State seeking rail safety plan from CIE

CIE has been told to submit an urgent safety investment plan for its rail network to the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke. It follows a consultant's report which has raised serious concerns about safety aspects of several rail lines.

The report, compiled by Arthur D Little, found that two major signalling installations at Heuston Station in Dublin and in Limerick were in very poor condition. It says they must be replaced as a matter of urgency, "if the safe operation of the railway is not to be compromised".

It says the signal box at Heuston, which dates from 1936, has some sections of wiring which have been joined and taped in the wire ducts. "This practice is considered highly suspect," the report says, adding that some of the wiring dates back to 1936.

The report also raises concerns about railway routes which have jointed rail track. It says much of it is over age and worn beyond what would normally be acceptable on other European railways. "Nevertheless, the engineers and staff have succeeded in keeping the lines running safely," the report says.

Ms O'Rourke met the board of CIE on Monday where the report was discussed. She asked it to submit a plan for what needed to be done to upgrade safety on the network with details on projected costings. Ms O'Rourke has already asked her Department to commission its own report on rail safety. It is due in September.

The consultant's report says many of the rails are over age and badly worn, and that ultrasonic tests are revealing more and more defects, many of which are invisible to the naked eye. The report examined 600 miles of track.

The report estimates that up to half of the jointed track will need to be relaid within the next five years if current speeds on the network are to be maintained. "In addition there is considerable concern about the strength of the over age rails and it is recommended that a programme of relaying of 75 miles per year should be put in hand as a matter of urgency," it says.

The consultant found that a large proportion of the signalling infrastructure it examined was badly worn and should be replaced within 10 years. "The condition of the wiring at Heuston is badly worn as it is old and is in a fragile state," it says. "It would be a high-risk strategy to carry out modifications or upgrading work on this installation," it warns.