Smoke alert clears passengers off train

PASSENGERS WERE evacuated from an Iarnród Éireann commuter train at Laytown station, Co Meath, yesterday morning after smoke billowed from beneath one of the carriages.

The smoke was the result of a mechanical fault with one of the brakes on the 8am Drogheda to Dublin service. But there was no fire and no danger to passengers, an Iarnród Éireann spokesman said.

“The driver applied the parking brake on the wheel unit, but due to a mechanical fault it stuck. There were sparks and a lot of smoke, but no fire.”

Passengers were evacuated at Laytown and were accommodated on the next train.

The train would be examined he said. It was believed that the fault was a one-off incident.

There were no similar problems with other trains on the fleet, which was brought into service in 2003.

Fine Gael transport spokesman Fergus O’Dowd has called for an inquiry into the incident.

“Any type of fire on a passenger train is a very serious matter and I am thankful that no one was injured,” he said.

“The rail safety commission must now conduct a detailed investigation.”