Terrifying near miss as worker avoids being hit by train in Carlow by seconds

Iarnród Éireann has been issued with an urgent safety advice notice after a series of near misses between trains and employees over the past three years, including in Carlow in October 2025.

The safety advice notice comes after a probe by the Railway Accident Investigation Unit. The RAIU has recommended that immediate action should be taken to protect workers accessing train lines as a safe system of work cannot be achieved for staff working alone without a lookout on almost 50% of the rail network.

In its report, the RAIU described a serious incident on the rail line between Carlow and Muine Bheag where a worker avoided being hit by a train with just over four seconds to spare.

A work (Permanent Way Inspector or PWI) was working alone on the line to inspect a culvert. The report says they thought that they would not be working on the line itself and would be in a position of safety away from the line when on site and therefore would not need Lookouts.

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The report added: "The PWI commenced walking in the Down direction from the access point. On reaching the curve, the PWI walked on the ballast shoulder to avoid long grass in the cess. As the PWI approached overbridge OBW 79, a train approached in the Up direction.

"The train driver saw the PWI on the line approximately seven seconds before reaching the staff member and immediately sounded the horn as well as making an emergency brake application. The PWI reached a position of safety around four and a half seconds before the train reached them," the report added.

Other incidents around the country were also described in the report.

The RAIU said it had concluded that Iarnród Éireann was not fully discharging its duties under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and the Railway Safety Act 2005.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Head of Communications with Iarnród Éireann Barry Kenny said that the safety of workers is of "paramount importance."

He stressed the company continues to work on improving safety and technology to ensure safety, including all inspections on the DART line being carried out at night when there are no trains on the lines.

In relation to workers carrying out patrols alone with no lookouts, Mr Kenny said Iarnród Éireann have safe systems of work to provide the safest possible working environment.