RESIDENTS in North Strand have described night work that
has been keeping them awake for months as something from the
‘War of the
Worlds’ sci-fi movie.
In light of the complaints, Irish Rail has agreed to
suspend the work for a week.
Residents living in the vicinity of the railway line,
which cuts through James Street North, have endured months of sleepless nights
as a result of the maintenance work being carried out from 1am to 5am each week
night.
It’s believed that residents in up to 20 houses are
being kept awake by the noise.
They claim the situation is having an adverse effect
on their personal and professional lives.
Furious resident Conleth McKernan, who has twice
mounted the tracks in a bid to halt the work, said he and many others can’t and
won’t put up with the situation for much longer.
“If I wasn’t living here I wouldn’t believe that this
was going on,
? Mr McKernan told Northside People.
“I’ve had enough; I can’t understand how Irish Rail
can continue with these works knowing that people are being kept awake at night
because of them.
“I climbed onto the tracks and other neighbours have
been shouting up at the workers to stop.
“It’s like a scene from
‘War of the Worlds’ to see
these brightly lit machines working on the railway line overhead.
“There’s a constant audible warning noise, as well as
the noise from the work to dig up the cables running along the side of the
railway line.
?
According to Mr McKernan, the rail workers have been
working on the same 100-metre stretch of rail line since October at a rate of
five metres a night.
“We’ve contacted Irish Rail to find out what these
works actually entail, how long they will go on for and what they will do to
address the noise issue but we got very little response,
? he added.
Another resident, Brian Tyrrell, described how the
noise is affecting him and other residents professionally.
“I have to get up for work at 7am but because I lie
awake for hours listening to the noise on the railway line, I’ve been sleeping
in and I’m exhausted during the day,
? Mr Tyrrell told Northside People.
“We keep getting notifications from Irish Rail telling
us about the works and assuring that noise will be kept to a minimum but this
is just a line they use.
“It’s like rubbing salt into our wounds to read that
statement when we’re at our wits’ end with the reality.
?
A spokesman for Irish Rail confirmed that the company
has been carrying out a lot of work in the North Strand area.
He said the work was essential for the maintenance of
the railway, as well as facilitating predicted future capacity and frequency
demands.
“In light of complaints we have received, and meeting
and corresponding with local residents, we have suspended these works for this
week,
? the spokesman told Northside People.
“We are revisiting our future work schedules, our work
methodology and mitigation measures so that any potential impact on residents
is minimised.
?
The spokesman said they were doing everything to
resolve the current situation.
“Once we have changed our schedule for future works,
which we will do in conjunction with Dublin City Council, we will inform the
residents,
? he added.
“Night works are a fundamental part of any railway’s
maintenance, but we do want to ensure that we minimise any impact on those who
live near the line.
?