LIVE: Irish Rail train stopped as ambulance attending station
A passenger onboard requires medical assistance
An early morning commuter train from Galway to Dublin was brought to a halt.
The 5:25am train was being held at Newbridge around 8am with an ambulance attending the scene.
It is unclear at the moment the nature of the incident with delays of an hour experienced following their departure once again.
An Irish Rail spokesperson said: “The 5:25am Galway to Heuston service was held in Newbridge as they awaited an ambulance. A passenger on board required medical assistance.
“The train has since departed the station again and is expecting just under an hour of a delay to Dublin. there is no further information at this time.”
Galway Live has contacted Irish Rail for further comment and we will have updates in our live blog below at the bottom of this article.
Separately last week, it was announced a major Galway transport project is being rolled out to help tackle the chronic issue of overcrowding on Irish Rail trains.
The Galway Capacity Enhancement Scheme, alongside the DART+ Fleet Programme in the capital, is being hailed as the saviour to this problem following the increased demand for Galway-Dublin services since Covid lockdown was lifted.
Routes from the west to the capital normally get to full capacity around the midlands each day despite Irish Rail expanding the service and adding two additional trains from the midlands in 2024.
Communications Manager for Irish Rail Jane Cregan previously pinpointed the overcrowding issue to the increasing numbers of people working in hybrid jobs and having to commute to Dublin and or Galway city along the line.
But the new Galway Capacity Enhancement Scheme would see increased train frequency at the Athlone, Clara, Tullamore and Portarlington stops, as well as passenger capacity through rail infrastructure improvements.
This scheme is set to be completed in the next four years while the new DART+ Fleet programme will be rolled out over a 10-year-period, starting next year, and will see the introduction of over 700 electric and battery-electric carriages across Dublin.
Jane Cregan told Midlands 103 that these schemes will help “promote additional capacity” while addressing “growing demands for rail services”.