I thank you, a Chathaoirligh, for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment. I wish to share my time with Senator Finneran.
Adjournment Matters. - Westport Train Derailment.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
I spent an hour at the site of the derailment on Monday. The Dublin Westport train left Heuston Station last Saturday at approximately 8.30 a.m. It derailed at the level crossing between Curry crossroads and Ballymurray crossroads at approximately 10.30 a.m. It was travelling between 50 and 60 miles per hour and there were 180 passengers in five carriages. There were two other carriages, a dining car and a generating unit. The train derailed because of track failure. There have been a number of rail accidents, but few have been caused by track failure. The exceptions were those which happened at Ballycumber a couple of years ago and at Ballyseedy near Tralee.
A fish plate, which is a flat flange type piece of metal used to join the sections of the track, fractured which put the track out of alignment. The wooden sleepers over the next several hundred metres shattered as the 100 tonne train careered forward. All the passenger carriages careered off the line and crashed into the siding. Most of them were seriously damaged. The locomotive, the generating unit and the dining car remained on the track. Miraculously, no passengers lost their lives, although a few were injured.
The rails are dated and have the initials of the Great Midland and Western Railway on them. The fish plate that fractured was built in 1926. The sleepers which disintegrated into matchwood were at least 30 years old and some were decayed to the extent of 50 per cent. The Minister was at the site on Sunday and I am sure she will agree with me. The rails which disintegrated and twisted into corkscrews of scrap metal were put in place in the late 1920s. That railway line was built between 1862 and 1866 when it reached Westport and Ballina. The line was realigned in the 1920s but it has not been replaced since then.
Every stretch of railway line from Athlone to Westport with its spur from Manulla to Ballina, which is approximately 90 miles, is in the same condition. It has the potential to disintegrate and to derail a train full of passengers. Every metre of it needs to be replaced with modern continuous welded track. Its 19th century signalling system, which is powered by paraffin oil, also needs to be replaced.
The Minister is sitting on a time bomb. I ask her to ensure that an independent inquiry is carried out into this incident. The chief inquirer should not be from the Department of Public Enterprise or from Iarnród Éireann. I want a report on the extent of decay in those sleepers and on the degree of metal fatigue in the rails and the components such as the fish plates and bolts which hold the system together. Any safety officer worth his salt could only recommend that the line be closed. The Minister will have a civil war on her hands if a safety officer concludes that it must be closed due its condition unless something drastic is done urgently. Every chamber of commerce and other organisation in every town from Athlone to Westport and from Manulla to Ballina will be up in arms, and rightly so, if the railway line has to be closed down.
Unfortunately, that stretch of track was not included in the programme of peripherality for transport and received no investment as a result. CIÉ has huge borrowings currently as a result of its programme to renew lines, by up to 80 per cent in some cases, which is grant aided through Structural Funds. Its borrowings cannot be further extended without putting the company into further serious financial difficulties. Therefore, the Government must intervene directly. I hope provision has been made to fund this in the Estimates which were published today. I do not want her to give the reply which she gave to the Dáil today which was full of meaningless banalities. I have made specific assertions tonight which I want the Minister to address directly.
I understand from the best informed experts that it costs £250,000 to renew one mile of track with continuous welded rail. It costs £2 million to renew or realign one mile of a national road. It is imperative that the funding be provided. If £10 million were invested the risks on that railway line would be reduced by 50 per cent. I hope the Minister will tell us that she will invest at least that amount in the railway between now and this time next year. My fear is that if a safety officer were to report now on that railway he could only recommend one option.
We all had a narrow escape in the sense that no one was killed, although some people were injured. However, if this railway does not immediately receive the remedial attention it needs another accident will occur. I hope the Minister will have a positive reply.
I thank Senator Connor for sharing his time. I understand this matter was debated in the other House and I join with all speakers in expressing our sympathies to anyone injured in this unfortunate accident and wish them a speedy recovery. We were lucky on this occasion. If the train had travelled a further 300 or 400 yards or if the accident had occurred on Friday it might have been more serious and resulted in loss of life. We are blessed that was not the case.
We are here to debate what happened and what can be done to resolve the matter. We must consider the events leading up to the accident. The railway line from Dublin to Westport has been neglected. I find it difficult to accept Senator Connor's innuendo that the present Minister might be responsible in some way.
She was.
What did the Senator do for two and a half years when he was in Government?
That is irrelevant.
He did precious little.
