Members of Iarnród Éireann train crews have had to disembark from trains on the busy Waterford-Dublin line three times since April to open and close manually operated level crossings because the gatekeepers were not in attendance.
Passengers on early morning services were subjected to considerable delays as a result, a spokesman for the national railway company, Barry Kenny, confirmed yesterday.
The incidents occurred at three different crossings, all in Co Kilkenny, because "the gatekeeper wasn't in attendance", said Mr Kenny. The most recent incident was last week.
The Waterford-Dublin line is used by thousands of passengers daily and also serves Dublin-bound commuters from towns in counties Kilkenny, Carlow and Kildare.
Mr Kenny also confirmed that a lightning strike caused a signal fault along the Waterford line which delayed morning trains yesterday.
He said Bagenalstown (Muine Bheag) station in Co Carlow was unattended and the car park locked because the station keeper had been called away to a signal box to deal with the consequences of the strike. As a result travellers who arrived at 7am found the gates padlocked.
