Large crowds of commuters were left waiting for hours at Heuston Station in Dublin due to significant delays following an incident on a rail line on Monday.
Services were suspended following a “tragic incident” between Sallins and Kildare, prompting services due to depart Heuston to be held for hours as emergency services attended the scene, according to Irish Rail.
It had warned commuters on Monday afternoon that it expected “significant disruption” to its services and that it was working to arrange bus transfers for commuters waiting at the station “where possible”.
Large crowds of commuters remained stranded at Heuston Station hours later on Monday evening, some four hours after significant disruptions were initially announced.
Two Co Kildare men jailed for rape of teenage girl in four different locations
Saoirse Ronan delivers a stone-cold truth about women’s safety that left fellow actors including Paul Mescal in stunned silence
Spain flash floods kill at least 72 people in Valencia region
Groomsman pleads guilty to careless driving causing death of groom on morning of wedding
Many arriving shortly before 6pm for the commute home from work were unaware of the delays until seeing the departures board, which detailed that all trains were affected.
Those within the crowd, which grew continuously throughout the evening, were awaiting news of their intended departures to Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Galway and Westport, all of which were delayed.
Some who arrived hours prior to their scheduled departures described receiving little to no information, with the majority relying on updates from Irish Rail on X (formerly Twitter).
Some described large numbers of commuters leaving following the initial announcement earlier on Monday, while others were seen leaving the station in dribs and drabs throughout the evening.
The line between Sallins and Kildare reopened shortly after 5.30pm, though Irish Rail warned that significant disruptions were expected to continue.
By 6pm, services began to resume, with some trains for Limerick, Galway, Westport and Cork being delayed by between two and three hours.
One service to Cork was delayed by three hours and 20 minutes, while two further services to Cork were cancelled. Other services due to arrive at Heuston were also affected by the lengthy delays.
Crowds had largely dissipated by 8pm as more services came on stream.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
