OPW denies responsibility for flooded rail line

The Office of Public Works has said it has no responsibility in relation to the flooding of a rail line in Co Clare despite being blamed for the problem in a report.

The Limerick to Galway rail line at Ballycar near Newmarket on Fergus, which was closed on February 2, will not operate for a further six weeks, Iarnród Éireann has confirmed.

Despite raising the line by 60cm in 2003, services were suspended for seven weeks in February 2008 and for a further eight weeks in 2009 after the railway became submerged in flood waters.

Those line closures are understood to have cost Iarnród Éireann up to €1m in lost revenue.

A lengthy section of track at Ballycar now lies up to a metre below the surface in some areas while further flooding is expecting the area in the coming weeks.

The company said: “The Limerick/Ennis line has flooded following a significant increase in water levels at Ballycar Lough due to the recent sustained heavy rainfall, and the slow draining nature of the karst landscape in the area. Should the recent rainfall patterns persist, this will extend significantly the duration of the closure.”

Iarnród Éireann commissioned a study into how best to address the flooding problems. The Ballycar Lough Flood Study, completed in October 2011, concluded: “The cause of the flooding is the works carried out by the OPW in 1929 when they increased the catchment area.

“We investigated increasing the level of the track in order to alleviate the problem on the railway. However, this would exacerbate the problem in the area whilst offering limited benefits to Iarnród Éireann.”

Iarnród Éireann has consistently maintained the position that: “The recommended works to be undertaken are outside the railway line and in the realm of works the OPW would have powers to undertake.”

The OPW has again said, however: “This remains an operational matter for Iarnród Éireann and is not the responsibility of the OPW.”

Councillor Pat McMahon said: “I’ve been a councillor for 37 years and this has always been a problem…

“Twenty five years ago, the then minister came down here and met with over 100 people and promised that this would be sorted. Successive governments have made the same promise but nothing has been done.”

A replacement bus service is operating between Limerick and Ennis. The line between Ennis and Galway remains unaffected.