working order for 150 years, surviving wars, recessions and the occasional re-structuring.

To echo the call of blogger Mark Gleeson of Rail Users Ireland for “a systematic programme of bridge inspections” misses one important point – there always has been a systematic two-year maximum interval bridge inspection on Irish railways.

Indeed, there may well be two parallel-running programmes in place – the traditional divisional engineer / assistant divisional / chief inspector inspection culture and the newer consultant-designed top-down ISO9000-compliant model favoured by the Railway Safety Commission.

This is perhaps the most dangerous condition – the traditional culture out of favour and the new culture not yet in place.

The maintenance of the permanent way (track, bridges etc) is and always has been a core-activity of the civil engineering department. It is a boots-on-the-ground activity, often done under severe time-pressure on busier road-inaccessible lines, experienced eyes constantly looking for anomalies, signs of damage, structural distress, physical deterioration. Not a consultant in sight.

Perhaps senior engineers are spending too little time on permanent way inspection and too much time on vanity-projects such as, pace my Western cousins, the Western Corridor “line to nowhere”.

The Malahide viaduct failure demands a reckoning. The tide has been ebbing and flowing through the spans of this viaduct for more than a century and it’s incomprehensible that every mood of that tidal flow hasn’t been observed and logged over all these years. – Yours, etc,

MICHAEL GILL,
(Chief Civil Engineer CIÉ, 1966-1970),
Milltown Grove,
Milltown, Dublin 14.

[Mark Gleeson]

Repairs begin on Malahide viaduct
ELAINE EDWARDS
Iarnród Éireann has begun work to facilitate the reconstruction of the Malahide viaduct, which partially collapsed last Friday evening just moments after a train had passed across it.

The company said it had today commenced bringing rock on site to rebuild the eroded weir, which is believed to have been “a significant factor in the collapse”.

The rebuilding of the weir will fill the breach which is believed to have undermined the collapsed pier and will “normalise” water flows and protect other adjacent piers, Iarnrod Eireann said.

It said the work would also protect the estuary environment, ensuring that normal water levels and flows are maintained and sustaining the estuary eco-system. This work will then permit the reconstruction proper to proceed.

“This will include piling for platforms for the crane required for the reconstruction work; works on adjacent piers to strengthen these and provide a ‘seat’ for new beams and installation of the beams across the two spans, to be supported by the strengthened piers.

Iarnród Éireann said the estimated timescale for the reconstruction was unchanged at three months.

The team dealing with the assessment and reconstruction of the viaduct is being assisted and advised by independent experts Eamon McKeogh, Professor of Hydraulics at UCC, and Dr Eric Farrell of the Geotechnical Department at TCD.

Iarnród Éireann was warned by a member of Malahide Sea Scouts about possible damage to one of the piers supporting the viaduct five days before it collapsed.

On foot of that warning, Iarnród Éireann carried out an inspection of the viaduct on the following day.

The company said today a committee has been established to oversee the investigation into the collapse of the 20-metre section of the viaduct. It will be chaired by board member Phil Gaffney, a former managing director of MTR, which operates the Hong Kong Metro.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0828/breaking49.htm

[ThomasJ]

Independent
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/rail-chiefs-lack-safety-plan-for-fall-off-bridge-1875154.html

By Shane Phelan


Wednesday September 02 2009

THE Irish rail safety watchdog has said there are no specific safety features to deal with the evacuation of passengers should a train become submerged in water.

The admission was made by the Railway Safety Commission in a letter written in the aftermath of the collapse of the Broadmeadow viaduct in north Co Dublin last month.

Commissioner John Welsby said that while Iarnrod Eireann's rail carriages were built to the best international design and construction practice, "there are no specific standards or safety features pertaining to derailment on a viaduct or evacuation following submersion".

The disclosure has prompted concern given that there are 84 bridges and viaducts running over open water in the country.

While trains are equipped with automatic door releases and hammers to break window glass, there are no specific European guidelines on what passengers should do in the event of a train going under water.

Fine Gael transport spokesman Fergus O'Dowd said the lack of guidelines was troubling. "Nobody would have expected a train to end up in water, but it almost happened but for the vigilance of a train driver," said Mr O'Dowd.

"I think we need a specific strategy for dealing with this eventuality, and at the minimum basic advice on what passengers should do and should not do if it does happen."

The Commuter North Rail Users Group has also complained that carriages do not carry advice on what passengers should do in the event of a derailment into water.

Iarnrod Eireann defended the design of its trains, stating they were all built in accordance with the most stringent international safety standards.

Derailment

Spokesman Barry Kenny said it was hard to be too definitive on what specific actions should be taken in the event of a derailment into water.

"Our emergency procedures have to allow for all possible situations. If you over-prescribe, you may arrive at a situation where the prescribed course of action may not be the safest," he said. "Generally remaining on the train is the safest place to be, but every situation is different."

The Railway Safety Commission said it was not responsible for developing the safety standards it enforces. It said that role fell to the European Rail Agency, which sets the standards that apply to rolling stock in EU member states.

The latest disclosure comes just days after the Irish Independent revealed how critical railway safety checks have not been carried out for the past three years because the watchdog does not have enough staff.

- Shane Phelan

[Mark Gleeson]

Curiously there does actually exist a guide http://www.rsc.ie/uploads/rsc/RSC-G-013-A,_Third_Party_Guidance_on_Railway_Risk_-_Volume_4_Passengers.pdf

Drivers are under instruction not to stop on viaducts or inside tunnels but to continue clear if a urgent need to stop arises

[roamling]

Curiously there does actually exist a guide http://www.rsc.ie/uploads/rsc/RSC-G-013-A,_Third_Party_Guidance_on_Railway_Risk_-_Volume_4_Passengers.pdf

Drivers are under instruction not to stop on viaducts or inside tunnels but to continue clear if a urgent need to stop arises

The article talkes about the scenario when the train actually becomes submerged in water, in that case there are no evacuation details outlined in the guideline.

[Mark Gleeson]

But the article talkes about the scenario when the train actually becomes submerged in water, in that case there are no evacuation details outlined in the guideline.

There is no advice for the train being on its side either. The instructions are generic and will be applicable in all emergency situations. The majority of people given the glass hammer will not be able to break the window, while those who have read the guide will do it in one swift blow

[DangerM]

There is no advice for the train being on its side either. The instructions are generic and will be applicable in all emergency situations. The majority of people given the glass hammer will not be able to break the window, while those who have read the guide will do it in one swift blow

Is that not the most ridiculous thing ever? Why supply a hammer without instructions on how to use it, absolutely crazy, from reading the document all is needed is a one liner - aim for the corner!

[Mark Gleeson]

The on train notices now clearly show striking the corner, unfortunately the human instinct is to aim for the centre

If you end up upside down, read this http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/square/ca14/ALYCIDON%20RAIL/INFORMED%20SOURCES%20ARCHIVE/INF%20SRCS%202002/Informed%20Sources%2009%202002.htm

[James Shields]

One thing I notice travelling on UK trains is the amount of safety notices they display, almost to the point of making wonder is the train so dangerous that it needs so much safety information. Seriously, every carriage seems to have multiple notices advising you of evacuation routes, what to do under various scenarios, advice on the locations and use of the safety equipment.

It's possible that the UK go a little overboard, but that's surely better than the almost total lack of instruction IE have.

[DangerM]

The on train notices now clearly show striking the corner, unfortunately the human instinct is to aim for the centre

Have to disagree, I'm on the train now beside an emergency window with a hammer and it doesn't state that anywhere.

[Mark Gleeson]

DART I was on had a very clear notice and clearly showed the hammer striking the corner of the window

There are evacuation notices as well in most of the fleet

[ThomasJ]

DART I was on had a very clear notice and clearly showed the hammer striking the corner of the window

There are evacuation notices as well in most of the fleet

Correct of if im wrong mark but arent the notices you are referring to confined to the upgraded DARTS and the new intercity railcars.

I have never seen these notices on the 29ks and quiet often i an beside the door.

[Mark Gleeson]

Mk2d, Mk3 and Mk4 have/had them as well

The latest notices are glow in the dark as well!

Ladies and gentlemen, Iarnród Éireann welcomes you on board. This is the xx:xx service from a to b calling at c, d and e. Your attention is drawn to the safety and evacuation notices. This is non smoking service. We thank you for your attention and hope you have a pleasant and comfortable journey

[ThomasJ]

Ladies and gentlemen, Iarnród Éireann welcomes you on board. This is the xx:xx service from a to b calling at c, d and e. Your attention is drawn to the safety and evacuation notices. This is non smoking service. We thank you for your attention and hope you have a pleasant and comfortable journey

Given that the majority of commuter services that cross the malahide viaduct are commuter railcars (2600s, 2800s and 29ks) passengers wouldn't have heard that announcement or seen proper safety and evacuation notices.

[Colm Moore]

http://www.tribune.ie/news/article/2009/aug/30/troubled-waters-at-irish-rail/Troubled waters at Irish Rail
Ken Griffin and Mark Hilliard

MANAGERS at Iarnród Éireann blocked the appointment of a safety director for over a decade because of the concerns the new post would dilute their responsibilities, it has emerged.

Although the appointment had been recommended by independent safety consultants IRMS in 1998, it was only made earlier this year.

According to a recent Department of Transport review, the delay came about because Iarnród Éireann "decided that the post was unnecessary" as "it would dilute accountability for the [safety] programme among [its] senior management team".

Even now, the manager only controls project expenditure and safety reporting, rather than the wide-ranging oversight role envisaged by IRMS.

Fine Gael's transport spokesman Fergus O'Dowd said the situation was a disgrace and the safety manager needed to be given the full range of powers envisaged for the role.

"Safety transcends everything: it needs to be separate from other functions and interests but it seems that Iarnród Éireann's managers want to play cabbage-patch politics rather than ensure passenger safety," he said.

The state railway company's safety procedures have come under intense scrutiny following the recent collapse of the Broadmeadow viaduct on the Dublin-Belfast railway line.

The Department of Transport review also reveals the company's management have either abandoned or postponed other safety measures, including a confidential safety reporting scheme for staff.

The system was scrapped by Iarnród Éireann in 2007 because the rail operator felt that its "staff safety representatives and open culture" rendered it unnecessary.

