[2-2-2008] Bray Greystones Closed

[Mark Gleeson]

DART Services currently suspended between Bray and Greystones due to rockfall. by Corporate Communications

Monday 2nd February, 13.00hrs

Iarnród Éireann advises passengers that DART services between Bray and Greystones are suspended until further notice due to rockfall.

Bus Transfers will be in operation.

Please note: The 13.05hrs Connolly to Rosslare service will operate.

Iarnród Éireann apologises for any inconvenience caused.

That vanished and was replaced by this

BRAY TO GREYSTONES RAIL LINE CLOSED DUE TO ROCKFALL ON BRAY HEAD by Corporate Communications

Iarnród Éireann advises customers that DART services to Greystones, and Gorey Commuter and Rosslare Intercity services, face disruption due to the closure of the rail line between Bray and Greystones. This closure is required due to rockfall close to the entrance of the first tunnel on Bray Head, which has the potential to fall on the rail line. Bus transfers will operate between Bray and Greystones for all DART services from now until further notice. All other DART services will operate normally, from Howth/Malahide to Bray. Gorey commuter services and Rosslare Intercity services will be part substituted by bus from 16.00hrs onwards. Further details will be confirmed shortly. Iarnród Éireann apologises to customers for any inconvenience caused.

So I don't get this the 13:05 to Rosslare is running despite the rockfall

[Mark Gleeson]

BRAY TO GREYSTONES RAIL LINE CLOSED DUE TO ROCKFALL ON BRAY HEAD by Corporate Communications

UPDATE: 15.00hrs, 2nd February 2009

Iarnród Éireann advises customers that DART services to Greystones, and Gorey Commuter and Rosslare Intercity services, face disruption due to the closure of the rail line between Bray and Greystones.

This closure is required due to rockfall close to the entrance of the first tunnel on Bray Head, which has the potential to fall on the rail line.

Bus transfers will operate between Bray and Greystones for all DART services from now until further notice. All other DART services will operate normally, from Howth/Malahide to Bray.

Gorey commuter services and Rosslare Intercity services will be part substituted by bus from 16.00hrs onwards. Service details are as follows:

16.40 Connolly to Gorey: train to Bray, bus Bray to Gorey

17.25 Connolly to Enniscorthy: train to Bray, bus Bray to Enniscorthy

18.37 Connolly to Rosslare Europort: train to Bray, bus Bray to Greystones, train Greystones to Rosslare Europort

19.23 Gorey to Connolly: cancelled

20.05 Enniscorthy to Connolly: bus Enniscorthy to Bray, train Bray to Connolly

17.40 Rosslare Europort to Connolly: train Rosslare Europort to Greystones, bus Greystones to Bray, train Bray to Connolly (train continues onward to Drogheda)

Iarnród Éireann apologises to customers for any inconvenience caused. It is expected this disruption may continue for a number of days - further details will be updated as soon as possible.
:confused:

[Mark Gleeson]

Curiously the afternoon Gorey Maynooth train has just rolled past me, curious that for a closed line, seems like they are recovering the train back to Dublin leaving the folks in Wicklow with no early morning train tomorrow

[ThomasJ]

Not the best day for this to happen.

From AA Roadwatch

*WEXFORD* Conditions remain treacherous around Enniscorthy following a collision so take care. Icy conditions remain on the N11 at Ferrycarrig, around Clonroche and Kiltealy. * Conditions are dangerous around Gorey. Take particular care on the Gorey Bypass, the Arklow, Carnew and Courtown Rds. Take extreme care. *WICKLOW* Take care on the N11 and N81 due to icy conditions. Snow is also causing problems around Glencree.

* Heavy snowfall around Arklow; take extreme care. * Avoid the Wicklow/Rathdrum Rd (R752) as it's very icy, particularly at Glenealy.

[Mark Gleeson]

BRAY TO GREYSTONES RAIL LINE CLOSED DUE TO ROCKFALL ON BRAY HEAD: UPDATE by Corporate Communications

UPDATE: 17.00hrs, 2nd February 2009

Iarnród Éireann advises customers that DART services to Greystones, and Gorey Commuter and Rosslare Intercity services, face disruption due to the closure of the rail line between Bray and Greystones.

This closure is required due to rockfall close to the entrance of the first tunnel on Bray Head, which has the potential to fall on the rail line.

DART

Bus transfers will operate between Bray and Greystones for all DART services from now until further notice. All other DART services will operate normally, from Howth/Malahide to Bray.


