Latest: Road cleared and reopened after bus struck railway bridge
A Bus Éireann bus which collided with the crash rail at a railway bridge at Dublin Hill, Cork. Picture Denis Minihane.
The road at Dublin Hill on the northside of the city has reopened following a road traffic collision (RTC) involving a bus this morning.
The Bus Éireann vehicle was heading towards Blackpool when it struck a railway bridge at the end of Dublin Hill shortly after 9am.
A spokesperson for Cork City Fire Brigade told The Echo this morning that there were no passengers on board the double decker bus.
“We were alerted to attend a road traffic collision (RTC) involving a bus at the end of Dublin Hill.
“The call came in at 9.12am. Four units are currently at the scene - three from Anglesea Street and one unit from Ballyvolane.
“The double decker bus seems to be wedged in the railway bridge at the end of Dublin Hill,” they added.
However, the road has now been cleared and Dublin Hill has reopened to traffic.
A Garda spokesperson said no injuries were reported as a result of the incident.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Bus Éireann said the vehicle has been removed and the 207 route has returned to its normal service.
Earlier the company said it will carry out a full investigation into the incident.
EMERGENCY services are currently at the scene of an incident at Dublin Hill on the northside of Cork city.
Four units from Cork City Fire Brigade, members of An Garda Síochána and ambulance services are currently at the scene where a double decker bus is "wedged in the railway bridge" almost on its side.
A spokesperson for Cork City Fire Brigade told there were no passengers on board the double decker bus.
“We were alerted to attend a road traffic collision (RTC) involving a bus at the end of Dublin Hill. The call came in at 9.12am. Four units are currently at the scene. Three from Anglesea Street and one unit from Ballyvolane.
A garda spokesperson said traffic is heavy in the area.
Independent councillor Ken O’Flynn has called on Cork City Council and Irish Rail to take swift action to address ongoing safety concerns related to the railway bridge in Dublin Hill before someone gets seriously injured.
“The situation has become untenable with regular accidents and damage causing chaos in the area. The most recent incident involving a double decker bus has demonstrated just how dangerous the situation has become," he said.
A spokesperson for Bus Éireann said: "Bus Éireann can confirm that one of its city double deck vehicles struck a railway bridge at Dublin Hill in Cork city shortly after 9.00am this morning. The bus was not in service, so there were no passengers on board. Emergency services attended and the driver is currently being medically assessed.
"As a result, there is a minor diversion to route 207A between Glenthorn and Merchants Quay which will not serve Dublin Hill or Blackpool village until the road reopens. Irish Rail services will continue to operate as normal. The recovery of the vehicle will take some time and we are grateful for the assistance of the emergency services.
A spokesperson for Irish Rail said: "At Iarnród Éireann safety is our number one priority and we work closely with local authorities in Cork and in all locations where we have restricted height bridges. All of the necessary statutory signage is in place on the approach to the bridge and we also have details of all restricted height bridges on our network available on irishrail.ie.
"In this particular incident, there was a delay of 30mins to the 09:25 Cork Heuston. The bridge was inspected by our engineers and no structural damage occurred."
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