These conclusions were challenged by the review's authors who said Iarnród Éireann should reinstate the system to "ensure that key safety concerns are not filtered out or diluted as they are passed up through the organisation".

Commuter representatives have also expressed concern about the scrapping of the system with Mark Gleeson of Rail Users Ireland alleging there was a culture of fear within the company.

"Even with the confidential reporting scheme, staff were concerned that they would be traced by management and that disciplinary action would be taken against them," he said.

Meanwhile, Irish Rail has confirmed that while technology is in existence to continually monitor the stability of bridges, it is not employed in Ireland.

The extent of such technology's use across Europe is unclear, but it is understood the systems would provide early warning mechanisms in the event of subsidence or other movement of bridge structures.

Irish Rail confirmed all such safety systems will form part of the ongoing review of operations in relation to the viaduct collapse.

A spokesman said: "Technology does exist to monitor bridge structures although it does not appear to be widely used in European railways.

"Obviously all safety systems will be examined as part of the investigation. However, it is unlikely, given the emerging evidence of the nature of this collapse, that such a system would have given any advance warning."

The technology in question is similar to that used by Irish Rail to monitor the Dart line during the construction of the Port Tunnel.

August 30, 2009

[ThomasJ]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0909/rail.html

Rail bridge may be repaired by November
Wednesday, 9 September 2009 13:23
Members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport have inspected the scene of the railway bridge collapse in Malahide.

The Committee members were briefed by Iarnród Éireann officials, including company chairman John Lynch, about progress in the re-building of the bridge at Broadmeadow estuary.

Iarnród Éireann says they expect to complete the re-construction of the bridge, which collapsed last month, in November.

A company spokesperson said that its inquiry into the incident will take six months to complete.

Transport Committee member and Fine Gael Spokesperson on Transport Fergus O'Dowd says he wants independent verification that the work being conducted on the bridge is to the highest possible standard.

[Mark Gleeson]

A lot of people are going to look really stupid claiming 11 months....

I put 3 months as the timescale on the day afterwards. Once they are open by December 8th they will have delivered a miracle. Obviously the huge daily financial cost is a big motivating factor

[tigger1962]

well i is delighted by that, I was talking to a civil engineer on the enterprise one day and he said from what he saw he figured it would be 18 months. November is much nicer.

I'll miss the morning bus as i was getting in quicker... but i won't miss the afternoon rush :) then it'll be back to normal wondering if the incoming enterprise has problems again :rolleyes:

[tigger1962]

the irish times has an article stating the same but my web access is a bit flaky at the moment! states there was 4m of water at time of collapse?

[ThomasJ]

Tragedy avoided in rail collapse
RONAN McGREEVY

Hundreds of people could have drowned if a train had been on the Malahide viaduct when it collapsed, members of the Oireachtas were told today.

Three politicians were given a tour of the reconstruction of the viaduct which collapsed just after a train ran over it on the evening of August 20th.

The driver of the train called ahead and another train that was due to go over it stopped at Howth Junction just before it was due to go over the estuary.

Fine Gael transport spokesman Fergus O’Dowd said he was disturbed to be told by Iarnród Éireann engineers that the loss of life could have been catastrophic as there was four metres of water in the estuary at the time.

“I am very concerned that there would have been major loss of life, were it not for the quick actions of the train driver,” he said.

“I’m very concerned about the safety regime. The first time that a engineer walked across that bridge was two years ago apart from the day of the complaint (a complaint made by Malahide Sea Scouts on the Monday before the collapse).

“It showed Iarnród Éireann had serious concerns. They didn’t get it right. The thing collapsed.”

Another member of the Oireachtas Transport Committee, Senator John Ellis, its former chairman, and local TD Darragh O’Brien also visited the viaduct.

Mr O’Brien said: “We are all blessed that we are not dealing with a major tragedy. All of us Oireachtas members realise that. We are happy and the public should be happy with the safety regime put in place post the reconstruction of the bridge.”

The chairman of CIE John Lynch and other Iarnród Éireann officials are due to appear in front of the transport committee next week to answer questions about the incident.

The politicians were also told that the reconstruction was on schedule and the line would reopen at the end of November.

Original plans not to re-build the fourth pier, the one that collapsed, and instead replacing with a span between piers three and four, have been scrapped in favour of rebuilding it.

Hundreds of tonnes of rock have been placed on a four metre road along the base of the viaduct to facilitate heavy machinery. Pipes have been put in to ensure a normal flow of water through the Broadmeadow Estuary.

The weir underneath the piers is currently being repaired. A crack in allowed the water flow to be disturbed which, in turn, undermined the pier that eventually collapsed.

Piles as deep as 20 to 30 metres will be driven to support the rebuilt pier and the other piers will be strengthened.

Mr Ellis said he was reassured about the future safety of the Dublin-Belfast line, but the possibility that heavy rain during the summer could have been a factor in the viaduct’s collapse was cause for concern elsewhere.

“It does pose questions for other authorities such as the NRA and local authorities with regards to bridges. They are going to have to be dealt with as soon as possible,” he said.



http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0909/breaking62.htm

[Mark Gleeson]

the irish times has an article stating the same but my web access is a bit flaky at the moment! states there was 4m of water at time of collapse?

Can confirm it was close to high tide at the time, that said the depth of water on the weir itself was nothing close to that, beyond the weir it varies starting at 2m

[Colm Moore]

the irish times has an article stating the same but my web access is a bit flaky at the moment! states there was 4m of water at time of collapse?I'm not sure if this is correct. Perhaps its a mis-statement of there being a 4m tidal range that day.

Mr Ellis said he was reassured about the future safety of the Dublin-Belfast line, but the possibility that heavy rain during the summer could have been a factor in the viaduct’s collapse was cause for concern elsewhere.When you have thousands of cubic metres of water in the tidal flow every few hours, a "little" rain doesn't do a whole lot. Rain is not an issue for this viaduct, although it be have for others.

[Colm Moore]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0909/rail.htmlRail bridge may be repaired by November
listen Wednesday, 9 September 2009 15:23

Members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport have inspected the scene of the railway bridge collapse in Malahide.

The Committee members were briefed by Iarnród Éireann officials, including company chairman John Lynch, about progress in the re-building of the bridge at Broadmeadow estuary.

Iarnród Éireann says they expect to complete the re-construction of the bridge, which collapsed last month, in November.
Advertisement

A company spokesperson said that its inquiry into the incident will take six months to complete.

Transport Committee member and Fine Gael Spokesperson on Transport Fergus O'Dowd says he wants independent verification that the work being conducted on the bridge is to the highest possible standard.

[roamling]

Independent, Thursday September 10 2009

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/collapsed-rail-line-on-target-to-reopen-in-two-months-1882404.html



By Fergus Black

Thursday September 10 2009

WORK on the €4m reconstruction of the rail link which collapsed into the sea is on target and expected to be completed by the end of October.

Irish Rail hopes to have the line back in use by the end of November, which is good news for thousands of commuters forced on to buses following last month's collapse of the rail viaduct over the Broadmeadow Estuary in Malahide, north Co Dublin.

Work to restore the rail link involves a number of major parallel projects. Engineers have begun filling the breach in the causeway that is believed to have undermined one of the piers supporting the viaduct and leading to the collapse.

The damaged pier is being reconstructed and 10 other piers that support the viaduct are being strengthened while substantial repair works to the weir beneath the bridge are being carried out to protect the estuary environment.

But the investigation into the cause of the near disaster will take six months to complete and will also include the inspection of 84 bridges that cross open water.

The company also revealed yesterday that changes in safety inspections to rail lines would be considered as part of the major investigation into the collapse. While current inspections meet international standards, the type of inspections and how often they are carried out will be reconsidered.

Irish Rail also confirmed yesterday that the restored line at Malahide would be continuously monitored above and below the waterline while the investigation continued.

Clad in hard hats, high visibility clothing, lifejackets and wellington boots, members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport joined senior Irish Rail officials at the scene of the near calamity that could have sent rail carriages and hundreds of passengers plummeting into four metres of water.

As they looked at the yawning gap where the rail link collapsed, committee TDs Fergus O'Dowd and Darragh O'Brien and Senator John Ellis were briefed by rail officials, including company chairman John Lynch and chief civil engineer Eamonn Balance.

The visit came ahead of a hearing next week when officials from Irish Rail, the Rail Safety Commission and the Department of Transport will be quizzed on the incident and future safety measures.

Five days before the collapse, a group of Sea Scouts raised concerns about erosion to the piers holding up the rail line and the following day an engineer inspected the viaduct, finding no visible structural problems.

Two days later, a track monitoring vehicle travelled over the line and found the railway was operating as designed. It was on August 21 that an alert train driver raised the alarm and the line was shut down.

Defending rail inspection standards, Irish Rail chairman John Lynch described the collapse as a "unique situation" and said even had an engineer walked the bridge every day, he would not have found problems beneath the waterline.

Inspections

Under current regulations, bridge structural inspections take place every two years with below-the-waterline inspections once every six years while lines are "walked" three times a week.

- Fergus Black

[roamling]

Independent, Thursday September 10 2009

[QUOTE]Defending rail inspection standards, Irish Rail chairman John Lynch described the collapse as a "unique situation" and said even had an engineer walked the bridge every day, he would not have found problems beneath the waterline.

... that is why the bridge should have been inspected more detailed after the change of sea flow was reported.

[Mark]

[QUOTE=roamling;49312]Independent, Thursday September 10 2009



... that is why the bridge should have been inspected more detailed after the change of sea flow was reported.

Eh, the problem was underneath the bridge Mr. Lynch..

[losexpectation]

they still seem to be refusing to acknowledge lack of action to check the weir, you guys should be nailing them down on that.

[roamling]

http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/national-news/cie-chief-to-be-quizzed-about-rail-viaduct-collapse-1887332.html



Wednesday September 16 2009

The chairman of CIE is due to be questioned about the collapse of the rail viaduct in the Malahide area of Dublin when he appears before the Oireachtas Transport Committee today.

Disaster was narrowly avoided when a 20-metre section of the bridge collapsed last month shortly after a passing train driver noticed subsidence around the rail line.

It later emerged that concerned locals had reported a possible problem with erosion to Iarnrod Eireann.

An inspection was carried out, but it failed to notice that one of the support piers was in danger of collapse.