Gorey / Enniscorthy / Rosslare Europort

Gorey commuter services and Rosslare Intercity services will be part substituted by bus. Service details are as follows:

Monday 2nd February

16.40 Connolly to Gorey: train to Bray, bus Bray to Gorey

17.25 Connolly to Enniscorthy: train to Bray, bus Bray to Enniscorthy

18.37 Connolly to Rosslare Europort: train to Bray, bus Bray to Greystones, train Greystones to Rosslare Europort

19.23 Gorey to Connolly: cancelled

20.05 Enniscorthy to Connolly: bus Enniscorthy to Bray, train Bray to Connolly

17.40 Rosslare Europort to Drogheda: train Rosslare Europort to Greystones, bus Greystones to Bray, train Bray to Connolly (service to Drogheda will start on schedule from Pearse)


Tuesday 3rd January

06.00 Gorey to Connolly: Bus Gorey to Bray, train Bray to Connolly

05.35 Rosslare Europort to Dundalk: Train Rosslare to Greystones, bus Greystones to Bray, Train Bray to Connolly to Dundalk

07.40 Rosslare Europort to Connolly: Bus Rosslare to Bray, train Bray to Connolly

13.00 Rosslare Europort to Maynooth: Train Rosslare to Greystones, bus Greystones to Bray, DART Bray to Connolly (service to Maynooth will start on schedule from Dun Laoghaire)

14.48 Gorey to Connolly: Bus Gorey to Bray, DART Bray to Connolly

17.40 Rosslare Europort to Drogheda: train Rosslare Europort to Greystones, bus Greystones to Bray, train Bray to Connolly (service to Drogheda will start on schedule from Pearse)

19.23 Gorey to Connolly: cancelled

20.05 Enniscorthy to Connolly: bus Enniscorthy to Bray, train Bray to Connolly

05.44 Arklow to Rosslare Europort: bus transfer

06.31 Drogheda to Rosslare Europort: Train Drogheda to Bray, bus Bray to Greystones, train Greystones to Rosslare Europort

11.35 Connolly to Gorey: DART Connolly to Bray, bus Bray to Gorey

13.05 Connolly to Rosslare Europort: DART Connolly to Bray, bus Bray to Rosslare Europort

16.40 Connolly to Gorey: train to Bray, bus Bray to Gorey

17.25 Connolly to Enniscorthy: train to Bray, bus Bray to Enniscorthy

18.37 Connolly to Rosslare Europort: train to Bray, bus Bray to Greystones, train Greystones to Rosslare Europort

Iarnród Éireann apologises to customers for any inconvenience caused. It is expected this disruption may continue for a number of days - further details will be updated as soon as possible.

Far too many bus transfers here

[essoII]

Unless there has actually been structural damage to the line I honestly can't see why this landslide will shut the line between Greystones and Bray tomorrow and possibly the next day. This is a massive disruption for Greystones residents including myself...is there a chance the line could open tomorrow?

[Thomas Ralph]

Chances are looking bad. Our reports indicate that the line is not actually blocked but there is a risk of loose rocks falling on trains unless secured.

[Mark Gleeson]

To be honest this could be the end of the Rosslare line

The exact location is about 25 minutes walk from Bray station just before the first tunnel, the rock face is almost vertical at that point, its only accessible on foot. Bray Head is strange by virtue of the fact the rock strata are at a 45 degree angle not nicely layered on top of each other so they just slide off

Lengthy closure expected of Bray to Greystones line, due to rockfall at Bray Head by Corporate Communications

UPDATE: 10.00hrs, 3rd February 2009

Iarnród Éireann advises customers that DART services to Greystones, and Gorey Commuter and Rosslare Intercity services, face disruption due to the closure of the rail line between Bray and Greystones.

This closure is required due to rockfall close to the entrance of the first tunnel on Bray Head, which has the potential to fall on the rail line.

Due to this, and the instability of the cliff face above the rail line, it is expected that this disruption will continue for a significant period of time. The line will remain closed for the remainder of this week at the very least, with a much longer closure possible. It is expected further estimates will be confirmed later today.

For the duration of the closure of the Bray-Greystones line, the following daily service arrangements will apply:

DART

Bus transfers will operate between Bray and Greystones for all DART services from now until further notice. All other DART services will operate normally, from Howth/Malahide to Bray.


