Rail audit has serious safety plan concerns

Serious concerns about the implementation of a rail safety programme by Iarnrod Eireann are understood to have been raised in an audit carried out by advisers to the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke. This is despite an £86 million (€109 million) investment in the safety programme last year.

The audit by British consulting firm International Risk Management Services is believed to state that fundamental safety priorities have yet to be identified by Iarnrod Eireann's senior management.

It is also understood that officials reviewing the 1932 Transport Act, which governs CIE's monopoly, are considering urban bus systems in Finland and Sweden as possible models for the introduction of competition in Dublin.

No decision has been taken yet. But if such systems were introduced here, bus routes would be gradually put out to tender by a new public transport authority which would allocate a State subsidy on non-profitable routes. Dublin Bus and private firms would be entitled to apply for such tenders.

The rail safety audit is believed to state that key objectives of the programme have yet to be achieved. A further £100 million is to be spent on safety this year, with £170 million planned for 2001-2003.

The programme was initiated after a damning report published in 1998 by International Risk Management Services identified weak management systems, outdated signalling, poor tracks, an urgent need for safety training and serious shortcomings in identifying risks.

Two years ago, International Risk Management Services said £230 million was required to bring the network to a safe condition. But the consultant's latest review is understood to be highly critical of the implementation of the programme to date.

Ms O'Rourke is expected to raise the audit with CIE's chairman, Mr Brian Joyce, next week.

While a pre-audit report last September concluded that some "unreasonable risks" said by Iarnrod Eireann to have been rectified still required attention, the Minister told the Dail two weeks ago that the consultants still believed the risks remained to be fully resolved.

"This is obviously of great concern to me," said Ms O'Rourke in the Dail. "However, as was the case in the original review, the IRMS experts were at all times accompanied on site visits by Iarnrod Eireann staff who would have been aware of the deficiencies as they were discovered by the IRMS team."

She added: "I am perturbed that the risks identified by IRMS in Iarnrod Eireann have not been fully resolved."

It is understood that the review of the 1932 act is unlikely to recommend the introduction of full competition in the bus market in Dublin. This is perceived to have been unsuccessful in parts of rural Britain, where operators "cherry picked" premier routes at peak times, leaving unprofitable routes with poor quality services, falling passenger numbers and rising fares.

Officials from the Department of Public Enterprise are understood to have visited Helsinki, Stockholm and London in recent weeks to view the systems in place there.

A crucial aspect of these networks is that a public transport authority dictates the timing of services and assesses their quality, revoking licences where necessary.

In a recent speech, CIE's group chief executive Mr Michael P McDonnell said any new legislation should designate CIE as a public transport authority. "This is the only body with expertise in network design, which all commentators agree must be at the core of any effective public transport system," said Mr McDonnell.