Officials from the Rail Safety Committee, the Department of Transport and the Rail Accident Investigation Unit are also due to appear before today's meeting.

[roamling]

and a first glimpse whats going on in the hearing... at least somebody is asking the right questions...

Irish Times, September 16, 2009, 13:06

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0916/breaking38.htm

Irish Rail accused over bridge collapse

Senior Irish Rail executives were today accused of playing with thousands of people's lives by not closing a busy rail line when safety concerns were raised five days prior to its collapse.

Labour Party transport spokesman Tommy Broughan said countless lives could have been lost when a bridge on the cross-border Dublin-Belfast rail line crumbled into the sea near Malahide last month.

Mr Broughan told TDs and Senators that a member of the public had flagged up concerns about one of the piers supporting the bridge to Irish Rail less than a week before the collapse.

“We could have been attending funerals for weeks. This could have been one of the most horrendous events in the history of our country,” Mr Broughan said.

“Why didn’t you stop the trains on August 17th?” He added: “Why did you take a chance on August 17th?

But Iarnród Éireann chief executive Richard Fearn said the complaint was taken seriously and a structural engineer was sent to examine the scene.

“We did not take a chance, we reacted properly and professionally and when we got further information that there were no immediate risk but there were issues that needed to be looked at we sent a structural engineer to do an assessment,” Mr Fearn said.

[roamling]

“We did not take a chance, we reacted properly and professionally and when we got further information that there were no immediate risk but there were issues that needed to be looked at we sent a structural engineer to do an assessment,” Mr Fearn said.

PS: on a personal note - I was on the last train northbound before the bridge collapsed and I have no symphathy for the all the excuses Irish Rail has for an answer to all this.

[Mark Gleeson]

Like it or not, the full safety requirements where discharged by Irish Rail. The bridge was inspected in line with rail industry standards, all the inspections where in date (which is something that would not have been the case in the past). Put simply same viaduct in identical conditions in any well maintained rail network would have met the same fate.

Where the problem lies is in the unique construction of the Malahide viaduct, there are no foundations under the bridge, its built on a pile of rubble effectively and the whole show works on nothing more basic than gravity.

The current presumed nature of the collapse is such that the rubble underneath the pier was pullled out by the water flow from the collapsed weir, until a point where gravity led the pier to fall over and the bridge collapses.

Structurally an inspection even at 6pm on that Friday would have been unlikely to find anything amiss, I've seen a high res photo of the bridge taken at 6:10pm and there isn't a hint of anything wrong, the bridge looked fine. Only an underwater inspection would have revealed the problem, even then it would have been too late, the bridge would collapse in time.

The failure was as a result of Irish Rail not understanding the relationship between the weir, the waterflow and the viaducts construction. Its classic accident territory not putting together all the pieces. Someone somewhere failed to identify the critical nature of the weir

Most of all, finger pointing gets no one to work or home

[Mark Hennessy]

Most of all, finger pointing gets no one to work or home

Hang on, someone paid handsomely to be RESPONSIBLE for safety and inspections needs to be help RESPONSIBLE.

Heads need to roll, the lack of accountability across every aspect of Irish Rail needs to be challenged and if a calamity of this scale fails to hold anyone in Irish Rail accountable, then what the hell do they have to wrong to be actually held RESPONSIBLE?

[Mark Gleeson]

Problem is the system won't let anyone hang since all the rules where complied with, the safety standards are as good as anywhere else in Europe, but still it went wrong. Had the inspections been out of date, you wouldn't have many senior staff left, if this had happened 10 years ago you would have been lucky to find a record of a bridge inspection and even luckier to find one which was in date.

Irish Rail goofed up since they failed to recognise the special characterisitcs of the Malahide viaduct, they seemed to understand the weir back in the 1960's but forgot about it up until now. Its classic accident stuff, not understanding the entire context

[roamling]

I think we have a right to highlight failures in scrutiny and pre-emptive measures to make 100% sure that the structure was safe. I feel deeply worried about the fact that people were put to risk because of a lack of full understanding of the interaction of water flows, viaduct constructions etc. The idea of an underwater inspection of a bridge structure that has been reported as possibly critical does not even require a fundamental understanding of the full context of these issues, it requires just a bit a common sense to make sure all aspects of the inspection have been ticked (and a bridge does not stop at the water level). It would have been a different case if the bridge had just collapsed without warning, but in this case there was a chance to prevent it and that is the point I want to highlight. There needs to be accountability within Irish Rail for these failures.

[roamling]

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/rail-bosses-deny-putting-lives-at-risk-1888764.html

Independent September 17 2009

Rail bosses deny putting lives at risk

By Fergus Black

Thursday September 17 2009

IRISH Rail chiefs have vowed to put a new safety inspection regime in place in the wake of the catastrophic collapse of a bridge on a busy rail line.

The company yesterday attempted to defend its safety procedures after being accused of "taking a chance" with the lives of hundreds of passengers.

It promised a new safety inspection regime in the wake of the collapse, which happened minutes before a train packed with 1,100 passengers was due to cross the Malahide viaduct outside Dublin.

Irish Rail chairman John Lynch admitted the company's reputation had been damaged by the accident and that the event had "shaken" officials.

But he denied they had taken a chance with safety procedures.

He revealed that once the major investigation into the collapse was completed, and now that they knew what they knew about the accident, he was certain that the regime of inspections -- which currently involve two-year structural examinations and underwater inspections every six years -- would change.

He was commenting as members of the Joint Committee on Transport angrily accused the company and the Rail Safety Commission of failing to do their jobs in the lead up to the Broadmeadow viaduct collapse on August 21.

Vigilance

The busy line is expected to be re-opened by late November.

The rail company was also criticised for failing to carry out an underwater inspection of the viaduct after a member of the public raised concerns days before the accident.

Labour's transport spokes- man Tommy Broughan said that, but for the grace of God and the vigilance of alert train driver Keith Farrelly, hundreds of people could have died.

- Fergus Black

[ACustomer]

There is too much grandstanding and playing blame-game going on here.

The politicians should be told that until the Railway Safety Authority has reported, they should exercise more restraint in what they say. It's pathetic how they play to the gallery. Some of the individuals have made extremely vindictive comments about people in other contexts and I would not trust them an inch.

Why does there have to be such an atmosphere of witch-hunt about this? Loking for someone to hang, or fire or whatever? There may well be a reason to fire someone, but we will have to wait for the RSA report before we can pass such a judgement. There is even the possibility that this was a very freak one-off, which no-one could reasonaby foresee without the benefit of that marvellous gift: hindsight.

Look at the aviation industry, which is surely the leader in good safety oversight. The emphasis in accident and indcident enquiries in aviation is to learn lessons that prevent future accidents. Whether anyone gets sacked or disciplined might of course happen, but the main emphasis is on finding the truth and learning lessons for the future.

[ccos]

The emphasis in accident and indcident enquiries in aviation is to learn lessons that prevent future accidents. Whether anyone gets sacked or disciplined might of course happen, but the main emphasis is on finding the truth and learning lessons for the future.

Correct. Only when the investigation follows a "no blame culture" will anyone get to the root cause of any incident, thereby enabling new checks and balances to be put in place to prevent a repitition. When the nature of an enquiry is to find a scapegoat; mouths quickly close, memories become patchy and the guy who doesn't have teflon shoulders takes the bullet.

[Prof_Vanderjuice]

The Transport Committee transcripts are here: http://debates.oireachtas.ie/DDebate.aspx?F=TRJ20090916.xml&Node=H3&Page=1 (Moderators please move if this fits better into another thread.)

[roamling]

The Transport Committee transcripts are here: http://debates.oireachtas.ie/DDebate.aspx?F=TRJ20090916.xml&Node=H3&Page=1 (Moderators please move if this fits better into another thread.)

Thanks for the link! Valuable information to read.

[Mark Gleeson]

As a previous poster has pointed out, there is far too much point scoring going on by some of our public representitives

The line of questioning at the joint committee was useless, no new information what so ever surfaced and indeed many of the questions where based on flawed information

The RAIU guy played it by the book, investigation ongoing, we will publish a report, we will do so as quickly as possible

Who do Irish Rail send out but Kenny, Lynch and Fearn, no sign of the chief engineer or safety officer.

There is no question that something went wrong and in hindsight it should never have happened.

[tigger1962]

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/collapsed-rail-line-to-reopen-next-month-1914128.html

[Mark Gleeson]

There is a bridge again, the collasped pier is back and there is a new deck bridging the gap.

There is more of the deck to go in and from there the track and signalling equipment has to be restored.

There are works ongoing on the other piers and the weir as well.

The line could be open within the next few weeks, well inside the 3 month target

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishrail.ie/news_centre/news.asp?action=view&news_id=541
Malahide Viaduct on schedule for November reopening by Corporate Communications

Iarnród Éireann has said that excellent progress is being made in the reinstatement of the Malahide Viaduct, with the line on schedule to be reopened, with full services resuming, before the end of November at the very latest.

Already, major phases of the works are well advanced, including:

- the reinstatement of the weir, the erosion of which lead to the Viaduct accident, is well advanced

- the 4th pier has been reinstated, with new pre-stressed concrete beams now being placed into position: these will shortly be topped with the concrete bridge deck, which is in situ

- reinforcement of the other piers on the Viaduct through piling is underway

When structural work is complete, the track infrastructure will then be reinstated to allow for resumption of rail services.

The company very much looks forward to the resumption of full Northern line commuter and Belfast Enterprise services before the end of November.

The project has taken advantage of expert opinion throughout, in the areas of hydraulics and environmental issues, soil mechanics, and scour prevention, and designs have been independently assessed by consulting engineers, and the Railway Safety Commission.

The Malahide Viaduct accident occurred on the evening of Friday 21st August, when sea-bed erosion caused the 4th pier on the viaduct to collapse.

Iarnród Éireann’s investigation into the accident is continuing, as is that of the Rail Accident Investigation Unit of the Department of Transport.

Alternative services have operated since the accident for commuters who use the line. Full details are available here. http://www.irishrail.ie/news_centre/travel_alerts.asp?action=view&news_id=501

Iarnród Éireann thanks customers for the patience they have shown and their cooperation with the alternative services, and apologises for the major disruption to rail services during this time.

[Mark Hennessy]

That's pretty impressive to get the thing completed within 3 months.

