THOUSANDS of bus and rail commuters throughout the State were left stranded yesterday as unofficial protests by transport workers halted services.
Iarnrod Eireann began issuing warnings to the media shortly before 6 a.m. when it became clear that many drivers were not going to turn up. Worst hit were Dublin and Cork city, although few areas avoided disruption.
DART services from Howth and Bray were running at only a third of normal frequency from 6.30 a.m. The number of trains running both ways reduced steadily throughout the morning.
Inward bound northside commuters were worst affected and by 19 a.m. only two trains were operating. Within an hour, that was reduced to one, and commuters were advised to stay away from stations as the single train was taking two hours to complete its circuit.
Services remained at a minimum until after lunchtime when drivers began returning to their posts. By 3.30 p.m. the DART was back to one third of normal frequency.
Meanwhile, suburban trains from Drogheda, Arklow, Maynooth and Kildare to Dublin was largely unaffected, although the 8.02 a.m. from Maynooth did not operate. Two mid morning Arrow services between Kildare and Heuston station were cancelled.
All trains from Cork to Dublin between 5.20 a.m. and 9 a.in. were cancelled. At 11 a.m., however, commuters were offered bus transfers to Mallow station, where normal services were operating. Two lunchtime trains from Dublin to Cork also did not run.
Galway commuters to Dublin were among the most severely affected, with all trains cancelled from 5.30 a.m. until after lunch. The early morning service from Waterford was replaced by feeder buses to Kilkenny, where trains were running. Dublin Waterford trains were cancelled and replaced by a bus service.
Bus transfers were also offered to Tralee commuters who found all services to Mall ow had been cancelled until mid afternoon During the same period, the Cork Cobh route was out of operation.
All Dublin Limerick trains ran smoothly with the exception of the 10.45 a.m., which took commuters as far as Limerick Junction, where feeder buses were operating.
Belfast and Sligo managed to escape disruption with all trains to and from Dublin running normally.
Inter city bus services ran as normal, with the exception of mid morning departures from Limerick city. Bus Eireann's city services in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford came to an end for the duration of the protests, between 10.30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
In Dublin all bus routes were affected, with Clontarf, Portmarnock and Malahide among the worst hit. Services were back to normal by 3 p.m.