Gorey / Enniscorthy / Rosslare Europort

Gorey commuter services and Rosslare Intercity services will be part substituted by bus. Service details are as follows:

06.00 Gorey to Connolly: Bus Gorey to Bray, train Bray to Connolly

05.35 Rosslare Europort to Dundalk: Train Rosslare to Greystones, bus Greystones to Bray, Train Bray to Connolly to Dundalk

07.40 Rosslare Europort to Connolly: Bus Rosslare to Bray, train Bray to Connolly

13.00 Rosslare Europort to Maynooth: Train Rosslare to Greystones, bus Greystones to Bray, DART Bray to Connolly (service to Maynooth will start on schedule from Dun Laoghaire)

14.48 Gorey to Connolly: Bus Gorey to Bray, DART Bray to Connolly

17.40 Rosslare Europort to Drogheda: train Rosslare Europort to Greystones, bus Greystones to Bray, train Bray to Connolly (service to Drogheda will start on schedule from Pearse)

19.23 Gorey to Connolly: cancelled

20.05 Enniscorthy to Connolly: bus Enniscorthy to Bray, train Bray to Connolly

05.44 Arklow to Rosslare Europort: bus transfer

06.31 Drogheda to Rosslare Europort: Train Drogheda to Bray, bus Bray to Greystones, train Greystones to Rosslare Europort

11.35 Connolly to Gorey: DART Connolly to Bray, bus Bray to Gorey

13.05 Connolly to Rosslare Europort: DART Connolly to Bray, bus Bray to Rosslare Europort

16.40 Connolly to Gorey: train to Bray, bus Bray to Gorey

17.25 Connolly to Enniscorthy: train to Bray, bus Bray to Enniscorthy

18.37 Connolly to Rosslare Europort: train to Bray, bus Bray to Greystones, train Greystones to Rosslare Europort

Please note bus transfers will serve all intermediate stations en route.

Iarnród Éireann apologises to customers for any inconvenience caused.

[shweeney]

To be honest this could be the end of the Rosslare line

hyperbole much, Mark? Bear in mind this section of line once fell into the sea and the victorians managed to fix it. Now I'm not crediting IE with any sort of Victorian-levels of expertise or ingenuity, but securing rock-faces is a fairly common task for engineers the world-over, I'm sure its solvable.

how long was that line in Norn Iron closed for last year, it was a similar issue wasn't it?

[Mark Gleeson]

I've walked around Bray Head many times in recent years, there has been a massive acceleration in the coastal erosion, there isn't any space to move. There have been far too many close calls with trains stopping short of rockfalls

Only long term alternative is to bore a new tunnel from Bray to Greystones, about 3.5km in length

Its going to take several days if not weeks to sort this mess out, Bus Eireann are going to make a killing with the new timetable and passengers are not going to come back when the line reopens

[shweeney]

I've walked around Bray Head many times in recent years, there has been a massive acceleration in the coastal erosion, there isn't any space to move. There have been far too many close calls with trains stopping short of rockfalls

Only long term alternative is to bore a new tunnel from Bray to Greystones, about 3.5km in length

probably be much cheaper to cover over the existing track at the vulnerable points (disclaimer - I am not an engineer!)

Its going to take several days if not weeks to sort this mess out, Bus Eireann are going to make a killing with the new timetable and passengers are not going to come back when the line reopens

passengers from Greystones certainly are going to come back as the DART, slow and all as it is, is substantially quicker and more comfortable than Dublin Bus. South of Greystones I think a substantial proportion of commuters already use BE. The 1725 Enniscorthy commuter train (probably the busiest on the line) discharges most of its passengers in Bray and Greystones.

[Mark Gleeson]

For reference the exact location http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=svygwgggt3jv&style=b&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=29514691&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

[Mark]

I've walked around Bray Head many times in recent years, there has been a massive acceleration in the coastal erosion, there isn't any space to move. There have been far too many close calls with trains stopping short of rockfalls

Only long term alternative is to bore a new tunnel from Bray to Greystones, about 3.5km in length

probably be much cheaper to cover over the existing track at the vulnerable points (disclaimer - I AM an engineer!) :D



That was my first thought 'shweeney'. The line wouldnt warrant any expenditure on tunnelling. Just takes some ingenuity.

[Mark Gleeson]

probably be much cheaper to cover over the existing track at the vulnerable points (disclaimer - I AM an engineer!) :D


The actual track bed is a big problem as the sea eats away at it, a fortune has been spent on coastal defense works

Long term the only way to reduce journey times and increase capacity is a new tunnel, that needs to be looked at now, not much point looking at it when the engineers come back one day and say they have to close permanently

Rockfall -> derailment -> train 50 feet drop head first into the sea

[Mark]

Cheers for the link Mark. The site is more inaccessible than I thought. Maybe expecting some ingenuity from IE was a mistake...

Bringing precast units to that area be it by sea or road seems quite impossible. Everything will have to come by rail and also fit through the preceding tunnels. Get your thinking hats on boys!

I still don't see tunnelling as an option at the moment given the expense but examining the feasibility of it is no harm. It need not be too long but just to link back with the line when it cuts inland.

[shweeney]

Long term the only way to reduce journey times and increase capacity is a new tunnel, that needs to be looked at now, not much point looking at it when the engineers come back one day and say they have to close permanently

you're talking about a 2-mile+ tunnel. It would cost an astronomical amount.

