Corrosion of cables affects DART extension electrification

Cabling equipment which was recently installed for the electrification of the railway line between Bray and Greystones, Co Wicklow, has been damaged by corrosion due to a mixture of sulphur and salt - before the first train had a chance to use it.

Iarnrod Eireann says that recently-installed cables and cable-holders had to either be replaced or covered with a sealant to prevent corrosion caused by a mixture of sulphur from the fumes of diesel trains, water in the tunnel and salt from the sea.

Iarnrod Eireann's spokesman said he could not say who had paid for the remedial work on the newly-installed overhead electrification project or how much it had cost. Construction of new carriages to operate the service is also behind schedule and they will not arrive until later in the year.

The corrosion problem is the latest in a series of difficulties to hit the DART extension which was originally sanctioned by the then minister for transport, Mr Michael Lowry, in 1996 during the Wicklow by-election.

The Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, recently told the Dail that the electrified commuter service was originally expected to be operational by the end of 1998. She added: "While that was a reasonable expectation at that time, there have been a number of factors which have delayed the project in the interim. Key among these was the decision by Iarnrod Eireann to undertake work on the Greystones and Malahide extensions simultaneously rather than construct Greystones first."

However, a spokesman for Iarnrod Eireann said yesterday that the Malahide section in north Dublin would not be completed until the middle of 2000.

The Greystones route is a single-track line around Bray Head and through a series of tunnels, one of which is a half-mile long. There is a regular diesel service to Wicklow and Wexford.

Work on updating the platform at Greystones has yet to be completed, according to the spokesman, who added that testing of the DART service would begin soon. While Iarnrod Eireann says the replacement/remedial work has now been completed and all cabling is in place, the line will not open until next July, and then only on a partial basis.

A limited service is expected to be offered to commuters at the morning and evening peaks until additional carriages on order arrive from Spain.

According to the Wicklow Fine Gael councillor, Mr George Jones, who has campaigned for the extension of DART to Greystones since 1979, the town was served by a better train service in the 1960s and 1970s than today.

"The present service which sees the town served by just two trains to Dublin in the morning, the Arklow and Rosslare trains, is derisory. It was better in the 60s and 70s when there were many trains out of here to Dublin," he said.

In the 1980s a shuttle service operated on a regular basis between Bray and Greystones feeding into the DART system. However, the service was operated by an engine borrowed from Northern Ireland Railways and ceased when that company requested it back.

Meanwhile, the Dublin Transport Office has recently grant-aided a commuter car-park for the town, according to Mr Jones.