Iarnrod Éireann to inspect all railway bridges

The Government’s Interim Railway Safety Commission has ordered Iarnrod Éireann to carry out immediate safety examinations on all railway bridges nationwide following last week’s derailment in Co Tipperary.

Nobody was injured in the incident, which happened while a cement train was passing over the Cahir Viaduct last Tuesday.

The train left the tracks and several carriages plunged into the River Suir below.

In its report into the derailment, the IRSC said the train driver and members of the public walking on a path below the bridge could have been killed or injured if the accident happened at a different time of day.

Transport Minister Seamus Brennan has already ordered an independent inquiry into the incident.