It was another day of disruption for commuters in the south-west yesterday as at least 6,000 people who would normally use the Cork-Dublin trains, linking scores of towns, were forced to find other forms of transport.
Unofficial strike action by SIPTU members and colleagues in the National Bus and Rail Workers Union (NBRU) in Cork over rostering schedules, further complicated the row.
No trains ran in or out of Kent Station in Cork and the likelihood is that there will be further disruption today. From early morning, members of the Irish Locomotive Drivers' Association (ILDA) gathered outside the station where a plastic bucket for donations for "the relief" of the striking workers was placed. By late afternoon it contained only a few pence.
The ILDA spokesman, Mr Brendan Ogle, travelled to Cork to consult the workers who said they were under instructions not to speak to anyone from The Irish Times.
Mr Ogle, they added, was willing, however, to speak to the editor of the newspaper.
A spokesman for Iarnrod Eireann in Cork said the ILDA did not have a negotiating licence and management had no plans to enter into talks with the breakaway union.
Earlier, Mr Ogle said feelings in Cork were running high. He was available to enter into dialogue that might resolve the dispute, he added. Meanwhile, only the helpline at Kent Station, which was inundated with calls from irate would-be passengers, seemed to be functioning.
As well as the scheduled mainline trains from Cork to Dublin, other services were affected, including Tralee/Mallow return which was served by only one train at 9.15 a.m. and Dublin/ Mallow which was served only by the 8.30 a.m. train from Dublin. The commuter service between Cork and Cobh was cancelled.