Vol. 560 No. 1
776 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Transport the reports which he has received from the companies involved, further to the incident on the Dublin-Belfast rail line on 18 December, 2002 (details supplied); the conclusions of the rail safety inspector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1499/03]
I am advised by Iarnród Éireann that the investigation into the subsidence on the Dublin-Belfast railway line on 17 December 2002, close to the Dublin Port tunnel site, has not yet been finalised. The investigation is being carried out by consultants for the Dublin Port tunnel contractors NMI. Iarnród Éireann expects to receive the consultants' interim report shortly. I understand that engineers for Iarnród Eireann and Dublin City Council have been providing all necessary assistance to the consultants in their investigation.
Pending the determination of the cause of the subsidence, Iarnród Éireann has in place a number of precautionary measures. These include 24 hour visual monitoring of the track in the vicinity of the tunnel site and electronic equipment to detect any track movement.
