[15/06/2009] DART/Commuter/Enterprise delays due to Overhead power at Killester

[James Shields]

Arrived in Connolly for the 20:45 Enterprise to find everything delayed or cancelled. The staff said someone had thrown a bicycle on to the overhead lines at Killester and brought everything down. They said it could be down for the night and suggested I head over to Busaras.

Fortunately I hung around, as things seem to be getting going again. The Enterprise arrived and I'm now waiting for it's delayed departure. We haven't been told when that will be, of course!

[Mark Gleeson]

All DART Services North of Connolly Station are Currently Suspended by Corporate Communications

All DART Services North of Connolly Station are Currently Suspended

All DART services North of Connolly Station are currently suspended due to vandalism at Killester Station.

Dublin Bus is honouring all rail tickets.

All services South of Connolly, Maynooth & Drogheda services are operating as normal.

Iarnród Éireann apologises for the inconvenience caused.

As usual Irish Rail's definition of normal is not quite what you expect

[Thomas Ralph]

What a complete moron. I hope there is CCTV so that they can catch this person and prosecute.

[Mark Gleeson]

Back in business again

All DART Services North of Connolly Station have Resumed

All DART services North of Connolly Station have resumed. Expect delays of 45-60 minutes.


DART Services North of Connolly were suspended for a time due to vandalism at Killester Station.

All DART services South of Connolly, Maynooth & Drogheda commuter services are operating as normal.

Iarnród Éireann apologises for the inconvenience caused.

[James Shields]

Single line running in operation.

Ran Killester to Howth Junction on wrong tracks. There was a DART stranded just south of Killester with no lights on. iE staff were on the tracks.

At least someone is managing to keep things moving. Good thing it didn't happen at rush hour.

I can't fault IE on this one, except a couple of announcements would have been helpful.

[ThomasJ]

Just been announced at tara street ALL NORTHSIDE SERVICES suspended effective until CLOSE OF BUSINESS

[Mark Gleeson]

Really starting to wonder with Irish Rail, on off on off...

DART Services North of Connolly Station are suspended for the night by Corporate Communications

All DART Services North of Connolly Station are suspended for the night

All DART services North of Connolly Station have been suspended for the night due to vandalism at Killester Station.

All DART services South of Connolly and Maynooth commuter services are operating as normal.

Iarnród Éireann apologises for the inconvenience caused.

[ThomasJ]

Fm104 have been reading the statement off the irish rail website but people have been texting in asking what is the story with the drogheda services and noone seems to know.

[Mark Gleeson]

You gonna get the bus

DART Services North of Connolly Station are suspended for the night by Corporate Communications

All DART Services North of Connolly Station are suspended for the night

All DART services North of Connolly Station have been suspended for the night and for Northern commuter services bus transfers will be in operation due to vandalism at Killester Station:

22:05 Drogheda to Connolly will operate to Malahide and a bus transfer to Connolly will be in operation.

23:20 Connolly to Drogheda will operate as a bus to Malahide and then by train to Drogheda.

All DART services South of Connolly and Maynooth commuter services are operating as normal.

Iarnród Éireann apologises for the inconvenience caused.

[Colm Moore]

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2055593948

[James Shields]

Looks like I was lucky to make it home on the train. Eventually got home about an hour late.

Let's hope things are back to normal by the morning.

[Mark Gleeson]

Good news is they had it fixed for this morning

There is a good chance, better than 50% that the DART involved had both front and rear facing CCTV cameras so the vandals might be caught on that, or by another train which passed just before the incident, the vandals most likely waited around to see the outcome of their sick game.

[ThomasJ]

The more you look at it.. the more you ask yourself how much more stupid can these youths get.

You do not mess with electricity pilons of any sort, throwing a bike onto it takes the cake!

If these people had brains they'd be dangerous!

