Iarnrod Eireann has rejected an assertion by the Irish Locomotive Drivers' Association (ILDA) that passenger safety was seriously endangered on three occasions in recent years.
Serious safety issues needed to be addressed by the company, the association has claimed. While the association says it represents 117 qualified locomotive drivers, almost half of the total, the company does not recognise it. ILDA is challenging this in the High Court.
The association's executive secretary, Mr Brendan Ogle, said the first incident was in September 1998 when a train leaving Cork through the Lee tunnel "became divided".
Mr Ogle claimed the driver of an incoming train noticed the incident and alerted the signal controller when he arrived at Cork station. He claimed the "divided" train had travelled through Mallow station and its driver was not alerted until the train reached Charleville.
Mr Ogle claimed the second incident also involved the separation of a train's carriages in Co Cork. As he had yet to consult the driver, he was unable to give the date.
The third incident was in Dublin, Mr Ogle said, and elements of human and mechanical failure were involved.
The ILDA delivered a report on rail safety to the Railways Inspection Office of the Department of Public Enterprise last week. The association said it was concerned that only four of 33 "unreasonable risks" identified in a 1998 report by International Risk Management Services (IRMS) were fully rectified, according to IRMS's latest audit.
In what the ILDA described as an even worse development, the IRMS noted a further 11 "unreasonable risks" in its audit. This was despite assurances to the contrary given by Irish Rail, according to the ILDA.
However, Mr Barry Kenny for Irish Rail said yesterday the events Mr Ogle referred to were not life-threatening. "A four-car Arrow train, in effect two two-car trains separated in the Cork tunnel in 1998, but at no stage were the passengers in danger. The track monitoring safety equipment had monitored that and there was no question of a crash.
"Mr Ogle has not told us what are the other incidents he is talking about, but again the normal safety conditions apply", he added.