Malahide viaduct

[James Shields]

Originally Posted by roamling

I have a question here: I returned my annual train ticket today because its of no use to me anymore. I take the car now. Lets say my car is in repair and I need to get into town can I still use the buses that were set up by IE, instead of the normal scheduled buses, in order to get into town quickly (under the assumption that I pay the busdriver a fare)?

You'd have to buy your ticket first, but I don't expect there would be a problem, and I can't see IE turning the revenue away.

[James Shields]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

New Dundalk - Donabate timetable http://www.irishrail.ie/upload/Donab...0Timetable.pdf

I picked up a copy in Conolly yesterday. Looks a big improvement, though it doesn't give times for the shuttle bus - presumably it connects with the trains.

[Mark Gleeson]

Shuttle bus is peak hours only, will run all day from Monday 31st

[roamling]

http://www.fingal-independent.ie/new...o-1868844.html

By Robin KIELY

Wednesday August 26 2009

A DUBLIN train driver has been hailed as a hero after his quick thinking prevented Ireland's worst ever rail disaster in Malahide on Friday evening.

Keith Farrelly 'thought he was seeing things' as he noticed signs of subsidence on the track, while crossing the viaduct over the Broadmeadow estuary at around 6.25pm.

He immediately stopped his train at Malahide station and alerted Irish Rail, who suspended services on the northern line.

'The first inkling I had that something was wrong was when I noticed water splashing up to a high level,' Mr Farrelly recalled.

'In that location, it's not a normal thing to happen, so I looked at the northbound line and saw that the viaduct was giving way and that the track was hanging. ' The Dundalk train had just gone over the bridge it was a very close call. I saw the bridge start to collapse as I was going over it. It was a scary situation, surreal.

'I was just relieved that we got past. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, the waves were coming up over the side of it, I thought I was seeing things.' The 33-year-old said he could feel the ballast moving on the line beneath his train, adding his 'defensive driving training' had kicked in.

'I decided to coast the train in, lightly braking, so I didn't put pressure on the track, and ensured we had momentum to get us safely to the station.

' When I arrived at Malahide Station I protected both lines and alerted control. It was such an unreal sight, I started thinking to myself 'did I really see that?'

'But when I walked back, I saw it clearly, and my legs just went to jelly with the shock. I'm just glad that all of us on board walked away from it safely.' Iarnród Éireann spokesperson, Barry Kenny, said different sections of railway tracks were walked three 'times a week', with a major structural inspection every two years, while the viaduct in question had been inspected last Tuesday.

The rail accident investigation unit of the Department of Transport is carrying out an inquiry, alongside an Irish Rail investigation.

- Robin KIELY

pretty scary, the driver of that train certainly is a hero

[roamling]

Barry Kenny from Irish Rail was on Today FM's "the last word" yesterday. He objected the idea that the "cosmetic" cracks the Seascout reported and which were then inspected were the cause of that collapse...

Maybe such statements should only be made after the investigation is over.

[Mark Gleeson]

I've spoken to the Malahide sea scouts (before the IT piece) and their local knowledge is very important and that there was a very large change in the tidal flows. They have several photos, which both IE and RAIU have been given copies

Speculation is unhelpful, we all await the RAIU report

[citizens7]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

Attachment 1058

Thanks Mark, however if you search on Connolly to Dundalk, only the enterprise times come up (showing bus transfer to Drogheda), so it makes it hard to know which bus you should take for the non Enterprise connections.

[philip]

Sure that'll be 18 months or more before it's out and everyone will have quietly forgotten about it. Nobody will resign (as usual).

Barry Kenny has a cheek to be refudiating claims on the one hand but saying we should await the report's outcomes on the other. Who's briefing him? the same engineers who did a sterling inspection of the bridge before it collapsed into the sea as a train ran over it?

[betsey]

Originally Posted by ThomasJ

With regards to Dublin Bus extra services are on the way from Monday

http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/News-Cent...-Arrangements/

Hi i'm new here, have bee following comments etc on boards.ie. Great they are putting on extra Dublin bus services but none of them serve Balbriggan, we have so far no viable off peak service as Bus Eireann will not take our rail tickets

[Mark Gleeson]

Options from Balbriggan

Train to Skerries, off peak 33x service provided
Train to Donabate, shuttle service meets all trains to Malahide for onwards connection extra Malahide - Dublin trains provided

Train service is now at least hourly if not better

The Bus Eireann ticket situation has been raised with Irish Rail

[ThomasJ]

Originally Posted by betsey

Hi i'm new here, have bee following comments etc on boards.ie. Great they are putting on extra Dublin bus services but none of them serve Balbriggan, we have so far no viable off peak service as Bus Eireann will not take our rail tickets

Also I would suggest asking the inspector on duty at abbey street, or giving dublin bus a call. I have read elsewhere that some 33X services are continuing on to Balbriggan.

