The Labour Party Spokesperson on Transport, Deputy Tommy Broughan, has called for a full review of Irish Rail’s procedures for inspection of rail lines and especially bridges and viaducts, in the light of the collapse of the Broadmeadow viaduct.

“If, as Irish Rail claims, the Broadmeadow viaduct was inspected as recently as last week, then there is clearly something fundamentally wrong with the inspection system. It is not possible that the damage that led to the collapse of one of the piers could have occurred in the period between Tuesday and Saturday evening. If the cause was indeed erosion of the seabed, how was this not picked up in the inspection?

“This was a potentially catastrophic incident, and were it not for the vigilance of a train driver, this country could now be in the aftermath of an unimaginable disaster that might have taken the lives of several hundred people. As it is commuters from North Dublin, Meath and Louth face possibly months of serious disruption and inconvenience

“The Railway Safety Commission has responsibility for investigating rail accidents, However, ee need a thorough inquiry to establish definitively what caused the collapse of the pier, why the safety inspection did not detect the problem and what steps need to be taken to ensure that such an incident cannot occur in the future. The Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, has the power under Section 65 of the Railway Safety Act of 2005 to order such an inquiry.

“Despite a good safety record, the Irish rail system suffered decades of neglect during the 20th century and continues to be underfunded by international standards. This incident and the subsequent disruption to the most important line in the country shows that we cannot afford to skimp on investment in the rail system.