IRISH ANGLE
Service is running again now, but permanent solution not yet agreed.
Irish container trains suspended in port row.
THE Dublin Port Company stated on June 8 that it was to suspend its container handling arrangement with Irish Rail and International Warehousing and Transport (IWT) two days later on June 10. The decision by the company came as a surprise, as the chartered service between the port and Ballina was widely deemed to be very successful, with nearly 10,000 containers transported in 2020.
Reaction to the abrupt cessation of the well-established traffic flow was swift. Irish Rail said that it was disappointed with the unilateral decision taken by the port company, while politicians and other public representatives and environmentalists condemned the decision. In County Mayo, local councillors called for urgent intervention by the government in order to get the service reinstated.
The Dublin Port Company defended its position by stating that congestion in the dockside container handling area was being caused by the rail operation. This impeded road-based loading and unloading and so the company decided to suspend railway operations. The company added that the vast majority of the containers handled at its facility are transported by road and that its operations would remain based around road haulage.
The government transport department intervened and container trains ran again on June 18 and 19.
The restoration of the service might, however, be only a short-term fix until a permanent solution to the issue is found.
‘LAST' WORKINGS
Before the container service was suspended, ‘Enterprise'-liveried GM
No. 228 was noted working trains during the period May 27 to June 2. However, the locomotive failed after departing Ballina on the 2nd with a Dublin-bound service. No. 082, which was at Ballina on timber duties, ran light to the failure location and returned the complete train to Ballina. No. 228 was then stabled.
To enable it to receive attention at Inchicore, No. 228 was subsequently attached inside No. 084 and hauled dead within the 10.05 Ballina to Dublin Port IWT service on the 8th. The usual 18 wagon consist had 13 loaded and five empty wagons. It is believed that No. 228 was transferred from North Wall to Inchicore later the same day and subsequently returned to traffic. The 09.35 ex-Dublin on June 10 was worked by No. 232 hauling an 18 wagon consist, of which 16 were loaded.
This was one of the locomotive's first revenue earning duties following its reintroduction to traffic after an overhaul at Inchicore following over a year out of traffic.
SERVICE RESUMES
No. 232 worked the 08.15 ex-Ballina service when the IWT service resumed on June 18, but only five wagons of the 18 wagon consist were loaded. The first Ballina-bound train to run again was the fully loaded 09.35 ex-North Wall on the 19th, worked by No. 078. Other locomotives noted on IWT duties during the period under review included
Nos. 083, 084, 086 and 225.