I would have been in the very skeptical camp (i'm not an engineer) as things never seem to get delivered on time in this country.

Now if only the country weren't bankrupt and the price of 30 odd Interconnectors weren't being spent on NAMA, then we could set these lads straight to work after the viaduct is complete.

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1026/1224257457201.html

Rail line to reopen just under three months after Malahide viaduct collapse
TIM O'BRIEN

IARNRÓD ÉIREANN intends to reopen its northern line across the Malahide viaduct on November 16th, pending approval by the Railway Safety Commission, the company has said.

In a statement, the company said work was well advanced on the reconstruction of the viaduct and services are on schedule to resume by Monday, November 16th. Train services have been disrupted since a section of the viaduct collapsed on August 21st.

A spokesman said the full timetable on the Dublin to Belfast line would resume next month after almost three months of bus transfers between stations along the route.

Iarnród Éireann has spent more than €4 million rebuilding a weir which had collapsed and reinstituting a pillar on which the viaduct stands. Reinforcement to other pillars was also carried out, and the works have also included replacement of the bridge.

An Iarnród Éireann spokesman expressed satisfaction that despite some initial estimates that the work could take up to a year, passenger disruption will have been kept to a minimum, and the line will reopen within three months of the incident.

He added that work was in its final stages and, providing that it passes the necessary safety assessments, the full normal schedule will resume in three weeks.

Separate investigations into the collapse by Iarnród Éireann and the Railway Safety Commission are ongoing.

A commission spokeswoman said it was “working closely with Iarnród Éireann” on the rebuilding of the bridge, and added: “While we do not yet have all the evidence necessary to provide formal approval for passenger service, it appears from the meetings and discussions held that Iarnród Éireann are moving in the right direction to meet their reconstruction programme.”

The commission is required to carry out safety tests of all new rail infrastructure. However, it is not required to carry out routine safety testing, which a spokeswoman said was a matter for the system operator.

Iarnród Éireann had assessed the Malahide viaduct just four days before the collapse, and no remedial action which might have prevented the collapse of the bridge was carried out.

Fine Gael transport spokesman Fergus O’Dowd said catastrophic loss of life could have occurred, as there was four metres of water in the estuary at the time.

Labour Party transport spokesman Tommy Broughan TD said the viaduct collapse “could have been one of the most horrendous events in the history of our country”, with hundreds of lives lost, and “we could have been attending funerals for weeks”.

Iarnród Éireann said its inspection regime for bridges on the rail network will change following the Railway Safety Commission’s investigation into the collapse.

PHOTO: Repair works under way at the Malahide viaduct at Broadmeadow Estuary, Dublin. A spokesman said the full scheduled services on the Dublin to Belfast line will resume next month after almost three months of bus transfers between stations along the route.
Photograph: Matt Kavanagh (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/images/2009/1026/1224257457201_1.jpg)

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/1024/breaking20.htm
Train services across the Malahide viaduct on the Dublin-Belfast rail line will be restored in the middle of next month, Iarnród Éireann has announced.

There has been significant distruption to the Northern commuter and Belfast Enterprise services after a 20-metre section of the viaduct collapsed across Broadmeadow estuary, north of Malahide station on Friday August 21st.

The collapse occurred just minutes after a train full of passengers had passed over the viaduct.

In a statement on its website today, Iarnród Éireann said it was pleased to inform customers that work was “well advanced” on the reconstruction of the viaduct, and said ervices were on schedule to resume by Monday November 16th.

It again apologised for the “severe inconvenience” caused to customers.

Up to 20,000 rail journeys a day, split evenly in and out of the city centre, have been replaced by road transport since the viaduct collapsed. Dublin Bus has put extra services on routes from towns in north Dublin affected by the disruption to the rail service.

Iarnród Éireann has worked around the clock and spent over €4 million repairing the pier that collapsed, rebuilding the weir upon which the viaduct stands, reinforcing the other piers and replacing the bridge.

At the time of the collapse, some estimates suggested the repair work could take up to a year.

Separate investigations by Iarnród Éireann and the Railway Safety Commission are continuing.

Additional reporting: PA

[roamling]

Fingal Independent, Nov. 04 2009

http://www.fingal-independent.ie/news/passengers-safety-has-been-paramount-in-repairs-1932009.html


Passengers safety has been paramount in repairs
RAILWAY LINE OVER VIADUCT TO REOPEN ON NOVEMBER 16TH

Wednesday November 04 2009

THE safety of passengers has been 'paramount' in preparing the railway line over Malahide Viaduct for reopening on November 16th.

Iarnród Eireann have confirmed that is the date when the line which collapsed into the estuary this summer, will reopen for rail passengers. Deputy Darragh O'Brien TD (FF), has held a recent meeting with Department of Transport officials on the matter where he said that the safety of passengers had to be the 'number one priority' in preparing the line for its relaunch.

Deputy O'Brien said: 'I have raised this very point at every meeting that I have had with Iarnród Eireann and the Department of Transport.

'I have been absolutely assured that the works are being carried out to the highest specification, with safety being the paramount consideration.' Deputy O'Brien also revealed that the reports into the collapse of the viaduct from Iarnród Eireann and the Rail Safety Authority will be made public.

The deputy said: 'I have called for, and I am glad that it has been agreed to, that the reports of the viaduct collapse from Iarnród Eireann and the Rail Safety Authority be made public for all to see.

'Very important lessons in relation to the inspection regime need to be learned. It is only a miracle that we were all not dealing with a catastrophic tragedy.'

Deputy O'Brien said the period that the railway line was inoperable has given rise to a lot of direct city bus routes using the port tunnel from Fingal towns like Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk. The TD believes a demand for these kind of services has been proven and that as many as possible should be retained even after the railway line reopens. Deputy O'Brien said: 'The Port Tunnel is one of the finest pieces of infrastructure in the country and it is not getting used enough.'

He said: 'I would also like to see the retention of the school bus service from many of our towns. For example the direct bus from Donabate to Malahide and Portmarnock Community Schools.'

Deputy O'Brien said: 'I recently met with the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey and separately with the Chairman of CIE, Mr John Lynch, and have formally called for the retention of these services.

'As I have stated previously every cloud has a silver lining. The retention of these buses is one part of this.'

- John MANNING

Interesting enough maintaining the bus corridor is mentioned. As I pointed out before there is interest among previous train users to get the bus if available. Last week households in Lusk also recieved a flyer where a local FF TD asked for responses about the prefered options of travel. There might be more to come.

[Colm Moore]

He said: 'I would also like to see the retention of the school bus service from many of our towns. For example the direct bus from Donabate to Malahide and Portmarnock Community Schools.'By train is a fraction of the distance, although presumably the bus is point to point. The (slightly expensive) solution is a second station for Malahide.

[Colm Moore]

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/bridge-not-inspected-in-week-up--to-collapse-1925944.html Bridge not inspected in week up to collapse
By Paul Melia

Wednesday October 28 2009

ENGINEERS did not inspect the Malahide viaduct the week before it collapsed into the sea despite thrice-weekly inspections being required.

Although Iarnrod Eireann had said that inspectors walked the line at least three times a week, yesterday senior management admitted that the track had not been inspected in the 10 days leading up to the near-fatal accident.

On August 21 last, a section of the northern line on the Broadmeadow viaduct in north Dublin collapsed into the sea just moments after a packed train passed over it.

The company said it had been assessed just four days before the collapse and that the bridge was found to be safe.

But yesterday chief executive Dick Fearn told the Dail Transport Committee that while a visual inspection by specially-trained staff had not taken place, a track inspection machine had examined the line the day before.

Responding to a question by Fine Gael transport spokesman Fergus O'Dowd if the line had been walked on Monday, Wednesday and Friday as required, Mr Fearn said the information that it had been was based on the "best available knowledge".

"The actual walking of the line by the track patrolman was done 10 days prior to the accident," he said. "We gave that knowledge (that it was walked days before the accident) at the time, based on the patrolman's roster.

Accident

"What we did confirm, and has been further confirmed, was the automatic track recording vehicle did the line one day before (the accident on August 21). We know the track had no role in this accident. Had the track been walked, the patrolman would not have noticed anything."

He added that the internal inquiry into the collapse was "well under way" and that the Iarnrod Eireann board would be briefed today on its progress.

Mr O'Dowd said the explanation was "utterly unacceptable" and that the three inquiries into the viaduct's collapse -- one by Iarnrod Eireann, another by the Railway Safety Commission and the third by the Rail Accident Investigation Unit -- should be held in public.

- Paul Melia

Irish Independent

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1112/1224258659936.htmlRail services to resume across Malahide viaduct from Monday
GENEVIEVE CARBERY

IARNRÓD ÉIREANN is to reopen the viaduct at Malahide, Co Dublin, and resume normal commuter services on Monday, it has confirmed.

Northern commuter and Belfast Enterprise services have been disrupted for almost three months since a section of the viaduct collapsed on August 21st.

In a statement yesterday, the company said major physical works had been completed and that test trains would operate on the line until Sunday.

Iarnród Éireann has spent more than €4 million rebuilding a weir which had collapsed and reinstituting a pillar on which the viaduct stands. Reinforcement to other pillars was also carried out and the works have also included replacement of the bridge and track.

The final details will be reviewed by the Railway Safety Commission tomorrow for approval. However, the works have already been examined by independent structural engineers and the commission.

For at least two weeks, speed will be restricted to 25km/h, to be raised to 50km/h for another fortnight and finally to normal speed of 90km/h. The company said this was normal on all new tracks and would not affect service reliability.

The 5.40am train from Dundalk to Pearse Station will be the first passenger service to use the reopened line as full rail services resume. Iarnród Éireann has warned that replacement bus services will not operate and that strengthened routes 33XC and 33D will be scaled back.

The company has apologised to customers for the disruption and thanked them for their patience.

The collapse was caused by erosion of the weir at sea-bed level which undermined the support of one pier, Iarnród Éireann said. The investigation into the cause of the incident was continuing and would be concluded early next year.

Iarnród Éireann had assessed the Malahide viaduct just four days before the collapse and no remedial action was carried out.

Iarnród Éireann said its inspection regime for bridges on the rail network would change following the Railway Safety Commission’s investigation into the collapse.