[Mark Gleeson]

you're talking about a 2-mile+ tunnel. It would cost an astronomical amount.

Straightforward straight single track tunnel through a solid enough rock with no stations or funny bits, given the number of tunnel boring machines and trained people who will be standing around post metro/interconnector it wouldn't be half as expensive as you might think

Interconnector was 1.4-1.8 billion for 5.4km with 5 stations and twin tunnels, probably get change out of 300 million for Greystones job

It will have to happen sometime, its 92 years since the last major works on the line to deal with the problems

[shweeney]

I still don't see tunnelling as an option at the moment given the expense but examining the feasibility of it is no harm. It need not be too long but just to link back with the line when it cuts inland.

problem is it never cuts back inland - the line hugs the cliffs from the end of the long-tunnel (greystones end) all the way into bray. to get away from the cliffs you'd have to have one tunnel right the way through.

[shweeney]

Straightforward straight single track tunnel through a solid enough rock with no stations or funny bits, given the number of tunnel boring machines and trained people who will be standing around post metro/interconnector it wouldn't be half as expensive

half as expensive is still pretty f***ing expensive to connect up a relatively small commuter town. You'd have to double-track it as well, no point perpetuating the existing problems...

*gets out crayons*

[essoII]

half as expensive is still pretty f***ing expensive to connect up a relatively small commuter town.

You cant just say that the tunnel is for Greystones commuters alone! You're forgetting the entire catchment of passengers south of Bray all the way along the Rosslare line. If this sort of disruption is going to continue at a stage where rock fall is happening annually, a feasibility study for a new route through or round Bray Head should be undertaken.
It's a very good point that the expert knowledge in tunneling soon to come from the dublin rail tunnel projects could vastly reduce the cost of carrying out tunneling work inbetween Bray and Greystones.

[shweeney]

You cant just say that the tunnel is for Greystones commuters alone! You're forgetting the entire catchment of passengers south of Bray all the way along the Rosslare line. If this sort of disruption is going to continue at a stage where rock fall is happening annually, a feasibility study for a new route through or round Bray Head should be undertaken.
It's a very good point that the expert knowledge in tunneling soon to come from the dublin rail tunnel projects could vastly reduce the cost of carrying out tunneling work inbetween Bray and Greystones.

passenger numbers on the rosslare line are poor and lot of potential passengers get the bus instead as its cheaper, more frequent, and no slower than the train.

I'd be interested to know what percentage of passengers travelling the Bray-Greystones section are only going to\from Greystones - I'd say its pretty high. Of course if there was a more regular and faster service to Wicklow and Arklow the numbers might improve.

[Trampas]

Did a train make it through to Greystones?



Real Time Train Information Results - 14:57

Northbound trains serving Lansdowne Rd in the next 60 minutes
Journey ETA Scheduled Platform Due In Current Location
Greystones to Howth 15:02 15:03 1 5 Mins Booterstown

Bray to Howth 15:17 15:16 1 20 Mins Glenageary

Bray to Malahide 15:28 15:28 1 31 Mins Bray

Greystones to Howth 15:42 15:42 1 45 Mins Greystones

[Mark Gleeson]

Nope, Irish Rail are too lazy to update the computer system, it simply looks up the trains ID number and gets its start and destination from that

[dermo88]

Any proposal to rebuild the Rosslare line between Bray and Wicklow, in my eyes is fantasy in the current financial climate. We are effectively talking of a brand new double track formation, much along the lines of the proposals made in the 1900's. You can clearly see the old deviation on the link supplied by Mark. To do that to serve Greystones (10,000 people), and Wicklow (5,000) does not seem worth it for the limited return on expenditure.

Passenger numbers have improved over the last few years, but speeds are still pedestrian. Considering the very nature of the route, I think it is inevitable that it has a difficult future ahead. Its a pity really from a sentimental perspective. From a practical perspective, I reckon they will have to throw in the towel eventually.

Covering up the most vulnerable parts of the route with a protective shelter from rockfalls seems to be the cheapest and most practical alternative. Thats how its done in the likes of Switzerland and Canada. The coastal erosion problem is another matter, its unique as railways go in that regard.

[Mark Gleeson]

And it continues


Gorey & Rosslare rail disruption worsens due to landslip at Arklow; Bray-Greystones remains closed by Corporate Communications

UPDATE: 15.15hrs, 4th February 2009

Iarnród Éireann advises customers that disruption to Gorey Commuter and Rosslare Intercity services has worsened, due to a landslip at a rail embankment between Arklow and Gorey.

Along with the Bray to Greystones DART, these services had been disrupted since Monday as the line had been closed between Bray and Greystones due to rockfall close to the entrance of the first tunnel on Bray Head.

