Malahide viaduct 'maintenance failures' found

[fiannafailure]

[quote=Aindriu;2517868]

Originally Posted by Podolski1.5
I think the bit about "passing on knowledge" is a bit of a joke. Whatever else about the Victorians, they were sticklers for keeping copious amounts of documents and plans in their records. I bet that the plans for the Malahide viaduct and causeway are gathering dust in some filing cabinet up in Heuston Station or in some other archive. The fault lies at the top with bad management and with successive governments who have ensured that the funding and subsidisation of public transport here is amongst the lowest in Europe.

[quote=Aindriu;2517868]

I completely agree.

That is because in the victorian era, their was real accountability for either action or inaction

[Rebus2008]

When people moan about the overpayment and golden pensions for public service/semi state, I always remind them that the great scandal is that a sizeable minority who are totally incompetent cannot be fired. (I also feel that a large portion of the remaining majority might only appear competent relative to the vastly incompetent minority-they just about manage to not drag their knuckles when walking).
No matter how many scandals/cock ups etc etc, we simply can't offload these wasters:
- Malahide Viaduct
- Kids in Internet cafes
- fas
- Corrupt tendering
- No vetting of foster parents
- tallaght
- Garde inflation
- Finacial regulator
etc etc

Work to rule, if only they were capable of it.

[TheTipperaryMan]

It is only sheer luck that averted a tragedy that could have cost the lives of hundreds of passengers who would certainly drowned in their submerged carriages.

[MsAnneThrope]

"Old Soldiers" hoard information because they fear being replaced - if the young fellow knows what I know, he may replace me. Its no excuse but it is not unique to Irish Rail.

Good point Wombat and very true. You'd think though that when it comes to important transport infrastructures, that thousands of fellow citizens (and maybe even family and friends) use every day, they'd lose that attitude.

[wombat]

Good point Wombat and very true. You'd think though that when it comes to important transport infrastructures, that thousands of fellow citizens (and maybe even family and friends) use every day, they'd lose that attitude.

In Canada, there are legal restrictions on who can claim to be an engineer and there are also requirements placed on those who are registered engineers. Basically, if you sign something, you are personally liable. You make sure you do not practice outside your area of expertise. In the case of a bridge inspection, it would be done by a structural engineer, (not for example an area engineer who might be electrical by training ). I am afraid there are many examples in this country of "lash up" engineering done by people who have no training in the subject but sin scéal eile.

[Harmonica]

Another one to add to the list.

Does the Railway Safety Commission quango have a remit for safety or just more paper pushers?

Are our public services fit for purpose?

[He3]

However, it has since emerged that an article on the Malahide viaduct published in the Irish Rail Records Society journal in 2000 documents the history and structure of the viaduct. The article was written by Oliver Doyle, at the time a senior manager in Iarnród Éireann, though not in maintenance.

Mr Doyle’s paper details the scouring effect of tides in the estuary and the efforts made over the years to counteract erosion. It also recounts how the viaduct was maliciously damaged during the Civil War. Asked about the article, a spokesman for Iarnród Éireann said yesterday that knowledge about the structure of the viaduct had been lost over time.

Rail staff unaware of article on Malahide viaduct - The Irish Times - Mon, Mar 15, 2010

Did the investigation team not find this?