Legs 'turned to jelly' after averting disaster, says train driver

A hero train driver tonight revealed his terror after averting a major catastrophe when a railway viaduct on one of Ireland’s busiest lines collapsed into the sea.

Keith Farrelly, 33, said his legs went to jelly after he realised how close the rush-hour commuter service had come to disaster as the ground underneath the track began sliding away.

There were around 60 passengers on board at the time while just moments before a packed northbound train carrying hundreds had also passed over the bridge.

Mr Farrelly, from Dublin, used his emergency training to coast his train to safety over the embankment as it fell into the Malahide estuary yesterday and the track buckled under its own weight.

“It was such an unreal sight, I started thinking to myself: ’Did I really see that?’,” he said.

“But when I walked back I saw it clearly, and my legs just went to jelly with the shock.

“I’m just glad that all of us on board, the passengers and myself, walked away from it safely.”

Mr Farrelly was driving the 6.07pm service from Balbriggan, in north county Dublin, to Pearse Station, in the centre of the capital, when he spotted the landslide.

“The first inkling I had that something was wrong was when I noticed water splashing up to a high level,” he said.

“In that location, it’s not a normal thing to happen, so I looked at the northbound line and saw that the viaduct was giving way and that the track was hanging.

“Immediately then, I could feel the ballast moving on the line beneath my train and realised the danger we were in.

“My defensive driving training kicked in, and I decided to coast the train in, lightly braking, so I didn’t put pressure on the track, and ensured we had momentum to get us safely to the (next) station.”

About 90 trains pass over the viaduct every day.

The near derailment has sparked demands for urgent tests on all railway bridges around Ireland.

Passenger organisation Rail Users Ireland (RUI) said it was a miracle people were not killed when the 20 metre section of rail line on the main Dublin to Belfast route buckled during the collapse.

Serious travel disruption is expected with part of the cross-border line being shut down for at least three months.

Mark Gleeson, of RUI, said the collapse raised serious questions about the maintenance and inspection regime on Ireland’s rail network.

“This viaduct carries some of the busiest commuter trains in Ireland, it is nothing short of a miracle that the collapse did not result in a serious accident and loss of life,” he said.

“While we await the report from the Rail Accident Investigation Unit, it is essential that all bridges are inspected nationwide to ensure no critical faults have been overlooked.

“At this moment, it is extremely important not to be complacent.”

Mr Gleeson also demanded cash refunds for all weekly, monthly and annual ticket holders who can no longer travel by train because of the closure.

Iarnród Éireann said a full investigation has been launched.

Northern commuter services and trains to Belfast will be seriously disrupted.

A shuttle rail service has been put in place between Drogheda and Skerries north of the landslide.

Replacement bus services are also running between Dublin and stations north of the city.

The Belfast Enterprise service will only run between Belfast and Drogheda, with bus transfers in and out of the capital.

Iarnród Éireann said local Dart services between Malahide and Howth Junction have resumed, and are operating normally.