An independent railways authority with new powers to police rail safety is to be set up by the Minister for Public Enterprise. Ms O'Rourke said the new authority would have powers similar to those of the Health and Safety Authority.
Iarnrod Eireann would be required to produce a safety statement which "would identify hazards and propose measures to eliminate unacceptable risks and reduce other risks as low as possible".
As a first step, the number of railway inspectors in the Department of Public Enterprise will be increased from one to three. A statutory Railway Safety Advisory Council will also be set up which will bring together rail operators, trade unions and representatives of the public interest. This would allow safety issues to be addressed "outside of an industrial relations context", the Minister said.