[Mark Gleeson]

IT got its kph and mph confused

Irish Rail still work with mph, speed limits will be 25mph, 50mph and 90mph. Not to do with the bridge really, the track takes time to settle

[roamling]

Independent, Sunday November 15 2009

http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/national-news/commuters-to-stay-with-the-bus-1944151.html



Hundreds of north Dublin commuters will continue travelling by bus instead of train despite the Malahide viaduct reopening, it has been claimed.

Bus chiefs agreed to keep the 33X and 33D replacement services operating after disgruntled rail passengers said they found them quicker and less crowded.

Dublin Bus said the routes would be kept going for the next two weeks and scaled down gradually, but they could become permanent.

Fianna Fail Dublin North TD Michael Kennedy, who campaigned for the continuation of the replacement services, said he believed the demand was there.

"I'm fairly confident from the discussions I've had with the commuters that there's a significant amount of those people that will prefer buses in the future," he said.

"People are showing a preference for the bus because it gets them closer to their homes and they don't have to walk or drive to the station."

Mr Kennedy said passengers felt the train was slower and they were able to get a seat on the bus.

"Hundreds of people have told me they would transfer to the buses," he said.

There was just one 33x from Skerries to Dublin City Centre before the viaduct collapse, increased to 20 after the incident.

Press Association

[roamling]

Competition is king.

PS: and the €2 it costs me to pay for the parking actually pays the bus ticket when using a travel 90 ticket (one way). So if IE has better plan how to manage this let me know... maybe the first step would be to scrap the parking charges and lower the train fare.

[Mark Gleeson]

We got you covered

http://www.railusers.ie/news/news.php?year=2009&no=14.html

[roamling]

We got you covered

http://www.railusers.ie/news/news.php?year=2009&no=14.html

Excellent :D

[Mark Gleeson]

Irish Times are running it

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/1115/breaking29.htm

[Mark Hennessy]

IT story on the extended 33 bus services that will remain.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/1115/breaking26.htm

Given the fact that the viaduct has collapsed, IE did a good job to get in back open within 3 months, but how many passengers have they lost because of it?

[Mark Gleeson]

No question three months was a serious miracle, though exactly in line with our initial estimate.

Problem is the bus has proven itself to be an excellent option for many (though not all) Irish Rail have to raise their game.

The train is too slow, too expensive and lacks accountability when it goes wrong (note not if, but when). People are entitled to value for money, Irish Rail could provide this if they made the effort to meet the promises given in the past.

[Colm Moore]

Tee hee hee

[Colm Moore]

http://e-edition.metroireland.ie/2009/11/16/index.html?p=3

[tigger1962]

Speed over the line will be reduced to 25mph for the first two weeks, before being raised to 50mph for another fortnight and then eventually 90mph.

90mph??? don't think i've even been on a train doing that speed over that section!!

[Colm Moore]

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/commuters-back-on-track-at-last-with-new-bridge-1944816.html

Commuters back on track at last with new bridge
By Claire Murphy and Caitlin McBride
Monday November 16 2009

The Dublin-Belfast rail line reopened today -- three months after a bridge collapsed and the line was closed.

Hundreds of commuters arrived at Connolly Station this morning on the first trains following the completion of repair work on the Malahide viaduct.

Iarnrod Eireann said the line, which reopened this morning, was running to normal timetables and service was restored for Northern Commuter and Belfast Enterprise services.

Commuters arriving this morning welcomed the reopening of the line, despite the fact that one of the services was 10 minutes late.

Iarnrod Eireann carried out test train journeys over the weekend before the first passenger service today.

The group said that replacement bus services which had been put in place will no longer operate from today and the strengthened bus services on routes 33x and 33d will be scaled back from next Monday, November 16.

Some services will be retained for a short period only to facilitate customers with pre-paid bus tickets and rail tickets will no longer be valid on Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann services on the Northern line corridor.

Dublin Bus have agreed to keep the 33X and 33D replacement services operating for the next two weeks, but they will be scaled down gradually.

However, bus chiefs have not ruled out making the service a permanent feature as some passengers have reported showing preference for the bus because it gets them closer to their homes and they vehicles are less crowded.

It is estimated that passenger numbers dropped by 60pc since the collapse. In August, a major disaster was narrowly averted after part of the rail track in north Dublin began to give way and services were severely curtailed since then.

A 20-metre section of the viaduct collapsed dramatically into the estuary in Malahide just moments after a train driver spotted the signs of subsidence on the track.

A full investigation into the incident is expected to be completed in the New Year.

Repair

Speed over the line will be reduced to 25mph for the first two weeks, before being raised to 50mph for another fortnight and then eventually 90mph.

Some €4m has been spent on repair works to restore the viaduct included rebuilding the pier and strengthening foundations, strengthening all the piers along the viaduct and relaying the track.

The Enterprise service is jointly run by Northern Ireland Translink and the Republic of Ireland's Iarnrod Eireann.

Meanwhile, the rail line between Arklow and Gorey is closed due to instability of an embankment at the railway line after heavy rainfall.

hnews@herald.ie

- Claire Murphy and Caitlin McBride

There is an unflattering vox pop in the print edition (no, I didn't buy it :)).

[Colm Moore]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1116/rail.html Iarnród Éireann apologises for rail delays
watch listen Monday, 16 November 2009 18:54

Iarnród Éireann has said it expects there will be a reliable and punctual rail service on the Dublin-Belfast line tomorrow.

The company said it was forced into placing restrictions on the line this morning as services resumed after a three-month break.

Services had been curtailed since August after part of the Malahide Viaduct collapsed into the estuary at the north Dublin town.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio's Drivetime, Iarnród Eireann spokesman Barry Kenny apologised for delays this morning.

However, a spokesman for Rail Users Ireland, Mark Gleeson, said he was unhappy with services on the line today and how Iarnród Éireann communicated with its passengers.

An investigation into the cause of the collapse is expected to be completed early next year.

Driver has lucky escape

A train driver had a lucky escape this morning after his out of service train hit a landslide south of Wicklow forcing one carriage to come off the rail line.

Mr Kenny said the driver was not injured in the incident.

The Iarnród Éireann spokeman said up to 500 daily commuters will be affected by a decision to close the rail line between Wicklow and Gorey.

He said that a decision was taken on Saturday to close the Arklow to Gorey line due to the instability of an embankment.

He said that following this morning's landslide, the line between Wicklow and Gorey will remain closed for two weeks.

Bus transfers are in operation for rail services between Wicklow and Gorey.

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/1116/breaking2.htm
Malahide viaduct rail line reopens

A full timetable of northern commuter services and Belfast Enterprise rail services resumed today following work to repair the collapsed viaduct at Malahide.

According to Iarnród Éireann, replacement bus services provided for customers will no longer operate from today, while the strengthened bus services on routes 33x and 33d will be scaled back from Monday 16th November, with some services being retained for a short period only to facilitate customers with pre-paid bus tickets.

Rail tickets will no longer be valid on Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann services on the Northern line corridor.

Bus chiefs agreed to keep the 33X and 33D replacement services operating after rail passengers said they found them quicker and less crowded. Dublin Bus said the routes would be kept going for the next two weeks and scaled down gradually but could become permanent.

Elsewhere, the railway line between Arklow and Gorey is closed due to instability of an embankment at the railway line after heavy rainfall over recent days. The line is expected to remain closed until November 21st. Bus transfers are in operation.

Although a full accident report into the viaduct incident will not be published until the new year, Iarnród Éireann maintains that erosion of the weir at seabed level caused the support to one pier to be undermined.

Repair works costing €4 million to restore the viaduct included rebuilding the pier and strengthening foundations, strengthening all the piers along the viaduct and relaying the track.

Speed over the line will be reduced to 40km/h for the first two weeks, before being raised to 80kmh for another fortnight and then eventually 140km/h.

On August 21st, when a train driver spotted the signs of subsidence on the track, all trains were stopped before a 20 metre section of the viaduct collapsed into the sea.

Additional reporting PA

[tigger1962]

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/we-didnt-miss-this-service-at-all-1945344.html

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1117/1224258982272.html

[roamling]

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/we-didnt-miss-this-service-at-all-1945344.html

it’s worth to quote the full text of this article here as well, in addition to the link. IE needs to do something radical here, they are stuck in their old mind set of just letting things run until the system breaks, then they apologize and shrug their shoulders and that’s it until the cycle repeats itself, pathetic.


By Charlie Weston

Tuesday November 17 2009

'We didn't miss this service at all'

FOR Irish Rail, it seems that decent consumer service is a bridge too far. The state rail company re-opened the Northern Line yesterday after the line was out of action for three months while the viaduct between Malahide and Donabate was being repaired.

The rail company had three months to get the service back on track. But for this commuter at least, it was a case of delayed, then cancelled trains, rail staff who had earphones on so they couldn't hear you if you attempted to make a polite inquiry, and nothing in the way of apologies.

Ah yes, welcome back Irish Rail -- never a company to treat its customers well. So excuse me if I tell Irish Rail that its "service" has not been missed.

In the place of Irish Rail for the past three months, Dublin Bus had risen to the challenge magnificently, with express buses that used the Port Tunnel and got passengers into the city rapidly, helpful and courteous staff, buses that left on time, and an accommodating management team ever prepared to provide extra buses as soon as a problem arose.

Dublin Bus operations manager Mick Matthews was most helpful when commuters asked for extra buses or changes to the schedule, responding on the day to requests from the likes of Donabate and Portrane Community Council.

Contrast that with Irish Rail's miserable attempt yesterday to get the service back up and running.

Turning up at Donabate train station expecting the 10.02am train to leave on time was probably being foolishly optimistic.

The electronic display signs were not working, and the helpful and polite Irish Rail staff member had not been told what was going on, but he thought the train would be delayed by 15 to 20 minutes.

Waiting

So we stood on the platform and got cold waiting. Then the public address system informed us that the train would be delayed for 30 minutes "due to operational problems".

Minutes later, it was announced that the train was cancelled. Apparently, the train that was due to leave Drogheda had broken down.

So I hitched a lift to Malahide with the wife of a fellow passenger, given to understanding from the station staff that the next train was not until 12.40pm.

There we were on the platform at Malahide and lo and behold, unannounced, a diesel train arrived. Eventually the train took us to Connolly Station, an hour late.

Welcome back Irish Rail, but we can honestly say we did not miss you.

