As guests of the Irish Council, and as the first part of an exchange visit, members from the North East area visited Ireland and were given conducted tours of Irish railway installations.
The tour was a very full and comprehensive insight into aspects of Irish rail operations, with an exciting and varied programme being produced by the Irish Council.
Day 1 consisted of a morning visit to the Central Traffic Control (CTC) in Connolly, where we saw how the Irish Rail network was both controlled and signalled, and we also had the opportunity to discuss operating matters with Irish Rail staff, many of whom were IRO members. An opportunity to see Connolly station was taken along with an overview of the current traction types used by Irish Rail. It was also a pleasant surprise to see steam loco No. 4 and veteran diesel loco No. 171, both part of the Irish Rail heritage fleet. Thereafter, we boarded the Luas (which is the new Dublin tram system) for a journey through the centre of Dublin to Red Cow interchange after which a guided tour of the depot took place. We were able to observe the fleet being maintained in modern facilities and the operation of the network was also explained. We were also fortunate to be shown the features of the Luas tram cars, including the operations of the driving cab and many of the safety and control systems. After lunch, we had a guided tour of Inchicore railway works, where heavy overhaul of bogies and wheelsets was shown in detail and then a comprehensive visit to the new driver training simulator took place. Members were given the opportunity to ‘drive’ various types of Irish Rail rolling stock.
Day 2 began with a journey by train from Heuston station to Athlone where we were welcomed by the station manager and her team. A visit followed to the Athlone level crossing control centre, where Irish Rails level crossing policy was both explained and demonstrated. The sympathetic re-use of a former railway goods warehouse to house the centre was also remarked upon. Recent progress in this area by Irish Rail has seen the replacement of all AHB, AOCL, ABCL and manned level crossings with full barriered crossings monitored in a central control by CCTV which delivers a step change in the safe operation of level crossings and significant cost savings. In contrast to the railway visits, we had a short guided river cruise from Athlone on the Shannon, where we saw the spectacular, manual swing railway bridge over the river from beneath and also the varied wildlife along the river banks.
Day 3 of our fabulous visit saw an early start to travel on the Enterprise express from Dublin to Belfast, followed by a brief overview of the Northern Ireland Railway (NIR) control centre where a number of innovative control systems were explained. We then took a short journey to Adelade to the NIR Rail Operations Training Academy (ROTA) to see and experience the driver training programme and simulator, and also the unique signalling simulator which replicates the actual NIR rail layout and function at their signalling centres and has also been used to test the viability of timetables. After a splendid lunch, we paid a visit to see Irish Rail heritage at the Cultra railway museum. Our day then continued with a return to Dublin on the Enterprise, and an evening trip on the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) along the scenic Irish coast to Greystones.
Throughout the visit, members were given many opportunities to talk to traincrew and other members of IE/NIR operational staff, along with visits to driving cabs. We were accompanied by IE/NIR managers, who were also IRO members, and who facilitated an exchange of information on our respective operations.
The members who went on the visit would like to formally thank all those who made it a delightful and memorable experience and a fascinating insight to their operations. We were made extremely welcome, and the programme that had been put together worked to perfection, with every train running on time! All the participants felt that they had gained a great deal of knowledge as a result of the visit, much of which can be usefully transferred to their current workplaces. We look forward to welcoming our Irish colleagues on a similar visit to the North East.