However, a landslip has now occurred at a rail line embankment south of Arklow, and as a result, Gorey commuter and Rosslare-Dublin Intercity rail services are suspended entirely on the line between Bray and Rosslare Europort.

DART

Bus transfers will operate between Bray and Greystones for all DART services from now until further notice. All other DART services will operate normally, from Howth/Malahide to Bray.

Gorey Commuter and Rosslare Intercity

Gorey commuter services and Rosslare Intercity will also be substituted by bus services from Bray to all stations between Greystones and Rosslare Europort. Full service details will be updated shortly.



Arklow-Gorey landslip

The landslip has occurred on a high embankment over which the rail line runs, just over 2 miles south of Arklow. As a result, remedial works will be undertaken, and it is estimated the line will remain closed until this Sunday, 8th February.

Bray-Greystones rockfall

A significant amount of rock has fallen near the entrance to the first tunnel on Bray Head. Support wire nets have been damaged, and the area remains high risk, with the potential for further falls from the cliff face.

A team of experts are assessing the situation, to ensure materials can be removed without dangers to workers involved, and to enable the line is made safe for the operation of trains as soon as possible.

However, given the hazards involved, it is expected that this section will remain closed for a number of weeks.

Iarnród Éireann apologises to customers for the inconvenience caused. Full service details will be updated at this website

[shweeney]

aye "several weeks" for the Bray Head bit, sounds very bad.

Dermo - your population figures are a bit out of date - I agree though that it'll never be re-routed:

Greystones: 15k
Kilcoole: 3k
Wicklow: 10k
Rathdrum: 2k
Arklow: 12k
Gorey: 7k
Enniscorthy: 10k
Wexford: 18k

Total: 77k

[Mark]

Straightforward straight single track tunnel through a solid enough rock with no stations or funny bits, given the number of tunnel boring machines and trained people who will be standing around post metro/interconnector it wouldn't be half as expensive as you might think

Interconnector was 1.4-1.8 billion for 5.4km with 5 stations and twin tunnels, probably get change out of 300 million for Greystones job

It will have to happen sometime, its 92 years since the last major works on the line to deal with the problems

I reckon we can all think of better places to spend 300 million rather than a tunnel for the Rosslare line..

[Mark Gleeson]

Hmm, there is this project out west......

Easily could be no service to Greystones until March, maybe Easter just imagine the situation if NET was still in business in the current environment.

In recent years the number of incidents of closures on the route have increased massively. There will come a point

a) Close
b) Invest in a long term solution

[Mark Hennessy]

If a long / medium term solution to this costs multiples tens of millions then we had better hope that the current economic condition doesn't deteriorate any further.

A full scale deviation involving a new tunnel is not a runner alas so unless these new remedial works solve the problem for another 5 years then there could be a problem.

For Greystones DART users and Gorey line commuters this is a complete nightmare :(

Are DART season tickets being accepted on DB services in the short term?
Are IE running their own buses in addition to regular DB services to help with deman?

[essoII]

If a long / medium term solution to this costs multiples tens of millions then we had better hope that the current economic condition doesn't deteriorate any further.

A full scale deviation involving a new tunnel is not a runner alas so unless these new remedial works solve the problem for another 5 years then there could be a problem.

For Greystones DART users and Gorey line commuters this is a complete nightmare :(

Are DART season tickets being accepted on DB services in the short term?
Are IE running their own buses in addition to regular DB services to help with deman?
Shuttle buses are running accepting all rail tickets from stations south of Bray. Extra buses have been hired also to cope with huge amount of passengers needing to be shuttled to Bray. This situation has actually gotten from bad to apocalyptic! What a coincidence there's been another landslip on a seperate part of the line at Arklow. Imagine now there was another landslide between Killiney and Dalkey stations as happens occasionally..I think the situation is being well handled though, we're not waiting long for a shuttle bus in mornings/evenings. We're looking at a few weeks of this closure according to the irishrail.ie. Never been a time where a feasibility study for a new track section has been so urgently needed imo..really is a disaster for co.Wicklow commuters.

[essoII]

Shuttle buses ceased to bring passengers to/from Greystones/Bray at around 5 earlier. Road (windgates hill road) between Bray and Greystones was impassable by road traffic *due to heavy snowfall*, a friend of mine ended up walking from Bray to Greystones (taking 1 and a half hours!). Its absolute chaos when the public transport system completely brakes down like this!

[Mark Gleeson]

Obviously if the road is closed, its closed, but once again Irish Rail say nothing

Word in Dublin is many people have booked into hotels, to avoid the chaos of trying to get home and getting in tomorrow.