Senator Finneran has just one minute to make his point.
The Minister has been in Government for only four months. She has not had the opportunity in Government to invest £1 in the maintenance or——
She was in Government when the proposals for railway lines were submitted to the European Union for structural funding.
——upgrading of this line. However, others did have the opportunity over the last three years to deal with the decay of 50 per cent of the wooden sleepers and the metal fatigue of the railway line. I am perturbed that over those three years nobody in Government, or none of those who responded on behalf of the Government in Iarnród Éireann, brought that matter to public attention or provided moneys for reasonable maintenance, such as the replacement of decayed lines or sleepers. What happened from 1995 to 1997 should be firmly laid at the door of the last Government. I will not accept it being laid at the door of this Minister who has been in Government for only four months. I have no doubt that she will respond——
She was in Government when the submissions were made to the European Union in 1993 and she did nothing about it.
——in a positive manner to the interests of the people of this country, particularly those of the midlands and west, which she is known for doing. I have no doubt she will respond positively when moneys are made available to her in the budget.
She would want to start quickly.
I will not accept this being laid at her door. However, she will respond, as Minister, to what is necessary at this time.
This is my first opportunity to congratulate you, Sir, on becoming Cathaoirleach of the Seanad. It is a great honour for you and for all of us in the western part of the midlands.
Thank you.
I am glad to have an opportunity to respond to Senators Connor and Finneran. However, I wish to say to Senator Connor that Deputy Lowry was Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications for two Estimates and Deputy Dukes was——
The Minister was in Government when the submissions were made to the EU for structural funding and she did nothing about it.
The Minister must be allowed to reply without interruption.
The Minister should not try to mislead the House.
We cannot have an orderly discussion unless the Minister is allowed to reply without interruption.
I never interrupted the Senator
The Minister did.
I must insist that the Minister be allowed to reply without interruption.
I hope she does not wish to mislead the House.
Deputy Lowry was Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications for two years and Deputy Dukes was then Minister for a further year. Senator Connor is a Fine Gael Senator and Fine Gael Deputies were Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications for the last three years. I wish to put that on the record so that the local newspaper can report it.
This is a very serious matter. I object strongly to Senator Connor saying that I spoke banalities in the other House. I spoke for an hour in the House today.
What was the Minister doing in 1993?
I must appeal to you, a Chathaoirligh, because I cannot speak if I am constantly harassed. If the Senator wishes me to give the reply I will do so; if he does not wish me to——
I will have no option but to adjourn the House unless the Minister is allowed to reply without interruption. She is here out of courtesy to the House to respond to the points which have been made. Please allow her to make her response.
I have no intention of interrupting the Minister.
Earlier today I outlined the situation relating to last Saturday's accident on the railway near Roscommon to my Cabinet colleagues and, subsequently, to the Dáil. I responded to seven Deputies at great length. I am glad to have the opportunity to speak to this House on the subject.
I received a report on Monday last from my railway inspecting officer who visited the scene of the accident on Saturday. I met the chairman and senior executives of Iarnród Éireann yesterday.
It is necessary for me to place the time, etc. of the accident on the record. On the basis of that report and those discussions, I understand that at about 10.30 a.m. on Saturday, 8 November 1997, the 8.25 a.m. passenger train from Heuston to Westport was derailed between Knockcroghery and Roscommon town. The initial point of derailment was approximately 250 metres beyond Curry level crossing with various sections of the train coming to a halt over the next 500 metres.
The train in question, thanks be to God, comprised a modern 201 class locomotive, the most modern type locomotive going, and several modern Mark 111 carriages which were instrumental in the eventual safety of those involved. The locomotive remained on the track but all the carriages were derailed and the train divided with the result that the front of the train travelled 400 metres beyond the point where the four rear carriages came to rest. There was extensive damage to the track and the rolling stock but damage to the carriage interiors was minimal.
At the time of the derailment there were 180 passengers on the train, exactly half of the capacity of 360. Following the accident 15 passengers were taken to Roscommon; 11 were treated in the casualty department and discharged; four were detained mainly for observation and two of the patients have been discharged this evening.
I am advised that the emergency services responded promptly. Iarnród Éireann has established an internal joint inquiry board to investigate the circumstances of the accident. It began its work yesterday. The report will then be reviewed by my Department's railway inspecting officer. Until the report is available it will not be possible to give a definitive explanation for the accident. However, I understand that the evidence so far points to a broken rail joint as the the cause of the derailment.
