Trade unions at Iarnród Éireann are warning of “industrial relations chaos” if the Government has to accede to European Commission demands for the opening up of the country’s rail routes to tender.

People living in a rural part of Co Cork which is to be turned into a new town are expected to meet shortly to decide whether to lodge an appeal against the plan with An Bord Pleanála.

Railway safety inspectors have expressed concern about the number of incidents where vehicles are colliding with trains at level crossings.

Welcome to your Wednesday morning briefing. Let us ensure you’re up to speed on what’s happening and are prepared for the day ahead.

A sensational Grandmother Giant will walk the streets of Limerick from Friday, writes Jo Kerrigan

Rail passengers are facing further disruption this morning in the second day of strike action at Iarnród Éireann.

Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe has signalled he will not intervene in looming rail strikes timed to coincide with major GAA events.

Aer Lingus cabin crew will mount pickets at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports from 5am tomorrow as their 24-hour strike grinds almost all the airline’s services into and out of the country to a halt.

IT JUST takes a few actions or pieces of rhetoric on the part of either a union representative or an employer to not only throw a workplace into industrial turmoil but also influence the court of public opinion on who is right and who is wrong.

Trade union leaders have told public sector workers to brace themselves for payroll cuts and “substantial” work practice changes under Croke Park II because staff reductions will not be enough to meet the Government’s demand for €1bn in savings.

The National Transport Authority has confirmed that increases are to be applied to fares on Dublin Bus, Iarnród Éireann, Bus Éireann and Luas.

Louis Walsh has admitted there will “be tears” this weekend as Westlife bow out with two farewell shows in Dublin.

PUBLIC transport users outside the greater Dublin area will have to wait until next year to enjoy the benefits, including cheaper fares, of the long-awaited integrated smart card which was formally launched yesterday.

A MOTORWAY that would have cut the travel time between Cork and Limerick by half an hour will not now go ahead, the Department of Transport has confirmed.

GARDAÍ have advised motorists going to the National Ploughing Championships in Athy, Co Kildare, not to be complacent about their travel plans.

IARNRÓD ÉIREANN is pushing the Government to approve a €200 million plan to build a link to Dublin Airport amid growing signs that plans for a €3 billion metro link between the airport and the city centre are to be scrapped.

CORK experienced a tourism windfall yesterday after a historic day at the city’s port.

RYANAIR has announced it is cutting back on flights out of Dublin Airport, including a 50% reduction in its daily services to Cork from next year.

I WISH to congratulate the Glounthaune Community Association in Co Cork for the acquisition of the old railway signals from Iarnród Eireann.

Members of the Rail Accident Investigation Unit are due before the Oireachtas Transport Committee this morning to discuss the Malahide viaduct collapse.

THE FAI are looking for more tickets from the Slovakian FA for the Euro 2012 Group B qualifier in Zilina on October 12, after demand from Irish fans exceeded the 1,092 tickets that the home association is obliged to provide.

A “GREENER” and easier way to travel to next week’s National Ploughing Championships at Athy, Co Kildare is on offer from Iarnród Éireann and Bus Éireann.

Iarnród Eireann is rejecting claims that it had been warned about serious erosion at the Malahide Viaduct in Dublin as far back as 2006.

IARNRÓD Éireann’s plans to build a new commuter railway station on the Cork-Midleton line have been shunted into the sidings by An Bord Pleanála.

TRANSPORT Minister Noel Dempsey has demanded a full report from CIÉ over an internal company investigation which uncovered losses of €2.5 million due to alleged fraud and collusion.

TRANSPORT Minister Noel Dempsey has demanded a full report from CIÉ over an internal company investigation which uncovered losses of €2.5 million due to alleged fraud and collusion.

HUNDREDS of job losses coupled with significant reductions to some bus and rail services are under active consideration by CIÉ as the state transport company is facing serious losses due to falling passenger numbers.

IARNRÓD Éireann has started laying rail tracks on the €105 million Cork-Midleton line.

IARNRÓD Éireann has started laying rail tracks on the €105 million Cork-Midleton line.

Thousands of passengers continued to bear the brunt of the ongoing train dispute today.

IARNRÓD ÉIREANN has been accused of failing passengers after admitting journey times have got longer despite billions of euro being spent on the railways.

Thousands of rail commuters in the south of the country will face disruption, as inspection and maintenance staff are preparing to carry out a one day stoppage in a dispute over work practices at Iarnrod Éireann.

IARNRÓD Éireann has announced plans to invest more than €8 million in further developing infrastructure at Rosslare Europort, of which the company is port authority.

Rail passengers are being warned of disruption on the Dublin to Rosslare line again today.

AN AMBULANCE on the way to an emergency had its return journey to hospital barricaded — just minutes after passing through an Iarnród Éireann level crossing.

FAMILIES getting away for a weekend could save hours of extra travelling and great expense if they work out the quickest and cheapest way to get to their destination.

A lorry driver has been rushed to hospital in Co Clare after his truck hit a railway bridge and overturned.

I HAVE previously written of the atrocious service from Eircom and Iarnród Éireann. Their responses went something like this: ‘We are surprised to hear such awful things happened to you.

IARNRÓD Éireann’s corporate communications manager Barry Kenny, in his lambasting of economist Dr Seán Barrett (Irish Examiner letters, January 1), writes that “this country still suffers from an infrastructural deficit”, and by this he meant rail and bus infrastructure. I agree.

CLOSURE of three level crossings and their replacement with a large bridge are planned by Iarnród Eireann under the company’s proposed €139 million new rail network for Cork.

IT’S often been said — and never more than in the last month — that Bertie Ahern is a lucky general. By this they mean that when his anorak was being given its Teflon coating, they laid it on thick and fast.

PLANS for a major park-and-ride facility for rail commuters are to go before Cork County Council members for approval on October 17.

IN recent years health and safety legislation has been called on more and more to explain away declining services from agencies that purport to serve the public.

I HAVE just become aware that Iarnród Eireann intends to charge commuters approximately €2 per day to park at Mallow rail station from next week.