[essoII]

I have a strange feeling of being stranded without the DART and possibilty of having no bus shuttle to Bray...no college for me in the morning then!:) i'm far too reliant on public transport, i'm taking up driving!

[dowlingm]

imagine the situation if NET was still in business in the current environment
well in fairness though NET was crazy - transporting ammonia by rail through Cork and up and down the country. All this should do wonders for stock shortages though right? :D

The main problem as I see is the sharp turn eastwards the line makes leaving Bray and the large residential area south of it. That makes it difficult to bring inland without huge CPOs etc. Also it's hard to justify spending a ton of money unless the timetabling limitations of the existing line are helped by it.

[JamesK]

According to a staff member with whom I spoke yesterday, the problem south of Arklow will not be rectified and service reinstated between Gorey and Greystones until late this week.

The Irish Rail website expresses the hope that service will be restored sooner and hopefully, that is the correct version of how things stand.

[ThomasJ]

No better news by the looks of it!

Gorey & Rosslare rail disruption continues due to landslip at Arklow; Bray-Greystones remains closed by Corporate Communications


UPDATE: 22.00hrs, 8th February 2009

Iarnród Éireann advises customers that disruption to Gorey Commuter and Rosslare Intercity services is continuing, due to a landslip at a rail embankment between Arklow and Gorey.

Along with the Bray to Greystones DART, these services had been disrupted since Monday 2nd February as the line had been closed between Bray and Greystones due to rockfall close to the entrance of the first tunnel on Bray Head.

However, a landslip occurred on Wednesday 4th February at a rail line embankment south of Arklow, and as a result, Gorey commuter and Rosslare-Dublin Intercity rail services are suspended entirely on the line between Bray and Gorey.

Service arrangements during disruption

DART

Bus transfers will operate between Bray and Greystones for all DART services from now until further notice. All other DART services will operate normally, from Howth/Malahide to Bray.

Gorey Commuter and Rosslare Intercity

Gorey commuter services will also be substituted by bus services from Bray to Gorey. Rosslare Intercity services will be substituted by bus services between Bray and Gorey.

Arklow-Gorey landslip

The landslip has occurred on a high embankment over which the rail line runs, just over 2 miles south of Arklow. As a result, remedial works are being undertaken, and it is now estimated the line will remain closed until at least Sunday, 15th February.

Bray-Greystones rockfall

A significant amount of rock has fallen near the entrance to the first tunnel on Bray Head. Support wire nets have been damaged, and the area remains high risk, with the potential for further falls from the cliff face.

A team of experts are assessing the situation, to ensure materials can be removed without dangers to workers involved, and to enable the line is made safe for the operation of trains as soon as possible.

However, given the hazards involved, it is expected that this section will remain closed for a number of weeks.

Iarnród Éireann apologises to customers for the inconvenience caused. Full service details will be updated at this website.

[PLUMB LOCO]

Hmm, there is this project out west......

Easily could be no service to Greystones until March, maybe Easter just imagine the situation if NET was still in business in the current environment.

In recent years the number of incidents of closures on the route have increased massively. There will come a point

a) Close
b) Invest in a long term solution

As a long time user of the Connolly/Rosslare Harbour line I have become use to breakdowns, crap rolling stock etc. but never a problem with rockfalls - I am intrigued by your reference to the massive increase of closures. Can you be a bit more specific? :)

[ThomasJ]

one of the things that I noticed on the sign I saw at tara street yesterday was there were bus transfers at times it was asking people to get the 84/184 to bray/greystones particulary after morning and at weekends.

Also saying at those times rail passes would be accepted on dublin bus.

[Mark Gleeson]

Good history of problems

http://www.railusers.ie/forum/showthread.php?t=492&highlight=greystones (debris on line)
http://www.railusers.ie/forum/showthread.php?t=918&highlight=greystones (OHLE fault)
http://www.railusers.ie/forum/showthread.php?t=1559&highlight=greystones (flooding)
http://www.railusers.ie/forum/showthread.php?t=1592&highlight=greystones (bad weather)
http://www.railusers.ie/forum/showthread.php?t=1615&highlight=greystones (OHLE fault)
http://www.railusers.ie/forum/showthread.php?t=3973&highlight=greystones (rock fall)
http://www.railusers.ie/forum/showthread.php?t=4697&highlight=greystones (signaling fault)

There was a incident on a Sunday afternoon in recent years where a train had to make an emergency stop due to rock fall as well not in that list, there are many other incidents obviously the list is not exhaustive. Most are minor rockfalls close to the railway and cause no real harm. Won't go into the closures during the DASH project and at night to deal with the tunnels. For 5 miles it sure clocks up the faults despite having only a fraction of the number of trains

There is a rockfall problem
There is serious coastal erosion
The exposed cliff alignment results in a high number of OHLE problems
The tunnels have other problems

A very large amount of money has been spent trying to hold back natures natural course. The risk assessment on the route seems to have mandated that derailment containment be provided continuously on the cliff and tunnel sections to ensure if a train did hit a rock fall chances where it would be prevented from fully leaving the track, I don't know of anywhere else similarly treated over such a length. Bray head is a geotechnical nightmare, its one of the most exposed to the elements places you are going to find and it has presented a massive ongoing challenge to engineers, it beat Brunel all those years ago.

