To ask the Minister for Industry and Commerce what steps (if any) are being taken for the repair of Belvelly Bridge, on the Cork to Cobh Branch of the Great Southern and Western Railway; if he is aware that the damage to this bridge (which might easily be repaired in one day, given the necessary hydraulic machinery) is completely holding up the traffic on the line; whether this area comes within the ambit of the activities of the Railway Repair and Maintenance Corps, and if so, whether he is prepared to have instructions issued for the necessary repairs to be executed without further delay?
- REPAIR OF BELVELLY BRIDGE.
Tenders have been invited for the repairs to this bridge, and contractors are being pressed to expedite their tenders. It is expected that the contract will be placed at an early date. The repair is not a simple matter. The Railway Company's estimate for it is £3,000, which shows that the suggestion that it could be carried out in a day is entirely mistaken. It is not the fact that traffic on the line is held up; trains run to one side of the Viaduct and connect up with trains on the other by means of a footway. This repair is not one which the Railway Maintenance Corps could carry out, but, as stated, it is hoped to have the repair completed by contract at an early date.