Malahide viaduct

[James Shields]

Originally Posted by ThomasJ

Nicely done james!

And they even spelt my name right for the nine o'clock news!

[Mark Gleeson]

Originally Posted by ThomasJ

Nicely done james!

Nice Job, RTE needed a real commuter

I'm standing behind the camera for the Barry Kenny piece, my piece to camera will run tomorrow

[ThomasJ]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

Nice Job, RTE needed a real commuter

I'm standing behind the camera for the Barry Kenny piece, my piece to camera will run tomorrow

This should be good! I hope you ripped them (ie) to shreads !

[johnjlawlor]

Looking at videos and photographs of the damage to the bridge, I fear that it will take a lot more than three months to fix. I can’t see it being open this side of Christmas. I really hope I am wrong.

[Mark Hennessy]

Tribune reporting today that it could months (>3) to rebuild the viaduct.

I would agree with that assessment, if IE were ready to start rebuilding tomorrow, then Christmas might be the completion time.

But what about investigations, structural studies, new tenders, EIS and then construction and testing?

I know in Victorian times, these things happened quickly, who expects IE to get the bit between the teeth on this?

[James Shields]

The information on commuter arrangements for Monday morning are still worryingly vague:

WEEKDAY COMMUTER SERVICES

Iarnród Éireann are working with Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann to provide enhanced services on existing routes serving the communities affected. Dublin Bus will enhance the No 33 routes serving the Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush & Lusk and Donabate areas, including use of the Dublin Port Tunnel. Details of these services, and service arrangements for customers between Dundalk and Gormanstown, will be confirmed as soon as possible.

In addition, a rail service will operate between Dundalk/Drogheda and Skerries.

Full details will be updated here shortly.

People need complete weekday plans soon so they can make arrangements.

Questions:

Will Bus Eireann accept Irish Rail tickets during the disruption (Dublin Bus normally do, but not Bus Eireann - this could be a big issue for anyone north of Balbriggan)?

Will the "enhanced No 33 bus service" run as a connecting service so that passengers can transfer straight from the train to the bus?

Will Drogheda commuters be able to use the Enterprise replacement bus service?

I know IE have offered a refund on season tickets for passengers who are unable to use the service, but what about a partial refund for passengers who have significantly longer journey times imposed by this disturbance?

[Mark Gleeson]

There where contractors on site yesterday

Most likely outcome is to simply replace the missing pier and a new deck. Can't see a need for an EIS since its a like for like.

I'm told one of the 4 deck pieces is still intact

Irish Rail do have numerous contractors on retainer for general works

[James Shields]

I agree with the need to get the line running again as soon as possible, but isn't there also a need to ensure that it can's fail in the same way again?

Perhaps replacing like-for-like in the short term (with improved inspection procedures), while planning an improved viaduct design for the longer term is the solution.

[tigger1962]

there are new timetables... seems the running the trains to skerries... BUT they telling those heading to dublin to head to drogheda where a bus service will be provided.. this includes from gormanston and layton.

This sounds like chaos in waiting..

eg my normal schedule would have been 6.35 Dundalk to Pearse.. now its 6.35 Dundalk to Drogheda.. hopefully a bus a 7.00 (cutting it fine as the train due to arrive at drogheda at 6.58!) arriving at connolly... god knows!!

on way home.. normally 15.20 from connolly to arrive dundalk 16.20... now

15.00 Connolly to Drogheda then hope to 16.20 Drogheda to Dundalk (presumably the enterprise!) to arrive 16.40..

looks like my cycle to work bit of my journey on hold for 3 months now

Does anyone know if refunds will be made available to those on Annual tickets wanting to use alternative means during the upcoming chaos.. especially next month whn schools/colleges start back!
I know my work state that no refunds are available but I found out that this was their policy not CIE's!!

[johnjlawlor]

Just reported on RTE news. Might help to get a few construction workers back to work!

[Mark Hennessy]

Originally Posted by johnjlawlor

Just reported on RTE news. Might help to get a few construction workers back to work!