- Charlie Weston

Irish Independent

[Mark Hennessy]

Well said Charlie Weston.

When it works it's ok and gets you to work roughly on time.

When it doesn't work, it's a complete mess and no one cares and no one is responsible for cleaning it up...

[tigger1962]

I didn't quote the whole link :( I didn't think it would fit in section! but yep both articles seemed accurate

[MOH]

Tee hee hee

There's also the last paragraph which also appears in the middle of the article

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1117/1224258982272.html[quote]Packed carriages, late trains: normal service resumes over Malahide viaduct

The first train to cross the reopened Malahide rail viaduct was limited to a top speed of 25mph, writes SHANE HEGARTY

THE TRAINS were late. When they arrived, they crawled along the track. And the aisles were packed with people who couldn’t get a seat. Normal service, then, had resumed on the Belfast-Dublin line.

It had been three months since the Malahide viaduct slumped into the estuary below, but it was two weeks ahead of the original estimate for when it would be repaired, leading to much joking among commuters about this being the first time Iarnród Éireann had ever been early.

The first commuter trains to cross this part of the track did so gingerly, limited to a top speed of 25mph. The 6.04am contained what one passenger described as the “guinea pigs”: those first commuters to test the track’s strength.

On the 7.41am, though, people were more concerned about delays. Having sat for a while at Skerries, with the driver making occasional but almost inaudible announcements, the train eventually moved on towards Malahide. As it approached the viaduct most passengers decided not to interrupt their snooze. No one was gripping their arm rests. No one donned water wings.

“I wasn’t worried about getting the train this morning,” said Leanna Gannon, a TCD student taking the train from Skerries. “Although, it wasn’t the first train. My sister took the first train and I haven’t heard anything from her yet, so I presume everything is fine.”

Was it not a bad sign that she hadn’t yet heard from her? “Oh, yes. I suppose so . . .” she laughed.

Leanna had been taking one of the alternative bus services since August, which on some mornings meant a 90-minute journey from corner of north Co Dublin to the city centre.

However, some commuters had actually preferred the replacement services. Passengers from Drogheda, Balbriggan, Rush, Lusk and Donabate found that they were getting into Dublin quicker and had a seat all the way. Many had even lobbied Dublin Bus and local politicians for a continuation of services that for other commuters, such as those in Skerries, were a great inconvenience.

“The bus was great,” said passenger Gary Jenkins, leaning against a door on the full train yesterday morning. “It went through the Port Tunnel and I got a seat. I would have preferred to stay on the bus but I asked and they weren’t running them from Balbriggan this week.”

However, it was noticeable that there were fewer than normal passengers at the Rush/Lusk and Donabate stops, with some clearly having stayed with the 33X and 33D services that have been scaled back but continue to run.

While most remained unmoved, a few train passengers peered out the rain-streaked window as the train finally crossed the viaduct. It is a little wider than it was before the collapse, but otherwise the journey was as banal as it had been until August. There were no creaks, no jolts. After that, the train sped up and zipped into the city where the passengers disembarked.

Meanwhile, the 33X disgorged passengers on to George’s Quay. These were people for whom the original hassle of the broken train line had been replaced by a service which, in some cases, picked up and dropped them almost at their front doors.

“I thought it would be a nightmare at first,” said Sharon Behan, who had commuted from Lusk. “It’s much better than I thought. Some days the traffic is crazy, but it stops right outside my estate.”[quote]

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1117/1224258982257.htmlSpecial fares planned to regain custom

DAN KEENAN Northern News Editor

TRANSLINK AND Iarnród Éireann are to introduce a series of special fare packages shortly to win back thousands of rail passengers on the Dublin-Belfast Enterprise service.

A series of promotional fares are to be introduced this weekend designed to regain market share.

The Northern Ireland transport company said yesterday it had lost up to 60 per cent of cross-Border rail passengers and about £2 million (€2.25 million) since a 20- metre section of the Malahide viaduct collapsed three months ago.

Yesterday’s first Enterprise service to run over the replaced section of track arrived in Connolly Station slightly behind schedule.

One passenger told BBC Northern Ireland: “When they run on time the trains can be very effective . . . But today, as the first day, hasn’t been the greatest start.”

Repairs to the Malahide viaduct were completed ahead of schedule and rail bosses are pleased this will afford them an opportunity to pitch a marketing campaign before the lucrative Christmas shopping season is fully under way.

Iarnród Éireann’s Barry Kenny said a sales drive would help win passengers back.

“We are going to have quite a lot of promotions obviously to bring people back,” he said. “We are also quite pleased we are going to have the service back ahead of the Christmas season.” He apologised for the break in full services between the cities.

“The service is back, the bridge is secure and safe and independently declared to be so, and we are very clearly looking forward to welcoming people back to the service.” Since August, Dublin to Belfast passengers have been transferred by coach between Connolly and Drogheda. While there has been much praise for the back-up measures, there has been a significant drop of nearly two-thirds on the numbers using the Enterprise.

One passenger said: “Talking to people who have been travelling on the bus between here and Drogheda, they said a lot of their friends had stopped using the train and were taking the bus instead.”

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2009/1119/1224259113124.html Malahide viaduct

Madam, – It is reported that repairs to the Malahide viaduct have been reviewed by structural engineering advisers to Iarnród Éireann and reviewed by the Railway Safety Commission.

Perhaps Iarnród Éireann might now give consideration to having the works reviewed by the Malahide Sea Scouts? – Yours, etc,

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishrail.ie/news_centre/news.asp?action=view&news_id=575 "Thank You" Northern Line Commuter & Intercity Promotion by Marketing Department

Iarnród Éireann is pleased to announce special fares to mark the reopening of the Northern line and the resumption of Cross Border Enterprise services from Monday 23rd November 2009 to Sunday 3rd January 2010 Inclusive.

Intercity: Intercity Dublin Connolly to Belfast
* €20 Adult Day Return
* €50 Family Day Return tickets (up to 2 Adults & up to 4 Children may travel on this ticket)

Intercity: Drogheda/Dundalk to Belfast
* €10 Adult Day Return fare from Drogheda/ Dundalk to Belfast

Commuter: Dublin/ Drogheda/ Dundalk
* €10 Adult Day Return fare is available between Dublin Connolly and Dundalk including all intermediary stations in both directions. No time or exclusion days of travel.

The "small print" (Terms & conditions):
* These fares are available from relevant booking offices and station Ticket Vending Machines from Monday, 23rd November.
* These promotional fares are available all day every day – no ’time’ or ‘day of travel’ restrictions apply.
* Intercity fares are also available online or on telesales 1850 366 222.

Iarnród Éireann apologises to customers for the disruption caused since 21st August to services on this route.

We very much appreciate the patience, understanding and co-operation of customers during this time, particularly with regard to the alternative services provided.

[Locky]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0311/malahide.html
A report into the collapse of the Malahide viaduct has found that there was a failure of maintenance because Iarnród Éireann staff did not know the type of structure they was dealing with.

The independent report commissioned by the company found that over the years, staff became unaware that the piers were resting on rocks and not pile-driven into seabed.

The report found that increased water flow because of land development and climate change brought on the collapse, but such a collapse was inevitable.

Staff did not realise the structure was two components - a viaduct on top of a causeway made of large rocks - making the piers liable to erosion.

The report recommends that in future, knowledge should be passed on by Iarnród Éireann staff who move or retire.

It was also found that a warning from Malahide Sea Scouts was misunderstood by the company's engineer who went to inspect the bridge but examined the pier and not the causeway.

No individual member of staff will be held responsible for what happened.

A major accident was narrowly avoided on 21 August last year following the collapse of a section of the viaduct.

But a train driver and signal operator have been commended for their actions on the day, which prevented what could have been a 'catastrophic loss of life'.


As a result the rail line was closed for almost three months, reopening last November after repairs estimated to cost in excess of €4m were carried out.

Iarnród Éireann was responding to a report in today's Irish Independent that the company had been warned about serious erosion three years before the collapse.

The company says that the 2006 Bridge Scour inspection of the Malahide Viaduct, carried out by independent specialist diver engineers, did not state that there was any reason for concern at that time.

It did recommend that as the bridge was susceptible to scour, that underwater examinations should continue at intervals of not more than six years.

The company submitted its report to the Rail Accident Investigation Unit and the Railway Safety Commission on 19 February, and has published parts of it today.

The report will be considered by the Rail Accident Investigation Unit as part of its independent investigation into the collapse.

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishrail.ie/news_centre/news.asp?action=view&news_id=668 Malahide Viaduct accident investigation by Corporate Communications

Iarnród Éireann’s investigation into the Malahide Viaduct accident has been completed, the company has stated.

A major accident was narrowly avoided on 21st August 2009, following the collapse of pier 4 of the viaduct. The line was closed for a period of almost 3 months, reopening on 16th November 2009.

The company submitted the complete report to the Rail Accident Investigation Unit, and the Railway Safety Commission on 19th February 2010, and is today (11th March 2010) publishing the report’s summary, conclusions, actions taken to date and recommendations (attached).


Company rejects claim of 2006 warning

In addition, Iarnród Éireann wish to correct the assertion in today’s Irish Independent that the company “was warned about serious erosion…three years before” this accident. This is untrue. The 2006 Bridge Scour inspection of the Malahide Viaduct, carried out for Iarnród Éireann by independent specialist diver engineers, did not state that there was any reason for concern about scour at that time. It stated that as the bridge was susceptible to scour, that underwater examinations should continue at intervals not to exceed 6 years. It was Iarnród Éireann’s investigation into the accident which, using external hydrological expertise, assembled available data on the viaduct and surrounding area, allowing modelling of the viaduct and the likely effects of water over time. It was this post-accident investigation, and not the 2006 report, which retrospectively concluded that scouring may have commenced at the time of the 2006 investigation, albeit some distance away from the piers.

Continued

[Colm Moore]

.Continued


Iarnród Éireann investigation into the Malahide Viaduct collapse

Iarnród Éireann’s investigation was independently chaired by John Buxton, Chartered Civil Engineer, and was also advised by a panel of experts led by Dr Eamon McKeogh of University College Cork in relation to the complex hydraulic and environmental issues involves. The Iarnród Éireann report will also be considered by the Rail Accident Investigation Unit in the preparation of their independent investigation into the accident.

