IFI was one of Iarnród Éireann's biggest customers, generating annual revenue of between €3.5 million and €4 million. The business was responsible for about 35 full-time Iarnród jobs. A spokesman said all those workers would be redeployed and there was no threat to jobs from the IFI closure.
Iarnród Éireann is to undertake an immediate review of its freight operations in the light of the closure of Irish Fertilizer Industries. The review is likely to involve a large number of voluntary job cuts.
However, the company yesterday denied a trade union claim that it intended to get out of the freight business altogether.
The board had, however, authorised a review of freight operations at its meeting last Friday, which would involve "re-visiting" loss-making operations, the spokesman said. He stressed there was no threat to the profit-making elements of the freight business.
A freight plan proposed last year envisaged 180 voluntary redundancies and redeployment for 70 staff. Similar proposals are thought likely to emerge now.