Hoax bomb calls close railway line

November 1989

MORE than 20 train services between Dundalk and Dublin are cancelled across two days as a result of hoax bomb alerts.

There is strong condemnation of those responsible by gardaí, Iarnród Éireann, politicians and intending passengers.

The guards promise intensive efforts to apprehend the culprits, with a spokesman commenting: ‘We cannot allow disruption of this nature to continue.’

The first alert is received in Drogheda shortly after 3.30pm and leads to a train on its way to Dundalk being recalled five minutes after it departs the station.

Immediately gardaí and army personnel inspect the line but find no trace of a bomb.

The next morning a call is made to Dundalk which causes another search. Once more, nothing is found.

However, the rail link is closed for over 24 hours, and 20 trains are cancelled. This causes significant inconvenience for people planning to use the services to get to and from work.

Gardaí don’t believe there is a terrorist element to the calls, rather they believe it’s the work of hoaxers.

‘ The trouble is, we cannot take a chance in the current climate,’ the spokesman continues.

Up to now, the Dundalk-Dublin line remains largely unscathed during attacks on the railway north of the border.

It is closed for a week while the British army clears a section just over the frontier.

There is a frightening experience for passengers travelling from Belfast a week earlier.

The train driver is given clearance by the RUC, but the line is not cleared by the army. The train arrives in Dundalk without mishap.