Someone does need to get a thinking cap on and look long term as to how to deal with the inevitable. Digging the debris out and trying to bolt the rockface together is only buying time, 10 years? 20 years? 50 years? who knows. And we all can agree the reliability of Greystones services isn't great

A week on no clear statement on the duration of the closure, it wouldn't hurt for IE to post a photo to show the scale of the problem it would buy a little bit of understanding. It takes 15-20 minutes by bus so a revised timetable should be published to clarify the actual service from Greystones, in fact anyone with a weekly or monthly rail ticket should be allowed use the 184 and 84 buses as well for free. That would be what a customer focused operator would do, Irish Rail well we can dream

[essoII]

There's a photo of the fall in this weeks edition of The Wicklow Times. Cant upload it though. It shows two councellors from Wicklow co.co. standing next to the fall..It looks to me to be very small, literally like a few wheel barrow loads of rubble at the bottom of one of those safety nets. Honestly cant see how something seemingly so small and insignificant is causing the line to be closed indefinatly. Even the councellors think irishrail are not doing enough to solve the problem. No shuttle buses run between Bray and Greystones during offpeak times which i think is ridiculous. I own a monthly rail ticket and am having to pay for the 84/184 at these times. This is also the time many school children travelling to Greystones are waiting for buses, also having to pay...it really is a joke at this stage..

[ThomasJ]

There's a photo of the fall in this weeks edition of The Wicklow Times. Cant upload it though. It shows two councellors from Wicklow co.co. standing next to the fall..It looks to me to be very small, literally like a few wheel barrow loads of rubble at the bottom of one of those safety nets. Honestly cant see how something seemingly so small and insignificant is causing the line to be closed indefinatly. Even the councellors think irishrail are not doing enough to solve the problem. No shuttle buses run between Bray and Greystones during offpeak times which i think is ridiculous. I own a monthly rail ticket and am having to pay for the 84/184 at these times. This is also the time many school children travelling to Greystones are waiting for buses, also having to pay...it really is a joke at this stage..

That cannot be right! There is a notice at Tara street referring to the use of 84/184 after peak hours and all weekend if anyone has the chance can they get a picture? I will try and get one later, but typical that this notice is not online! (as in alternative arrangements)

[ACustomer]

I wouldn't place too much credence in what local Councillors have to say: they tend to grandstand a lot.

While the rockfall might look small - just a few wheelbarrows full - I don't think you would like even a 2-kilo rock to hit a train window, especially if it had gained some velocity having become detached from much higher up.

It is only reasonable that the whole rockface in the vicinity of the fall be inspected and made safe prior to re-opening. I can easily see why this might be a fairly complicated task, given the terrain and access (never mind the recent weather conditions).

[Mark Gleeson]

I think we can all accept that services must be suspended until such time that Irish Rail's engineers and possibly the chief inspector of the RSC give the ok

What we cannot accept is the usual lazy Irish Rail ignoring its obligations to put in place a reasonable alternative mode of transport combined with the usual confused information

[shweeney]

there are 4 or 5 buses lined up outside the station in the morning - this seems to suggest that BAC have the buses and drivers to spare to operate the shuttle service during the morning peak. Why they can't continue to run the shuttle outside the peak hours is unclear.

Its hit and miss in the evening as well, yesterday evening passengers from the 1825 Dart into Bray (that is supposed to continue to Greystones) were being directed onto a 184 that then sat at the station until its scheduled departure at 1840. Extra delay, extra frustration.

[wobbles]

there are 4 or 5 buses lined up outside the station in the morning - this seems to suggest that BAC have the buses and drivers to spare to operate the shuttle service during the morning peak. Why they can't continue to run the shuttle outside the peak hours is unclear.

Its hit and miss in the evening as well, yesterday evening passengers from the 1825 Dart into Bray (that is supposed to continue to Greystones) were being directed onto a 184 that then sat at the station until its scheduled departure at 1840. Extra delay, extra frustration.

It seems the Gorey commuter service is now starting to be cancelled. I noticed a small hand written notice outside the gate of the station this morning that the 1135 Connolly-Gorey the 1448 Gorey-Connolly and the 1923 Gorey-Connolly have now being cancelled untill further notice. Nothing on the IE website about this.