The report found:

- Works undertaken in 1967 on the superstructure of the viaduct also included significant grouting work, to a depth of 2 metres, to the causeway/weir. These works, it was believed, would generally reduce the need for ongoing maintenance, particularly the unloading of “rip-rap” stone (large stone blocks) which had been regularly carried out to maintain the causeway/weir profile by replacing stones washed away by the tides. Since this time, the placing of rip-rap was more limited and appeared to be carried out only to protect the piers.

- Over time, erosion of a section of the causeway/weir between Piers 4 and 5 caused changes to the water flow under the structure, resulting in the majority of the water flowing in a deepened channel between these two piers, further increasing erosion. In a relatively short period of time, the weir “crest” receded from the seaward side of these piers to beneath the span between them and, subsequently, onto the other (estuary) side of the viaduct. In the months prior to the collapse, the channel deepened further and the flow became ever stronger with standing waves and, latterly, a “piping” mechanism causing further “scour” action. Eventually Pier 4 became undermined and collapsed.

- A key finding of the investigation is that since grouting works were undertaken on the causeway/weir in 1967, the engineering emphasis has been focused on the maintenance of the viaduct structure itself. However, the condition of the grouting in the causeway/weir required maintenance. By this time, although protection of the pier foundations was still being undertaken, the importance of maintaining the weir profile was no longer fully appreciated. Prior to the collapse, therefore, it was no longer appreciated that the structure as a whole comprised two separate components: a causeway/weir and a viaduct. The structure is unusual in that the piers did not extend down to the “bedrock”, but are instead founded within the manmade causeway/weir formed of large rip-rap resting on the bed of the estuary, making the piers prone to erosion or “scour” damage.

- Climatic, oceanographic and hydrological changes over recent decades have increased the hydraulic “head” and hence the erosive effect of the water flowing into and, more especially, out of the Broadmeadow Estuary over the causeway/weir.

- During the week before the collapse, a group leader of Malahide Sea Scouts observed that a rock at the base of pier 4 had been washed away and contacted Iarnród Éireann on 17th August to report this. The information reported by this member of the public was dealt with in a professional manner by Iarnród Éireann staff. However a misunderstanding appears to have developed so that the engineer delegated to inspect the viaduct on 18th August was looking primarily for cracks or missing stones in the pier structure rather than in its foundations. He found the “dressed” stonework of the viaduct to be in need of pointing and there were some cracked stones on a number of piers. Whilst none of these faults were of a serious structural nature, their presence appeared to him to explain the reason for the report from the canoeist. Therefore this visual inspection did not lead engineers to question the stability or the structural integrity of the viaduct.



A series of actions have already taken place or are underway arising from the accident.

- The replacement Pier 4 is founded on piles and all the remaining existing piers have been retro-fitted with piled foundations. A bridge monitoring system has been installed on the Malahide Viaduct

- The list of structures susceptible to scour has been reviewed and is now more comprehensive. Pier and abutment depths are being established for all bridges on the scour list wherever practicable. Where this is not possible, other mitigating measures will be implemented.

- There is one other structure on the IÉ network that has similar foundations to Malahide, Rogerstown Viaduct. This is on the same route as the Malahide Viaduct. Pier and abutment depths have been established for this structure and found to be deeper than for Malahide and are secure.

- The Acting Chief Civil Engineer has initiated a full review of the systems in place for monitoring structures subject to scour and has commissioned consultants to look at international best practice for this with a view to implementing system improvements.

- The driver of the 18.07hrs Balbriggan to Pearse train has been commended for his quick thinking in placing his power controller into the ‘coast’ setting which reduced the forces acting on the collapsing viaduct as the train passed over it. His actions to protect the line after the incident were also exemplary as were those of the CTC Signalman who has also been commended.

- The need to maintain the causeway/weir of the Malahide Viaduct to an acceptable profile is now clearly understood. The weir has been reconstructed to its original profile. Furthermore an improved weir profile is being developed, in line with the outcome of the studies undertaken by UCC.

- Information on the viaduct that is currently known, or can reasonably be collected including archived materials, is being assembled and will be made available through IAMS (Infrastructure Asset Management System). Thus in future, IAMS will form the basis of the required inspection and maintenance process and staff will be better equipped to undertake these duties. Similar information will also be added, on a risk prioritised basis, for all other structures on Iarnród Éireann.

- Most of the bridges on the “scour inspection list” have been inspected (by engineer divers) and this work will be completed by April 2010. Following on from these inspections each structure will be given a risk rating and the inspection frequency will be based on this rating. Trigger levels will be defined for special additional inspections of the structure as required (e.g. exceptional tides) and/or its closure when conditions deteriorate. A re-opening process for each structure is also to be documented.



The investigation also makes a series of recommendations.

- Recommendation 1: Complete all of the above actions.

- Recommendation 2: The structures standard should be revised to include more information on ‘scour’, the erosive effects of different water conditions (e.g. standing waves), particularly in the context of the design of remedial measures.

- Recommendation 3: The introduction of the revised structures standard should be supported by the running of a series of Structures Inspection Training Courses. The training should incorporate ‘follow up’ mentoring in the field by experienced, competent staff.

- Recommendation 4: Roles and reporting lines for structures and track patrolling inspections should be reviewed and a ‘handover’ process should be put in place to ensure knowledge is not lost on staff movements within the organisation or when staff leave the service.

- Recommendation 5: Flood and tidal warning arrangements, using information from Met Éireann and the Coast Guard, should be formalised throughout Iarnród Éireann.

- Recommendation 6: Consideration should be given to extending the installation of monitoring/warning equipment to structures susceptible to scour so that changing conditions at sites during adverse conditions can be monitored.

- Recommendation 7: The bridge card system of monitoring the condition of structures should be expanded to incorporate all relevant information that needs to be recorded during an inspection. The records should cover each span or relevant element of the structure and these should be incorporated into an enhanced IAMS based system supported by photographs.

- Recommendation 8: The process for dealing with reports from the public should be documented and unified across the organisation.

- Recommendation 9: The effects of climate change, land and leisure developments in the Broadmeadow catchment area should be kept under review by IÉ so that the organisation is well placed to take informed action to mitigate any potential future adverse effects on the railway. In particular, it is recommended that dialogue is initiated with the relevant state agencies accordingly.

Iarnród Éireann assures customers that these recommendations will be fully implemented, as will any and all recommendations arising from the investigation of the Rail Accident Investigation Unit.

The investigation also states that the public spiritedness of third parties who contacted Iarnród Éireann prior to and subsequent to the incident should be commended.


Malahide Viaduct Summary and Conclusions http://www.irishrail.ie/upload/malahideviaduct.pdf

[Mark Gleeson]

There is nothing in this at all, the first 20-30 pages of the report are missing thats where the real information is to be found.

As we all knew from the start it was a systems failure within Irish Rail to understand the unique characteristics of the Malahide Viaduct and the interaction with the weir.

The only report worth reading is that of the RAIU which is fully independent from Irish Rail and the RSC and will be published in full and in public. Irish Rail and the RAIU tend to disagree on many issues post accident (see Skerries derailment) so who you choose to believe is your own choice

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0311/breaking68.htmlErosion caused viaduct collapse

A viaduct on one of the country’s busiest railway lines collapsed because workmen carrying out safety checks did not know how to properly assess it, a report into the incident revealed today.

For more than 40 years repair work focused on pillars holding up the track over the Broadmeadow estuary, north Dublin, rather than on the causeway they were built on.

Irish Rail also said an engineer who checked the viaduct near Malahide days before its near catastrophic failure only looked at the piers and not underwater foundations being eroded.

Company spokesman Barry Kenny said significant grouting work to protect the superstructure took place in 1967 up to 2m below sea level.

But investigators warned that since then new engineers joining the company did not know there were two separate parts to the viaduct — piers resting on a causeway were not embedded in the bedrock.

Fergus O’Dowd, Fine Gael transport spokesman, accused Irish Rail of jeopardising hundreds of passengers.

“How are we supposed to have faith in the rest of the rail network, when Iarnrod Eireann’s excuse for this fiasco is that key staff members had retired?” he asked.

Tommy Broughan, Labour transport spokesman, said the investigation had uncovered astonishing gaps in maintenance work.

“The near-disastrous event raised serious question marks about the safety procedures and culture at Iarnrod Eireann and, in particular, at the Railway Safety Commission,” Mr Broughan said.

Both opposition TDs called for Irish Rail chiefs to be called before the Oireachtas Transport Committee to explain the incomplete maintenance checks.

Rail chiefs had been warned about the state of the viaduct by the Malahide Sea Scouts days before the accident on Friday August 21st last year after a canoeist saw a stone washed away.

“However a misunderstanding appears to have developed so that the engineer delegated to inspect the viaduct on 18th August was looking primarily for cracks or missing stones in the pier structure rather than in its foundations,” the investigation found.

The driver of a commuter train spotted the collapsed bridge at about 6pm and raised the alarm.

Irish Rail said the engineer sent to check the viaduct days before it fell into the sea found dressed stonework needed repointing and some cracked stones on a number of piers.

None of the faults spotted were considered serious and the engineer thought they explained the erosion warning from sea scouts.

The line remained closed for three months after the incident.

Irish Rail also denied it had been warned about serious erosion on the viaduct in 2006.

The company said specialist divers had reported the piers were subject to scouring — where water digs out a channel — and that underwater checks should be done every six years.

It claimed its own investigation after the accident uncovered the true extent of the erosion.

Safety improvements have been carried out including a bridge monitoring system on the Malahide Viaduct and piers have been retrofitted with piles in the bedrock; A bridge inspection list has been drawn up for engineers to check for scouring and underwater erosion. It is due to be complete by the end of next month.

Nine recommendations have also been put forward to improve safety on the railways.

They include flood and tidal warning arrangements, using information from Met Eireann and the Coast Guard; a “handover” process to ensure knowledge is not lost when staff move on; improved processes for dealing with information from the public; and the installation of monitoring/warning equipment to structures susceptible to scour should be extended.

PA

[dowlingm]

anyone care to speculate why Tommy Broughan took an obvious swipe at the RSC?

[Mark Gleeson]

anyone care to speculate why Tommy Broughan took an obvious swipe at the RSC?

