Malahide Media Coverage

[Colm Moore]

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/c...e-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/.../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/an...l-1945344.html

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...258982272.html

[roamling]

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/an...l-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]

Originally Posted by Victor

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/...258982272.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/...258982257.html

Special 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/...259113124.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/...reaking68.html

Erosion 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]

Originally Posted by dowlingm

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