Work begins to restore collapsed railway viaduct

WORK began yesterday to pave the way for the reconstruction of the railway viaduct that collapsed into the sea a week ago.

Iarnród Éireann said rocks have been brought on site to rebuild the eroded weir at the Malahide viaduct, believed to have been a significant factor in the incident.

Facilitating works at the Broadmeadow Estuary will also include filling the gap which may have undermined the pier and also the normalisation of water flows to protect adjacent piers.

Iarnród Éireann said it would be three months before the new viaduct and track is complete.

A 20-metre section of the bridge, which carries more than 90 trains a day, plunged into the sea last Friday evening, moments after rush hour commuter services carrying hundreds of passengers passed over it.

Train driver Keith Farrelly averted tragedy when he spotted subsidence on the track and all services were suspended.

It later emerged engineers had examined the structure four days earlier.

An initial Iarnród Éireann inquiry blamed seabed erosion, caused by recent low tides and heavy rains. The firm said the new works would involve straightening piers under the track and installing new beams.

It vowed to protect the estuary environment, by ensuring normal water levels and flows are maintained and sustaining the waters eco-system. Independent experts Professor Eamon McKeogh, professor of hydraulics at UCC, and Dr Eric Farrell geotechnical department, TCD, are advising the company on the reconstruction of the viaduct.

Thousands of rail passengers have had their journeys in and out of the capital severely disrupted over the last week. A special group was set up to help minimise the disruption caused by commuters driving or taking buses into the city.

Meanwhile an investigation into the incident is being headed by Phil Gaffney, board member and former managing director of MTR (operators of the Hong Kong Metro).