Train crash at Castlebar crossing – again

Close call at lethal Castlebar crossing


Calls for action after woman’s narrow escape at notorious crossing

Ciara Galvin

A WOMAN was seconds away from being killed when a train collided with her car at a railway crossing near Castlebar on Sunday evening. This is the latest train crash at the Knockaphunta junction (pictured above), where four people have already lost their lives and three similar incidents have occurred.
The latest collision occurred at 6.50pm, delaying the train – the 3.35pm service from Dublin to Westport – for a number of hours. The level crossing lies just southwest of Castlebar station, on the road that runs between the N5 and Mountdaisy, close to the Ballinrobe Road. The road leads to Castlebar Rugby Club.
Gardaí and the Emergency Services attended the scene, and the woman was taken to Mayo General Hospital as a precaution. She has since been discharged.
Train passengers heard a loud bang at the time of the collision, but no one was injured.
Two separate investigations into the the collision are now underway. Iarnród Éireann is investigating the incident, while independent body The Rail Accident Investigation Unit is carrying out its own investigation.
Supt Pat Diskin told The Mayo News last night that incidents at the crossing are being monitored and the matter is currently being investigated by An Garda SíochΡna as a road traffic collision. Once fully investigated, a file will be sent to the DPP for direction.
The junction at Knockaphunta has been described by Iarnród Éireann spokesperson Barry Kenny, as ‘the most misused crossing on the national network’.
The crossing, described as ‘Occupational on Public Road’ or ‘OP’, is unattended and requires users to open and close the crossing gates in order to cross the railway. As the gate is commonly left open by road users, numerous incidents have occurred at the crossing over the years.
In 1967, four people were killed and three people injured at the crossing when the car they were travelling in drove out in front of a train. Similar incidents to Sunday evening’s one were reported in 1998, 2004 and 2009 but The Mayo News understands that several near misses have gone unreported in recent times.  
A 2010 Railway Accident Investigation Unit Report found that the numbers using the crossing were rising, with an average of 130 vehicles crossing the track daily.
Locals have been calling on Iarnród Éireann to construct a bridge to make the Knockaphunta crossing unnecessary. Planning permission for a bridge was granted in 2012, but it has still not been built.

Bridge too far?
Speaking to The Mayo News yesterday (Monday), Independent councillor Michael Kilcoyne called on Iarnród Éireann to begin the construction of a long-promised bridge.
“A bridge needs to be put in place or put an automated crossing there,” he said. Cllr Kilcoyne added that the crossing was also a security risk. “It is not acceptable to expect a woman to get out of her car at 10pm on a winter’s night and go and open and close the gate, anyone could take her car,” he said.
Responding to this point, Mr Kenny of Iarnród Éireann said the opening and closing of gates at unmanned crossings was a requirement included in the rules of the road.
Asked if this most recent accident would fast-track plans for the construction of a bridge, Mr Kenny said that although a bridge would be the ‘ideal solution’, there was a ‘major funding issue’.
“There has been a dramatic reduction in funding … We have improved markings on the crossing and reduced the speed of trains coming through the crossing, but funding is not available,” said Mr Kenny.
Describing the crossing as ‘an accident waiting to happen’, Cllr Kilcoyne said the next incident ‘could be fatal’.
“There has been a number of close calls before … She [the woman whose car was struck on Sunday] was seconds away from death and the community is at risk because of Iarnród Éireann’s handling of it,” said Kilcoyne.

Convictions
In 2007, four local people were brought to court on charges of failing to close the gate at the crossing. However, Judge Mary Devins did not convict them. The law states that anyone that fails to close the gate is liable to a fine in excess of €600 and/or six months imprisonment.
Mr Kenny said while it is Iarnród Éireann’s responsibility to ensure that road markings are visible at the crossing, responsibility for closing the crossing gate lies with the road user.
The 2010 report stated that Iarnród Éireann staff reported the gates open 24 times in one month alone, and that misuse of the Knockaphunta Level Crossing is ‘higher than average’.
Cllr Kilcoyne called on Iarnród Éireann and Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar to act quickly, before someone is seriously injured or killed at the location.
This the second train crash to occur in Mayo this year. A postman had a lucky escape in February after a train smashed into his delivery van at an unattended level crossing two miles from Ballavary. Postman John Canning was crossing the railway line at Corraun, Ballyvary, when his van was struck by the Ballina-to-Manulla Junction feeder train.
The postal van was pushed along the railway line for a short distance before finally landing in an adjacent field.