I am aware that, because the rails on the section of track in question are approximately 70 years old, concerns have been expressed that, in the absence of an accelerated track renewal programme, there are fears about safety. I would like to reassure the House on this point. Where older equipment is in use on a railway system trains are operating safely as a matter of course thanks to Iarnród Éireann's ongoing programme of renewal and maintenance backed up by a system of regular inspections. For example, while the railway lines from Athlone to Westport and Ballina are not eligible for benefit under the EU funded mainline rail investment programme,
The Minister did not submit them.
Because the EU did not agree with proposals then put forward. I am advised that Iarnród Éireann has spent close to £5 million on renewal work on this line in the last two years.
Care and maintenance.
The company also has plans to replace further sections of jointed track on the line with modern continuous welded rail. In addition annual maintenance work on the line is carried out at a cost of about £1.4 million as part of an overall maintenance programme costing over £25 million per year.
Responsibility for rail safety is a matter for Iarnród Éireann under legislation and I have been assured that it is the company's main priority. Implementation of any necessary safety-related measures, whether at the location of Saturday's derailment or elsewhere on the rail network, is a matter for the company to undertake from its overall resources at its disposal.
Pontius Pilate.
During my discussions with Iarnród Éireann yesterday I emphasised the paramount importance of safety in all aspects of the company's operations and I said that luxury coaches and speed were not of prime importance. What was of prime importance was safety. The safe operation of trains involves a complex interraction between a range of factors including track, rolling stock, signalling, level crossings, operating speed and, above all, safety policy and practice.
A number of studies and reviews are already under way which will provide an input into Iarnród Éireann's efforts to improve rail safety. Before last Saturday's accident my Department had already commenced a review of Iarnród Éireann's safety policy and practice and, at my request, CIÉ is already preparing investment plans for both the mainline and suburban networks which will take account of railway renewal and signalling requirements. At the request of my Department CIÉ, with the assistance of independent consultants, is also undertaking a review of rolling stock policy. The lessons which will emerge from Iarnród Éireann's investigation into last Saturday's derailment will make an additional contribution to the company's safety review process.
Can I say that we are very lucky, thanks be to God. We do not say "thanks be to God" often enough. It seems we are afraid to say the word "God". The potential for danger in this situation was very great indeed. Thanks be to God it did not happen. Three matters contributed to the relatively happy outcome of the matter. One was the fact that the train was only half full; the second was the high embankment where the incident happened. A huge high embankment, just for a limited period, provided a buttress for the train when it went off the line, and third the carriages were of the most modern. A very serious investigation is being carried out by Iarnród Éireann.
I asked for comparative studies in European rail network safety terms. The last deaths occurred in 1983 in Irish Rail when five people were, sadly, killed in County Kildare and there have been, sadly. some level crossing deaths too. In European terms the safety of Irish Rail and those who travel on it is about second or third from the top. I say this as a matter of fact.
I want to pay tribute, as did Senator Finneran, to the people who drove that train. I have spoken to the driver on the telephone. He kept a very cool head in very difficult circumstances. I have spoken to those who worked on the train. They, too, maintained a very calm exterior and so did the passengers in a hugely challenging situation. The emergency services operated very promptly and, thankfully, all the passengers have left the hospital. I want to convey my thanks to Sister Devaney and her colleagues for the very calm and courteous way they dealt with queries and with the people themselves. I spent a considerable time there on Sunday. I have impressed on Iarnród Éireann the need for their constant surveillance of safety.
When we think of the numbers who die on the roads each year — 400 already this year — we realise that those who travel by train have a relatively good experience. That is not to say that we can ever be sanguine or tranquil because one must always be on the alert.
The spending plans of CIE and how they regularise their budgets are, under legislation, their business. They get a block subvention from the Government of the day and they decide where the emphasis will be placed. There is a subsidy sub-head and how they operate it is their own business. I have spoken to CIE and it is committed to doing all in its power to upgrade. To do what is required to make every single line a continuous welding line with proper signalling and carriages throughout the country would cost £275 million immediately.
About half what you are spending on the roads this year.
And that would only be one factor. There would also be proper carriages, proper signalling, proper infrastructure and all the needs of a modern railway system.
I commend all who worked so hard at the scene of that accident last Saturday and I have emphasised to Iarnród Éireann and to all sectors of CIÉ that their emphasis on safety must be continued.