Iarnród Éireann services have resumed as normal on Friday morning after passengers in Dublin and on Northern commuter services experienced lengthy delays on Thursday evening.
Dart and commuter trains were suspended due to a signalling issue. Services between Dublin, Dundalk and Belfast were affected, and there were also delays on services from the capital to Maynooth and on the Grand Canal Dock to Newbridge services.
Iarnród Éireann communications manager Barry Kenny apologised to passengers whose trains were delayed.
“Obviously it was very disruptive for people who were affected by it and we apologise to them for it, but thankfully all services are operating this morning and all those systems are operating fully this morning,” he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.
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The signal issue emerged at about 6.45pm, he said. It was rectified after about an hour, but later re-emerged, affecting a smaller number of services.
Mr Kenny said that a problem with signals had not happened on that scale before.
He said that Iarnród Éireann had invested in the system a few years ago to extend its life. It is in the process of replacing it with a new national train control centre, which will accommodate extended capacity on its network and the opening of new rail lines.
Delays on the Dart service on Friday morning were due to a technical fault with a train, and not connected to Thursday evening’s issues.
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