asked the Minister for Communications the circumstances of the death of a man on the Limerick-Dublin train; if he is satisfied that there are adequate means of communication on CIE trains to cope with such emergencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Death on Train.
20.
My Department's functions regarding rail safety are mainly related to the investigation of rail accidents and to the inspection of new or reconstructed railway installations.
The incident to which the question relates was not required to be reported as a railway accident to my Department under the legislation dealing with rail safety and is a matter for the board of CIE.
CIE have informed me that the deceased passenger joined the 15.30 hours Cork/Dublin train at Limerick Junction on Sunday, 16 June, and that he became ill and died suddenly when the train was in the Newbridge area. It is understood that he was being accompanied to hospital in Dublin to undergo heart surgery.
CIE consider that the means of communication available are adequate to deal with emergencies of the type involved as the train can be brought to a stop by the guard to enable appropriate action to be taken. The board recently accepted the need for a guard to driver voice communication system to be provided on all trains as recommended by the formal investigation into the Cherryville rail accident. The board intend to give effect to that recommendation as soon as they have worked out detailed rules regarding the use of the communication system to be adopted. In every carriage there is an emergency lever which can be pulled to halt a train. That was not used. I sympathise with the family who are bereaved in this sad incident.
Is it not quite clear from the Minister's reply that a recommendation was made at the time of the Cherryville disaster and that that recommendation was not carried out and that there was serious neglect involved in what happened on this train?
If there was serious neglect I would be the first to say so and the first to take action. There was not serious neglect. The recommendation of the Cherryville report was accepted by CIE and they are in the process of installing the equipment. That takes time.
Will the Minister agree that an experienced reporter happened to be in that carriage and reported that the temperature was at 80 degrees plus, that there was no way of controlling it and that when the man collapsed there was no way anyone could communicate with anybody outside of that carriage and that we had the ridiculous situation of a bit of paper being thrown out of the train at Sallins in the hope that some carrier pigeon would take it to some responsible person employed by CIE at that station? That did not happen and there was not even a place to lay down the corpse when the man died on the train. Is that not a disgraceful situation which should be dealt with as a matter of urgency and that the words "in the process of installation" are not good enough in this case?
This is a situation which requires more sensitive handling than that indicated by Deputy Wilson's words. There are levers in each carriage of the trains and they were not used. When the guard of the train was contacted and came on the scene he found that the person was dead. He decided to let the train continue to its destination in Dublin as the most expeditious thing to do in the circumstances. Obviously, this is a very sad event for the family concerned and we ought to be sensitive to their position and to console them in their bereavement.