The Minister for Public Enterprise has been informed that the circumstances of the incident, which occurred at approximately 9.10 a.m. on Monday morning, are as follows. While the 7.23 a.m. passenger service from Dundalk to Bray was between Tara Street and Pearse Station, one pair of sliding doors opened and closed on vehicle number 2701. The train consisted of eight 2700 class railcars. The door opening was detected by the onboard safety devices and the traction power on the train was cut and the door automatically closed.
The driver immediately notified the occurrence by radio to the central traffic controller at Connolly Station. The Minister for Public Enterprise understands that the incident was also notified to larnród Éireann by telephone by a passenger on a train.
The train was taken out of service at Pearse Station for technical examination. larnród Éireann has confirmed that the train has been examined by its own engineering staff and by engineers from the vehicle manufacturer. A stationary inspection and a test run to Drogheda were carried out and the fault could not be repeated.
The railcar unit involved in the incident has now been transferred to Inchicore Works, and is undergoing further examination. These technical investigations are under way with the vehicle manufacturer's specialist engineers with input by the vehicle design experts at their design office.
The Minister for Public Enterprise understands from larnród Éireann that there are three electrical circuits which must be activated in order for the door-open command to be generated. The probability of the three circuits spuriously operating simultaneously is very remote according to larnród Éireann. The technical investigating team are concentrating on this aspect. In particular, the electrical circuits are being examined for any signs of contamination which could contribute to faults. As a result of the incident, Iarnród Éireann immediately instigated a technical examination of all diesel railcars in the class 2700 fleet. It is understood that this will be completed by the end of this week, but the results so far have indicated no similar problems on other railcars examined. In addition, the manufacturers of the vehicles are considering a number of additional improvements to add to the security of the door circuits.
The Minister for Public Enterprise understands the doors in question are designed in such a way that they should not be capable of opening when a train is in motion and exceeding a speed of five kilometres per hour. While the Minister is concerned that the doors did open in this instance, she is extremely thankful that none of the passengers suffered any injuries. Nevertheless, the fact remains that an incident of this nature could have had more serious consequences.
These vehicles have been in service since 1998 and accumulated eight million kilometres in running. Iarnród Éireann has advised that this is the first incident where the door safety circuit permitted the door to open above the designated threshold speed.
It is too early to ascertain the cause or causes of the incident. Iarnród Éireann has informed the Minister for Public Enterprise that it deeply regrets this occurrence. The company has initiated an internal inquiry at senior level to investigate the cause of the incident. The Minister has asked the company for a speedy completion both of its technical investigations and its formal inquiry, and for a report on its conclusions as a matter of urgency.