Tom Parlon is shameless, no doubt they'll be trying to inspect bridges on closed lines too.

[Mark Hennessy]

RTE radio 1 now.

Baz is on to spin the inspection, nothing to worry about here etc.

[williemc49]

Just wondering three months to fix malhide viaduct? If so will all railcars fall into poor condition if they can't get back to Drogheda for maintance.

[Mark Gleeson]

Keep an eye on this link http://www.scribd.com/irishrail

[Mark Hennessy]

It would be great if commuters on the Northern Line could record their experiences for the next few days here.

I can't imagine it will be any fun but we hope to at least get sensible suggestions to ease the burden on commuters back to IE.

[plant43]

Irish Times this morning

DUBLIN’S NORTHERN commuter line as well as rail services to and from Belfast are likely to be disrupted for much longer than the three months estimated by Iarnród Éireann, following the partial collapse of the railway viaduct over Broadmeadow estuary.

Up to 20,000 rail journeys a day, split evenly in and out of the city centre, are to be replaced by road transport over the next three months, the shortest period within which Iarnród Éireann says it envisages the viaduct can be repaired.

The company said Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann and private operators will provide alternative transport, including a special service between Drogheda station and Dublin city centre utilising Dublin Port Tunnel.

Enterprise services will operate only between Belfast and Drogheda, but Dart services between Malahide and Howth Junction are running normally. The measures are to be reviewed next week as the busy back-to-school period gets under way.

In 2003, when a goods train derailment caused part of the Cahir viaduct in Co Tipperary to collapse, it took 11 months for repairs to be carried out. Unlike the Broadmeadow collapse, it did not involve replacing any of the bridge piers.

Engineers and railway safety inspectors, supported by divers, spent the weekend examining the collapsed section of the viaduct – a breach some 20m (66ft) long – and inspecting the remaining 10 piers for signs of any structural damage.

In 1998, a report by 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”.

Fine Gael transport spokesman Fergus O’Dowd TD, who regularly commutes on the line, said questions needed to be answered about what had happened since then.

In its 2006 report on the Cahir incident, the Railway Safety Commission found “serious deficiencies” in Iarnród Éireann’s inspection and maintenance regime and concluded that these shortcomings “were principally responsible for the accident”.

One of the options being considered is to replace the missing section of the Broadmeadow viaduct with a single 20-metre span from reinforced piers on either side of it. However, depending on the outcome of inspections now being carried out, it may be necessary to replace the entire viaduct.

An Iarnród Éireann spokesman said every bridge was thoroughly inspected at two-yearly intervals.

[RonanDonnelly1]

Hi,
How do I go about contacting the investigation team? I noticed something on Thursday and Friday that might be of interest to them. I was on the last train to cross the bridge north-bound before the collapse

[Mark Gleeson]

Good man

You need to get in touch with the RAIU which is a strange off shoot of the RSC

Railway Safety Commission,
Trident House,
Blackrock,
County Dublin,
Ireland.

Tel. + 353 1 206 8110

They will have the number. staff are

Chief Investigator is Dave Murton
Senior Investigator is Cliodhna Loughney
Investigator Jill Cregan

Write down everything now

[irishsaint]

Just learned something regarding any re-development of the viaduct (including repairs). Council Directive 92/43/EEC - means that Malahide Estuary is a designated Special Areas of Conservation (SAC). EIA legislation requires the competent/consent authority to formally decide whether or not a project would or would not be likely to have significant effects on the environment.
The EPA grants the authority but gives a 28-day public consultation period in which objections or requests for oral hearings can be lodged with the EPA by any person or body. How long do you think this could take?
I believe it would be fair to suggest that Irish rails "3 months" maybe only just slightly optimistic.

[Mark Gleeson]

If they simply replace the broken bit with an identical bit then there won't be a problem

If a new bridge is needed then the problems start, however the fast track planning for critical infrastructure would allow a bypass of the public hearing