[Mark Gleeson]

They have been deleted from the online timetable

Its not on

[wobbles]

Mark is there any thing that can be done about this? Its a public service surely IE cant pick and choose what services they can operate.

[Mark Gleeson]

I know who is in charge in IE and who oversees that IE play by the rules in the DoT, failure without good cause to provide alternative transport is not acceptable

Email will go out tomorrow to IE, see what they say.

[Colm Moore]

there are 4 or 5 buses lined up outside the station in the morning - this seems to suggest that BAC have the buses and drivers to spare to operate the shuttle service during the morning peak. Why they can't continue to run the shuttle outside the peak hours is unclear. Cost.

[Mark Gleeson]

Cost.

Which is no excuse to ignore the obligation to provide alternative transport when a line is closed

[wobbles]

Which is no excuse to ignore the obligation to provide alternative transport when a line is closed

I agree with you Mark 100%. Its not good enough.

[PLUMB LOCO]

942

Recent picture of unsucessful journey between Greystones and Bray! :D

[essoII]

here's a rather dodgy image of the one in The Wicklow Times, from tuesday. Couldn't get it to scan in in colour...what you think? To me it looks like there's a bit of damage to the wire mesh designed to catch the loose rocks on the cliff face...honestly looks like there's only a few wheel barrows worth of debris from this "major rockfall". I guess it's unclear from this image though, there could easily be more loose rock above..surely it's a bit unwise for people to be standing right underneath such a precarious rock face;)

[PLUMB LOCO]

944

More seriously this photograph shows the very limited extent of the latest 'avalanche'. Simply some small stones and mud loosened by recent heavy rain and largely contained by netting - hardly a reason to reroute the line to the West of Bray Head! :D

[Mark Gleeson]

I'm planning on getting out there myself in coming days, know the cliff walk very well to get some photos to see how bad it really is, you need to be on the Greystones side to see the upper cliff. There is an awful lot of unstable cliff there a lot of it will have to be removed

Seems like my link to the aerial photo was spot on the location :D

If you want to see what a relatively small rockfall can do (1 boulder less than 1m^3), NIR had a accident http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docSummary.php?docID=1933

The Portarlington incident was a relatively minor landslide yet it derailed 118 tons of locomotive

[ACustomer]

Good News!: from IE Website:

Gorey & Rosslare rail disruption continues until Monday; Bray-Greystones closed up to Wednesday by Corporate Communications


UPDATE: 14.45hrs, 12th February 2009

Iarnród Éireann advises customers that disruption to Gorey Commuter and Rosslare Intercity services is continuing, due to a landslip at a rail embankment between Arklow and Gorey.

Along with the Bray to Greystones DART, these services had been disrupted since Monday 2nd February as the line had been closed between Bray and Greystones due to rockfall close to the entrance of the first tunnel on Bray Head.

However, a landslip occurred on Wednesday 4th February at a rail line embankment south of Arklow, and as a result, Gorey commuter and Rosslare-Dublin Intercity rail services are suspended entirely on the line between Bray and Gorey.

However, the rail line will reopen at Arklow by lunchtime on Monday 16th February. Furthermore, the line at Bray Head will reopen on Thursday 19th February. The public footpath at Bray Head will remain closed until further notice.

[essoII]

Furthermore, the line at Bray Head will reopen on Thursday 19th February. [/I]

Ace. :) sick of getting the bus!

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishrail.ie/news_centre/travel_alerts.asp?action=view&news_id=467 Arklow line reopens; Bray-Greystones closed up to Wednesday by Corporate Communications

UPDATE: 14.45hrs, 15th February 2009

Iarnród Éireann advises customers that the line between Greystones and Gorey has reopened, following remedial works to rectify a landslip near Arklow.

However, there remains disruption to Rosslare Intercity, Gorey Commuter and Greystones DART services, due to a rockfall at Bray Head. As a result, the Bray to Greystones line has been closed since Monday 2nd February.

The Bray-Greystones line will remain closed up to and including Wednesday 18th February, and will reopen from the first train service on the morning of Thursday 19th February. The public footpath at Bray Head will remain closed until further notice.

Service arrangements during disruption

DART

Alternative bus services will operate between Bray and Greystones for DART services. All other DART services will operate normally, from Howth/Malahide to Bray.


Gorey Commuter and Rosslare Intercity

Gorey commuter services will also be substituted by bus services from Bray to Gorey. Rosslare Intercity services will be substituted by bus services between Bray and Greystones.

Iarnród Éireann apologises to customers for the inconvenience caused. Full service details will be updated at this website, and journey planner information is available through the timestable search at our homepage www.irishrail.ie