The report of the board of inquiry conducted by Iarnród Éireann following the incident at Knockcroghery was presented to my Department on 5 February. As is normal practice, my railway inspecting officer is considering the detailed findings and recommendations of the report and will follow them up with Iarnród Éireann.
Day-to-day responsibility for all matters relating to rail safety such as the frequency of track inspections and maintenance, including mechanical tamping, is a matter for Iarnród Éireann. I have been assured that rail safety is the company's main priority. Implementation of any necessary safety-related measures, whether at Knockcroghery or elsewhere on the rail network, is a matter for the company to undertake. However, in the course of discussions with the company I have emphasised the paramount importance of safety in all aspects of the company's operations.
In so far as the specific accident at Knockcroghery is concerned, Iarnród Éireann's board of inquiry concluded that the derailment was caused by the failure of a track joint on the line. It also concluded that the design and construction of the carriages had played a significant role in minimising the consequences of the derailment. The failure of the track joint was caused by a weakening of the track bed beneath the joint which led to the breakage of the two plates — called fishplates — under the action of passing trains. The board of inquiry was satisfied that one of the fishplates was broken for a number of days prior to the derailment. A routine inspection of this part of the track the day before the derailment failed to detect this breakage.
I welcome the number of recent initiatives the company has taken to further improve operational safety on the railway. In addition to the normal routine inspections, a special detailed examination of all jointed track throughout the country was made in response to the accident. Additional resources will be made available to implement the recommendations arising from these additional inspections. The track inspection process for jointed track has again been reviewed and strengthened in both frequency and quality. The training needs of all staff involved in track inspection or maintenance have again been reviewed and will be further strengthened. Train operating speeds have been reviewed and some additional speed restrictions have been introduced.
On the safety review, proposals from prospective consultants were received on 3 February and a number of candidates who submitted proposals were interviewed by officials from my Department on 18 February. I expect the successful applicant will be appointed this week.
