Wicklow's Mainline Trains Stand Still
November 18th, 2000
Tuesday November the 14th saw mainline trains in Wicklow and the remainder of the country not operating and leaving thousands of commuters to find their own way to and from work. Only the Dart service operated in the county and this excluded services between Bray and Greystones. The strike was brought on by a dispute between 138 signalmen and their pay dispute with Iranrod Eireann. The transfer of people to the county's road network caused noticeable delays in rush-hour traffic.
In yet another development the situation may deteriorate next week with 55 Dart drivers threading to strike on Monday and bring the essential East Coast commuter service to a complete standstill. Tuesday's strike action was only the beginning of what may turn out to be a protracted conflict by the signalmen who plan to strike for two days next week and three days the following week.
The spillover of additional numbers of commuters onto the county's roads has made traffic in the county particularly congested at peak rush-hour times, especially in the Glen of the Downs area and Kilmacanogue where heavy road works are being carried out by Ascon.
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