[26-2-2008] MAJOR DISRUPTION AT CONNOLLY

[Rashers]

MAJOR DISRUPTION AT CONNOLLY: SECURITY ALERT by Corporate Communications


05.00hrs 26th February 2008

Iarnród Éireann advises customers that all rail services to and from Connolly Station Dublin are facing serious disruption due to a security alert at the north end of the station area.

Service arrangements are as follows:

DART: Services will operate Greystones/Bray - Pearse/Tara St. Limited service will operate Howth/Malahide to Killester/Clontarf Road

Northern Commuter: Will operate Dundalk/Drogheda - Clontarf Road

Maynooth: No service operating.

Clonsilla-Docklands: No service operating.

Gorey commuter: 06.00hrs from Gorey cancelled. 06.45 operates to Pearse only.

Belfast, Sligo, Rosslare services: Services will be part or fully substituted by bus.

Further details will be updated on this website. Iarnród Éireann apologises for the inconvenience caused.

[Mark Hennessy]

Balls!

Should be a fun morning

[Colm Moore]

http://www.iarnrodeireann.ie/news_ce...ew&news_id=339

SERVICE RETURNING TO NORMAL AFTER EARLIER SECURITY ALERT by Corporate Communications
06.40hrs 26th February 2008

Iarnród Éireann advises customers that services are returning to normal after earlier sercurity alert.

DART: Services will operate shortly be operating as normal

Northern Commuter: Will operate through Connolly

Maynooth: The first service from Maynooth will be at 07:20.

Clonsilla-Docklands: Operate as normal

Gorey commuter: Will shortly return to normal

Belfast, Sligo, Rosslare services: Services will operate

Further details will be updated on this website.

[Mark Gleeson]

Curiously it was 3 am when this kicked off

Rail services return to normal after bomb alert

Rail services are returning to normal following major disruptions due to a security alert at Connolly Station in Dublin early this morning.

The alert was triggered after line inspection staff discovered a suspicious package on the track at 3am this morning.

Shortly after 5am an Army bomb disposal unit carried out a controlled explosion however the package turned out to be an "elaborate hoax" with no explosive content.

The package was later removed by the gardaÃ* for forensic examination.

Iarnród Éireann has advised commuters that all rail and dart services are now returning to normal.

Further details are available on the Iarnród Éireann website http://www.irishrail.ie/home/

© 2008 ireland.com

[Mark Hennessy]

First Maynooth service went at 7:20, have no idea how it went but i'm sure it wasnt pretty.

Thankfully I was able to use the only reliable mode of transport in this country, the car.

[chuggachuggachoochoo]

We got an announcement on the 630 ex Drogheda - Rosslare, as we were nearing balbriggan, that the situation had cleared and the train would run as normal. Also before I got on the train at Drogheda, the staff advised that dublin bus would honor rail tickets. So fair play to them for keeping us up to date as we travelled in!

[Mark Gleeson]

You would have got to Clontraf Rd, which is a whole lot better than last time

Of course if Docklands was built properly they could have diverted northern line there

[chris]

Any ideas why Docklands wasn't to run this morning? Was the package close to the underpass or was it just bad placement of trains?

[Mark Gleeson]

All the trains in Connolly are parked on the Sherrif Street side so can't leave Connolly without crossing the effected area

No trains spend the night in Maynooth, the 6:18 from Longford overnights in Longford and would have run via the Midland line to platform 7 without difficulties if it had been required

[Colm Moore]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0226/trains.html

Rail service resumes after security alert
Tuesday, 26 February 2008 08:39

Rail service through Connolly Station in Dublin is returning to normal following disruption caused by a security alert.

The alert was centred on the north end of the station area.

The Army carried out a controlled explosion on a suspect device. Army spokesman Commandant Gavin Younge said the device seemed to be an elaborate hoax.

Iarnród Éireann spokesman, Barry Kenny, apologised for any inconvenience to early morning commuters, and thanked the gardaÃ* and the Army.

[James Shields]

Would it have been possible to run empty trains connolly-fairview-connolly p7-midland line-maynooth?

[Mark Gleeson]

We don't have a location on the device though I'd give odds on it being around Ossery Rd which blocks everything obviously running a 300 ton train past a suspect device isn't a good idea

[Oisin88]

Originally Posted by Mark Hennessy

Thankfully I was able to use the only reliable mode of transport in this country, the car.

Car became very unreliable in the south city this afternoon though!!!

[Aphfaneire]

Bang on at 605 the first train of the morning from drogheda we were all met with two staff members, the station master and another simingly more superiour person advising us of the situation.

I had only just heard it on the 6 o'clock bulliten in the car, but got the train anyway. The driver told us that he was optimistic that the situation would be clear by the time we arrived, and it was, maybe a 2 to 3 minute delay.



I was slightly panicked and felt i should have asked which bus routes would help me get to james's from clontarf road, but i doubt anyone would have known. I also wanted to ask about refunds and so on after the last incident, but it wasnt neccissary.


I have to hand it to the station master and the older guy with a beard for being so vigilent in advicing us passengers. After all they had probably been on duty for 30 minutes, and would have only been there for under an hour, so its a lot for them to handle. Thank god it wasnt a monday! the ticket kiosks would have been chaos!