Praise for emergency services as fire forces train evacuation outside Athlone

A Roscommon Senator has praised the response of the emergency services to a fire which occurred on the undercarriage of an Irish Rail train in the Kiltoom area, outside Athlone, yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon.

Senator Gareth Scahill was among those on board the 12.45 train service from Dublin to Westport when it was forced to stop due what's been reported as a fire in the undercarriage area near the gearbox of one carriage.

The incident resulted in the train being evacuated near Glanduff, Kiltoom, and buses being called in to bring passengers onward on their journeys.

Senator Scahill said the incident was "not the most relaxing of situations," but he highlighted the actions of the emergency services who were "on the scene within a very short space of time".

"It's not unusual for a train to be stopped on the railway line, but after a prolonged period the passengers were told that there was a fire in the engine and the train's suppression system had kicked in," Senator Scahill said.

The Fine Gael Senator said the train's ventilation had also been switched off to allow for control of the fire, and that the carriages started to "become very warm".

Senator Scahill said the passengers on board the four-carriage train remained generally calm and then dismounted the service after a stoppage of "approximately 50 minutes".

During this time, the Senator said members of the ambulance service were on board "providing assistance" to passengers if it was needed.

The Senator said Irish Rail employees maintained regular communication with the passengers on board, while the emergency services "took total control of the situation".

"Fire service personnel were on hand to help passengers leave the train. It was a very well organised and controlled situation by all the emergency services involved. They deserve all the praise," the Senator added.

He explained that two large buses arrived at the incident scene "30 to 40 minutes" after the passengers were evacuated to bring the passengers to Roscommon and, from there, allow them to make their onward journeys.

Irish Rail has been contacted by the Westmeath Independent in relation the incident but at the time of writing we have not yet received a response.