Management at Iarnród Éireann is to meet with unions later this week in an attempt to resolve the dispute which led to the cancellation of trains on the Dublin-Cork route in the run-up to Christmas.
A spokesman for the company said it hoped to avoid any disruption to the service next Sunday. A Dublin to Cork train was cancelled on Christmas Eve when staff refused to replace a driver who had called in sick. The dispute surrounds a new Sunday timetable on the Dublin-Cork route.
Despite the cancellation of the Christmas Eve train, Iarnród Éireann said it carried record numbers of passengers over the Christmas season. More than 500,000 passengers travelled on Intercity services over Christmas and the new year, an increase of some 7 per cent on last year.
Christmas timetables on both Iarnród Éireann and Bus Éireann cease from today. A spokeswoman for Bus Éireann said it carried about 200,000 passengers in the run-up to Christmas.
AA Roadwatch reported little congestion on regional routes yesterday as people returned after Christmas. Traffic on the M50 was moving very well, while Dublin traffic was "exceptionally light".
