Rail line to reopen just under three months after Malahide viaduct collapse

IARNRÓD ÉIREANN intends to reopen its northern line across the Malahide viaduct on November 16th, pending approval by the Railway Safety Commission, the company has said.

In a statement, the company said work was well advanced on the reconstruction of the viaduct and services are on schedule to resume by Monday, November 16th. Train services have been disrupted since a section of the viaduct collapsed on August 21st.

A spokesman said the full timetable on the Dublin to Belfast line would resume next month after almost three months of bus transfers between stations along the route.

Iarnród Éireann has spent more than €4 million rebuilding a weir which had collapsed and reinstituting a pillar on which the viaduct stands. Reinforcement to other pillars was also carried out, and the works have also included replacement of the bridge.

An Iarnród Éireann spokesman expressed satisfaction that despite some initial estimates that the work could take up to a year, passenger disruption will have been kept to a minimum, and the line will reopen within three months of the incident.

He added that work was in its final stages and, providing that it passes the necessary safety assessments, the full normal schedule will resume in three weeks.

Separate investigations into the collapse by Iarnród Éireann and the Railway Safety Commission are ongoing.

A commission spokeswoman said it was “working closely with Iarnród Éireann” on the rebuilding of the bridge, and added: “While we do not yet have all the evidence necessary to provide formal approval for passenger service, it appears from the meetings and discussions held that Iarnród Éireann are moving in the right direction to meet their reconstruction programme.”

The commission is required to carry out safety tests of all new rail infrastructure. However, it is not required to carry out routine safety testing, which a spokeswoman said was a matter for the system operator.

Iarnród Éireann had assessed the Malahide viaduct just four days before the collapse, and no remedial action which might have prevented the collapse of the bridge was carried out.

Fine Gael transport spokesman Fergus O’Dowd said catastrophic loss of life could have occurred, as there was four metres of water in the estuary at the time.

Labour Party transport spokesman Tommy Broughan TD said the viaduct collapse “could have been one of the most horrendous events in the history of our country”, with hundreds of lives lost, and “we could have been attending funerals for weeks”.

Iarnród Éireann said its inspection regime for bridges on the rail network will change following the Railway Safety Commission’s investigation into the collapse.