DISRUPTIONS TO southside Dart and Rosslare/Gorey services are expected to continue for up to a fortnight, Iarnód Éireann has said.
The disruptions are due to repair work being carried out on the Dodder bridge near Lansdowne Road Station which was damaged in the flooding that hit Dublin earlier this week.
Iarnród Éireann had initially said it expected services to be affected for a number of days but this has since been revised.
At least two large trees were swept downstream by the river Dodder and became lodged under the bridge on Monday evening, causing debris to build up against it. An inspection carried out by divers last night showed damage to the ground in the vicinity of a support pier of the bridge.
The repair work means there will be no Dart service between Grand Canal Dock and Sydney Parade for the foreseeable future. Services will operate from Howth/Malahide to Grand Canal Dock, and from Sydney Parade to Greystones.
Southside services will be reduced in frequency, operating every 30 minutes.
Rosslare and Gorey services will operate from Rosslare and Gorey to Bray, with bus transfers between Bray and Connolly Station in Dublin.
Other commuter services which operate from Drogheda or Maynooth to Dún Laoghaire and Bray will now only operate from Drogheda/Maynooth to Pearse.
Dublin Bus will accept rail tickets for customers affected by the disruptions.
Although scaffolding had been in place on the bridge at the time of the floods, a spokesman for Iarnród Éireann said indications were that this had not added to the amount of debris which accumulated against it.
Following protocols adopted after the Malahide viaduct collapse in 2009, detailed inspections are now carried as a matter of course as soon as possible after major flooding events.
A total of 21 bridges have been inspected in areas affected by flooding since the Malahide incident, Iarnród Éireann said.