[Thomas Ralph]

Aircoach has started a Dundalk-Dublin Airport service via Drogheda, which might be of some use to people affected by the Malahide viaduct collapse.

[losexpectation]

malahide chamber of commerce has some interesting info
http://newsletters.visrez.com/T/View...40EF23F30FEDED

Ionrad Éireann has brought in experts from the U.S. to study the weir and foundations of the bridge. They are presently planning to create a new span from pier 3 to pier 5, skipping the collapsed pier. It may then be possible to reopen the bridge while further work is carried out on strengthening the remainder of the bridge. For the moment though, emphasis is being placed on securing the existing structures including the weir.

heard they want the department of marine involved to ensure and rebuild the weir

[James Shields]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

I've spoken to the Malahide sea scouts (before the IT piece) and their local knowledge is very important and that there was a very large change in the tidal flows. They have several photos, which both IE and RAIU have been given copies

Speculation is unhelpful, we all await the RAIU report

Speculation may be unhelpful, but isn't that more or less what Barry's claims that the cracks were purely cosmetic and nothing to do with the collapse are?

While the cracks may not have been the cause of the collapse, they may have been a sign that the underlying structure was weakened. As far as I understand, the engineer's examination was purely visual, so what does he have to go on other than cracks like these? Are there tests such as ultrasound or non-visible EM frequencies to examine the underlying structure?

Apologies if this is too much speculation.

[losexpectation]

On Monday last week, the leader of the Malahide Sea Scouts contacted the company with concerns about erosion to the piers.

The following day an engineer inspected the viaduct and found “no visible structural issues, and that all markings were cosmetic”, the company said yesterday.

Two days later, a track monitoring vehicle travelled over the line. This records all dimensions of track, including levels and gauge, and would identify any deviations from normal conditions including those not visible to the naked eye.

It found the railway was operating as designed.

Yet the following day the viaduct collapsed at 6.30pm, moments after a train passed over it.

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...o-1870886.html

[Adrian Marley]

Someone posted this on politics.ie

I can't vouch for its accuracy, but it does seem believable.

Have got into my procession some Notes from an Iarnrod Eireann Meeting this morning in relation to the Malahide bridge collaspe.

1. After Engineer accessment of the Bridge it was agreed that the entire Bridge will need replaced
2. No Temporary measure can be put in place and Train services on the Dublin-Belfast line will be out of service for at least 11 months and beyond
3. Figures are down by 65% on line as of Thursday
4. Confirmation that NIE are seeking financial renumeration for damage to service
5. Driver concern in relation to signals for this fault. Signalling did not work. Mention of Union action
6. They had already discussed the dealings of the Engineer visit to the bridge on the Tuesday following a report from Malahide YC - Nothing more to report only they await a detailed submission


That's all folks - Suppose the mains thing is it will be out for at least 11 months and NIE looking compensation.

[Mark Gleeson]

Given this person can't spell the terminology correctly it looks fake

Its either NIR or Translink, NIE is the NI version of the ESB. IE always use NIR internally
It wasn't Malahide Yacht Club it was Malahide Sea Scouts who reported in
The signaling system worked within spec, radio telephone worked and the secondary protection was applied

And its a viaduct not a bridge

And Malahide Sea Scouts have already made a detailed submission and met with IE and the RAIU over the weekend and Monday this week

[Charlie Hungerford]

I also think that it's a fake for the reasons that Mark has outlined. The signalling system, in particular, seems to have worked as it should.

[Mark Gleeson]

The spelling and grammar isn't great either

[Charlie Hungerford]

It's important to note that, unlike many other Irish Rail timetables, the timings on the new Dundalk-Donabate schedule aren't padded and are an accurate reflection of potential journey times.

People should also beware of delays between Skerries and Rush and Lusk because the signaling system has been disabled south of Skerries.

The section is now being operated as a single line with a 'pilotman' being used to guide the trains.

Trains from Skerries south to Rush and Lusk and Donabate run on the 'wrong line' so only the northbound platforms are in use at either station. The other line is closed and has had detonators placed on it.