Because they are meant to stop IE from being so forgetful they failed in their job to supervise Irish Rail.

The RAIU report will be fun for all parties

[roamling]

Just for the record...

"Rail engineers 'did not know' how to inspect faulty viaduct"
Irish Independent, Friday March 12 2010



By Paul Melia

Friday March 12 2010

IARNROD Eireann engineers "misunderstood" a crucial warning which could have prevented the collapse of the Malahide viaduct.

The revelation came after the Irish Independent yesterday published details of an internal investigation into the incident which put the lives of 10,000 commuters at risk.

It concluded that one of the country's busiest rail lines fell into the sea because the semi-state company forgot how it was constructed.

The report also found engineers failed to inspect the foundations of the structure -- despite a warning received just days before the viaduct collapsed. Local sea scouts reported that rocks at the base of the viaduct had been washed away.

But instead engineers inspected support pillars which were in no danger of collapsing.

They looked for cracks or missing stones in the pier structure just days before the Malahide viaduct fell into the sea, the internal company report into the accident found.

"During the week before the collapse, a group leader of Malahide Sea Scouts observed that a rock at the base of pier 4 had been washed away and contacted Iarnrod Eireann on August 17 to report this," it said.

"A misunderstanding appears to have developed so that the engineer delegated to inspect the viaduct was looking primarily for cracks or missing stones in the pier structure rather than in its foundations . . . therefore this visual inspection did not lead engineers to question the stability or the structural integrity of the viaduct."

The report also revealed workmen carrying out safety checks did not know how to properly assess the structure because the knowledge had been lost over time -- because safety inspectors had retired or moved to other positions.

This information was also not passed on to colleagues, despite 10,000 commuters a day using the line.

On August 21 last year, erosion caused a supporting pillar -- pier 4 -- to collapse into the sea as a packed commuter train passed over it.

Massive potential loss of life was only averted because train driver Keith Farrelly used his emergency training to coast the train over the embankment.

For more than 40 years, maintenance had been carried out on the pillars holding up the track rather than on the causeway it was built on.

Grouting work had been carried out on the causeway in 1967 to "bind" the structure together, and since then the focus has been on maintaining the support pillars.

Accusations

The revelations led to accusations last night that the company had put passenger safety at risk. Fine Gael transport spokesman Fergus O'Dowd accused the company of a "deliberate cover-up".

"Iarnrod Eireann is guilty of a serious cover-up," he told the Irish Independent. "The company told the Oireachtas Transport Committee that the viaduct had been given a clean bill of health in 2006. This was not true.

"How are we supposed to have faith in the rest of the rail network, when Iarnrod Eireann's excuse for this fiasco is that key staff members had retired?"

Labour Party transport spokesman Tommy Broughan called on Transport Minister Noel Dempsey to urgently publish the full report into the collapse. "The near-disastrous event raises serious question marks about the safety procedures and culture at Iarnrod Eireann and, in particular, at the Railway Safety Commission," he said.

Iarnrod Eireann last night said its investigation had uncovered the true extent of the erosion.

- Paul Melia

Irish Independent

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0312/1224266107766.htmlViaduct was not sunk in bedrock as expected

FIONA GARTLAND

IARNRÓD Éireann staff maintaining a viaduct in north Dublin did not “appreciate” that the structure was sitting on a man-made causeway instead of being sunk into the bedrock, a report carried out by the rail company has found.

A major accident was narrowly avoided last August when a section of the Broadmeadow Viaduct which crosses the Malahide Estuary collapsed moments after a commuter train passed over it. The line, which links Dublin to Belfast, was closed for three months and cost €4 million to repair.

The report, which was independently chaired by John Buxton, a chartered civil engineer, also said an engineer sent to examine the viaduct a week before the collapse misunderstood the concerns raised by the Malahide Sea Scouts.

The report said the structure of the viaduct was unusual because the piers holding it up did not extend down into the bedrock of the sea. Instead, they sat into a manmade causeway made of large stone blocks which rested on the bed of the estuary. This made the piers vulnerable to erosion.

It said in 1967 grouting was carried out on the causeway and it was believed this would reduce the need for ongoing maintenance.

Since then, engineers had focused on the foundations of the piers, replacing stone blocks to protect the piers, but not the entire causeway.

“It was no longer appreciated that the structure as a whole comprised two separate components: a causeway/weir and a viaduct,” the report said.

The importance of maintaining the causeway “was no longer fully appreciated”. In the months prior to the collapse, the channel between pier 4 and pier 5 deepened and the flow became ever stronger with standing waves, the report found. Eventually, pier 4 became undermined and collapsed.

On August 17th, the week before the collapse, a group leader of Malahide Sea Scouts noticed a rock at the base of pier 4 had been washed away and contacted Iarnród Éireann.

But “a misunderstanding appears to have developed” so that the engineer looked primarily for cracks or missing stones in the pier structure rather than in its foundations, the report said. He found some faults in stonework, but none were of a serious structural nature.

The report also found climatic, oceanographic and hydrological changes over recent decades contributed to the erosion. It commended the actions of the train driver, Keith Farrelly, for his quick thinking in placing his power controller into the “coast” setting, which reduced the force acting on the collapsing viaduct as the train passed over it. The signalman was also commended.

The report made a number of recommendations, including that a handover process be put in place to ensure knowledge is not lost when staff move or retire. Yesterday, Iarnród Éireann denied suggestions it had been warned in a report in 2006 that the estuary was prone to serious erosion.

The report, carried out by independent specialist divers, did not state that there was any reason for concern about scour at that time, but did recommend underwater examinations be carried out every six years, a spokesman said. He added the divers could not have known the piers were not sunk into the bedrock because Iarnród Éireann had not told them.

The organisation has said it has carried out a number of improvements recommended in the report including replacing pier 4 and retro-fitting other piers with piled foundations; installing a bridge monitoring system on the viaduct and reviewing other bridges susceptible to scour, including the Rogerstown Viaduct, on the same line.

Opposition spokesmen on transport, Fine Gael TD Fergus O’Dowd and Labour Party TD Tommy Broughan, called on Iarnród Éireann and the Minister for Transport to come before the Oireachtas transport committee.

“A culture of secrecy and complacency has flourished in Iarnród Éireann for far too long,” Mr O’Dowd said.

Photo: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/images/2010/0312/1224266107766_1.jpg Malahide Sea Scouts in Broadmeadow Estuary causeway days before Broadmeadow Viaduct collapsed. Iarnród Éireann's report into the collapse found that an engineer sent to examine the viaduct a week before the collapse misunderstood the concerns raised by the sea scouts

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0312/1224266107774.htmlViaduct report: Findings and recommendations

Staff maintaining the Malahide estuary viaduct did not know its piers were not sunk into the ground, but were sitting on a man-made causeway.

Maintenance work was only carried out on the bases of the pier and not on the causeway itself.

Malahide Sea Scouts warned Iarnród Éireann a week before the viaduct collapsed that they had seen a rock at the base of one of the piers being washed away.

The engineer who received the sea scouts’ complaint thought they were referring to cracks and pointing on the pier above the water.

Climatic, oceanographic and hydrological changes contributed to the erosion of the causeway and the collapse of the viaduct.

The report recommended a handover process should be put in place to ensure knowledge is not lost when staff move or retire.

The report also noted the process for dealing with observations from the public should be documented and unified across the organisation.

It recommended a number of improvement works on the viaduct and on monitoring systems for all such bridges, which Iarnród Éireann has said it has completed or is in the process of completing.

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0315/1224266294150.htmlRail staff unaware of article on Malahide viaduct
PAUL CULLEN

IRISH RAIL says its maintenance staff were unaware of a technical paper published in 2000 which documented the structure of the Malahide viaduct that collapsed last August just after a commuter train passed over it.

The company’s report on the incident, published last week, says staff did not “appreciate” that the structure was sitting on a man-made causeway instead of being sunk into the bedrock.

Since the 1960s, repair work focused on pillars holding up the track over the Broadmeadow estuary, north Dublin, rather than on the causeway they were built on, the report said. New engineers joining the company did not know there were two separate parts to the viaduct.

However, it has since emerged that an article on the Malahide viaduct published in the Irish Rail Records Society journal in 2000 documents the history and structure of the viaduct. The article was written by Oliver Doyle, at the time a senior manager in Iarnród Éireann, though not in maintenance.

Mr Doyle’s paper details the scouring effect of tides in the estuary and the efforts made over the years to counteract erosion. It also recounts how the viaduct was maliciously damaged during the Civil War. Asked about the article, a spokesman for Iarnród Éireann said yesterday that knowledge about the structure of the viaduct had been lost over time.

Mr Doyle’s paper had appeared in a railway “enthusiasts’” magazine and maintenance staff remained unaware of it.

After last year’s incident, the line, which links Dublin to Belfast, was closed for three months and cost €4 million to repair.

Last week’s report from Iarnród Éireann will be followed by a report from the Rail Accident Investigation Unit later this year.

[Mark Gleeson]

I have a copy even of the journal with the viaduct piece in it and it is extremely detailed.

The IRRS journal is common sight within IE after all most of the articles are written by senior IE engineers who naturally get sent a copy when they are published, even the RPA had the current edition on the coffee table in reception in Parkgate Street last time I was in.

[ACustomer]

Good to see that those dreaded railway enthusiasts, anoraks, or whatever one calls them, have their uses!

[Colm Moore]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0324/rail.htmlCommission's report on viaduct collapse sought
Wednesday, 24 March 2010 16:28

Fine Gael's Fergus O'Dowd has called for the publication of a report by the Railway Safety Commission into the collapse of the Malahide Viaduct.

During Ministers Questions, Deputy O'Dowd said the Government had promised to make the Commission operate under the Freedom of Information Act, but it was refusing to do so.

He said the Irish Rail attitude to the affair was shameful, disgraceful and self-serving.

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said he could not commit to furnishing the deputy with the report at this stage as it may form part of the investigation into the incident.

Minister Dempsey said he agreed there should be maximum information available as long as it did not prejudice the investigation.

Labour TD Tommy Broughan said there were questions to be answered about the Railway Safety Commission.

He said Railway Safety was subject to the same kind of light touch regulation as the banking industry.

[Mark Gleeson]

Of course the RSC are being unhelpful, they aren't carrying out the investigation, the rail accident investigation unit are!