[Mark Gleeson]

The bike didn't short out the overhead, had it the power would have gone out. Irish Rail had to replace the feeder wire with an insulated wire in the mid 80's, back then a coat hanger could trip the system out

The driver was unlucky a few second warning and the pantograph could have been dropped preventing damage

The penalties under the Rail Safety Act for endangering a train are significant

[KSW]

The penalties under the Rail Safety Act for endangering a train are significant

HERE'S HOPING TO CATCHING THEM,

Somebody passing over the bridge, Cars & People could have seen something.

I think these youths could definitely face some kind of charge if charge..

[Colm Moore]

Two stories from the Irish Times about last night's disruption. Note that they claim "Northbound Dart services suspended", not DART / commuter services were suspended between Malahide/Howth and Connolly.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0615/breaking71.htm
Last Updated: Monday, June 15, 2009, 22:37
Northbound Dart services suspended

All northbound Dart services have been suspended tonight following damage to overhead power lines near Killester.

A spokesman said the power lines had been vandalised earlier this evening and northbound services would not resume until tomorrow morning.

He said all southbound services were operating normally



http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0616/breaking1.htm
Last Updated: Tuesday, June 16, 2009, 06:06
Dart services back to normal

Iarnród Éireann has said all Dart services are running as normal this morning after being suspended due to damage to power lines near Killester.

Northbound services from Connolly Station were cancelled last night after vandals dropped a bicycle on the overhead lines.

The damage was repaired overnight and normal service has resumed.

Southbound services from Connolly were not affected.

[ThomasJ]

Good news is they had it fixed for this morning

There is a good chance, better than 50% that the DART involved had both front and rear facing CCTV cameras so the vandals might be caught on that, or by another train which passed just before the incident, the vandals most likely waited around to see the outcome of their sick game.

Hopefully, but if this story from Monday is anything to go by....

Evening Herald http://www.herald.ie/national-news/courts/trial-hit-as-cctv-film--missing-of-attack-on-dart-man-1773994.html

Trial hit as CCTV film missing of 'attack' on DART man
By Eimear Cotter


Monday June 15 2009

Missing CCTV footage could affect the trial of a trainee jockey accused of hitting a DART station worker with a plastic floor sign.

Keith McDonnell (19) denies assaulting the security worker and also trying to use pepper spray on him.

Tallaght District Court was told the security worker at Tara Street station suffered a blood injury to the back of his head in the alleged assault.

However, the court heard that gardai had had difficulties downloading CCTV footage from the platform, as different companies operated CCTV and the security at the stations.


Issue

Defence solicitor Grainne Malone said the absence of CCTV footage may become an issue during the hearing of the case.

The defendant, of Glenshane Green, Tallaght, is charged with assault causing harm to a security worker at Tara Street station, and of being in possession of a dangerous weapon, a pepper spray canister, at Burgh Quay, Dublin 2, and not having a licence for the pepper spray.

It was previously alleged that a group of youths, including McDonnell, jumped ticket barriers and got on to a train.

They were stopped, and it is claimed the defendant picked up a plastic floor sign and hit the station worker over the head before trying to spray him with the pepper spray.

The matter was adjourned for a week to the Bridewell District Court to set a hearing date.

[Mark Gleeson]

You got to love the useless reporting in the Herald

Firstly it was a northbound train not a southbound one that was the train to hit the bike, we know the southbound track was clear since the enterprise used that

The passengers walked to Killester they where not forced to return to Connolly

The signaling was automated since wrong line working is provided for between Dun Laoghaire and Howth Junc so the manual line is also wrong

As for Irish Rail's official comments, I'll leave that for you to discuss

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/city-news/vandals-throw-bike-on-line-to-shut--dart-1774873.html

[ThomasJ]

Is it a bit of an exaggeration in saying that thousands would be affected? After all it was 19:30-20:00 that this happened.

Again, I think the extent of the vandalism in this case is extraordinary, throwing a bike onto electric wires? As for the response not suprising they would come out all guns blazing making a statement for a change theyre not to blame!

[Colm Moore]

Is it a bit of an exaggeration in saying that thousands would be affected? After all it was 19:30-20:00 that this happened.Perhaps not thousands at that time, but for the rest of the evening probably.