Significant delays to and from Heuston Station for commuters

Irish Rail blame mechanical fault for delays which have left passengers fuming

Heuston Station: Delays have caused fury. Photograph: Eric Luke
Heuston Station: Delays have caused fury. Photograph: Eric Luke

There are significant delays to all services via Heuston Station because of a mechanical fault between Sallins and Newbridge.

Irish Rail said the delays were due to mechanical issues between Sallins and Newbridge. There are expected delays of up to 80 minutes to all services out of Heuston at present, and delays of up to 30 minutes to all services into Heuston.

The delays have caused frustration among some Irish Rail customers with several taking to Twitter to complain about the lack of information for passengers.

One posted a photograph of a crowded platform and stated: “If you’re thinking about getting on at Sallins don’t. About 200 people waiting to board trains this morning @IrishRail.”

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Another wrote: “This is a disgrace especially after scrambling for a parking space in Sallins at 6.40. Now on a packed train, late for work and stopping in every station to Heuston. #crapservice.”

A third wrote: “Another terrible service delivery!! Exactly the same issue as last Monday? Trains cancelled from Sallins, NO INFORMATION at the station, platform at Sallins completely unsafe with overcrowding, hundreds of ppl late to work... Again #irishrail #shoddyservice.”

The Green Party’s transport spokesperson Councillor Ciarán Cuffe criticised Minister for Transport Shane Ross for the rail delay, saying a lack of investment in rail services was costing commuters time and money. The party has received figures in response to a parliamentary question showing more than a thousand rail services were disrupted in 2016 and 2017.

“Long service outages are accepted as the norm on our railways but would be unacceptable on motorways,” Mr Cuffe said.

“If we’re serious about tackling climate change we need to invest in our rail services to improve journey times and reliability.”

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy is a news reporter with The Irish Times