100 trapped in heat in broken down Dart

Up to 100 passengers were trapped for 70 minutes on a Dart near Lansdowne Road station yesterday.

The Dart coming from Howth broke down before it reached the station at 3pm, blocking the level crossing at Lansdowne Road and causing traffic tailbacks for over two hours.

On one of the hottest days of the year, at 26 degrees, 500 passengers were forced to wait until the driver ascertained whether or not the train could be repaired.

Then passengers from the first four carriages were evacuated through the driver's cab door, which had reached the station platform.

But 100 passengers in the rear two carriages could not be evacuated because there were no connecting doors to the front section. They had to wait for 70 minutes without air conditioning before station staff could open the doors for them.

Dublin was not, however, the hottest spot in the country yesterday. Kilkenny and Claremorris topped the thermometer with temperatures of 29 degrees. But today promises to be even hotter. Met Éireann is predicting highs of between 24 and 30 degrees. The weather will remain fine for most of the week but thundery showers late on Thursday will herald fresher weather for the weekend.