[Article] Train derails following landslide

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...breaking51.htm

Train derails following landslide

ASJKIA OTTO

The front carriage of a train derailed this morning several hundred metres south of Wicklow town after striking debris from a "significant" landslide caused by heavy rainfall over weekend.

The driver onboard the out-of-service train was unharmed in the incident at 5am, according to an Irish Rail spokesman.

The line between Wicklow and Gorey will be closed until November 30th to clear the track and to strengthen an embankment next to the line south of Arklow. Bus transfers are in operation for rail services between Wicklow and Gorey.

There is the potential of further flooding and road conditions will become more severe as rainfall increases throughout the week, Met Éireann warned today.

A high water table and full rivers caused by ongoing wet weather mean flooding potential remains high in spite of intermittent rainfall predictions, a Met Éireann spokesman said.

"Any amount of rainfall could cause a problem when normally it wouldn't have," he said.

Brighter weather with sunny spells and scattered heavy showers will extend from the southwest through the day as the rain gradually clears northeastwards, according to Met Éireann.

However, rain will return tomorrow evening and become heavier until Friday morning. Most areas can expect at least 5 centimetres of rain, but the western third of the country could be more badly affected.

Severe flooding in parts of the country continued to delay travel and make roads inaccessible this afternoon with secondary and back roads most affected.

AA Roadwatch urged motorists to be careful after persistent rain in many areas continues the risk of flooding.

Ballycanew Road in Gorey, Co Wexford remains closed today outside at Ballykale Cross due to flooding and a burst water main. It is not expected to reopen before November 21st.

Heavy flooding at Glynn in Co Kilkenny also affected an HGV diversion in place because of works.

Bad flooding was reported at Elphin in Co Roscommon. Drivers were advised to approach the area with caution. Roads out of Roscommon town were also affected.

Flooding caused delays in Co Cork around Cloghroe Church, Hop Island, Manch Bridge, Ballylangley, Poulavone and Mayfield. Today’s racing at Cork racecourse was cancelled due to adverse water logging.

There was flooding between Rathvilly and Blessington in Co Wicklow.

[Mark Gleeson]

Originally Posted by Victor

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...breaking51.htm

Photo will be in Irish Times tomorrow, it was the 04:10 Connolly - Arklow empty service, coach 29426. Its sitting raised up with a large tree underneath it.

[roamling]

there are photos in this article as well

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...e-1945345.html

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...258982282.html

Landslides close section of line for two weeks
TIM O'BRIEN and OLIVIA KELLY

IARNRÓD ÉIREANN has said a section of its Dublin to Rosslare line between Wicklow town and Gorey will remain closed for up to two weeks following two separate landslides along the route.

On Saturday, Iarnród Éireann engineers closed a section of the line just north of Inch, Co Wexford, about three miles south of Arklow, Co Wicklow, following what a spokesman said appeared to be flooding damage to an embankment supporting the railway line.

Bus transfers were put in place between Gorey, Co Wexford, and Arklow to assist the Dublin commuter and Rosslare Port services yesterday.

In a second incident, an out-of-service commuter train travelling from Dublin to Co Wicklow early yesterday struck a landslide at about 5am. The landslide, which had spilled debris across the line just beyond Wicklow town, derailed the engine carriage which, according to Iarnród Éireann, “impacted with a tree”.

Following the second incident Iarnród Éireann extended its bus transfers from Gorey to Wicklow town instead of Arklow. This service is expected to remain in place until remedial action at both landslides is completed.

In another disruption to Rosslare and Dart services, trains were suspended for several hours between Bray and Dún Laoghaire yesterday following flooding on the line but reopened by tea-time.

Iarnród Éireann said it believed the recent heavy rain was responsible for the southeast incidents. Locals in the Inch area, however, said they believed a burst watermain may have contributed to undermining the embankment. Attempts to confirm this with Wicklow County Council were not successful.

Iarnród Éireann has undertaken significant reinforcement of coastal sections of its southeast line in recent years, particularly between Bray Head and Wicklow town, where sea storms and flooding have been a problem. However, the current incidents are along inland sections.

Meanwhile, Iarnród Éireann has promised that delays on lines that use the Malahide viaduct will not be as significant as yesterday morning when some journeys from Drogheda to Dublin took up to half an hour longer than usual.

The line had been partially closed since August when a 20m section of the viaduct collapsed.

“Because the Donabate to Malahide section had not been used for the last three months, there was a film of rust on the rail heads,” the spokesman said.

Trial trains had been used to remove the rust, but had not completely cleared the line and longer gaps that usual had to be left between trains yesterday.

Iarnród Éireann also said motion and flow sensors designed to report any changes in the structure or environment of the viaduct may be rolled out to the State’s 83 other rail bridges and viaducts.

Repair works to the viaduct costing €4 million included rebuilding the pier and strengthening foundations, strengthening all the piers along the viaduct and relaying the track.

[Colm Moore]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1117/rail.html

Landslide disrupts Dublin/Rosslare rail line
listen Tuesday, 17 November 2009 14:22

Passengers using the Dublin to Rosslare railway line face significant disruption for the next two weeks.

A train derailment outside Wicklow town and an unstable embankment south of Arklow have led Iarnród Éireann to close the line between Wicklow town and Gorey until 30 November.

Bus transfers will be in place for passengers using the line south of Wicklow for the next few weeks.

At 5am yesterday morning, the driver of an out of service commuter train travelling south to Arklow had a lucky escape when his train stuck a landslide which had covered the track just south of Wicklow station.

It was the second such problem to affect the line in recent days, after an embankment 5km south of Arklow was found to be unstable on Saturday.

Both incidents are thought to have been caused by bad weather.

A large section of track will remain closed until the problems are rectified, but a normal schedule will continue with bus transfers operating between Wicklow and Gorey and in some cases Enniscorthy.

More information is available on the Iarnród Éireann website.