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Going nowhere
Ophelia transport update: No buses or trains in the country until tomorrow at the earliest
The Luas will also not operate tomorrow morning.
Updated 7.26pm
NO PUBLIC TRANSPORT services are operating tonight with Bus Eireann, Dublin Bus, Luas, DART and Irish Rail suspending all routes.
The Luas will also not run any trams tomorrow morning due to damage to its technical room.
All vehicles for the companies were stood down following the issuance of a status red warning across Ireland.
Met Éireann’s warning that Storm Ophelia is likely to be the most severe weather event to hit the country in over 50 years came to pass.
Three people have already been killed as a result of the storm. A woman died after her car was struck by a tree in Co Waterford and a man in Co Tipperary was killed while clearing a fallen tree with a chainsaw.
Another man died after the car he was travelling in was struck by a falling tree in Louth.
All schools, colleges and third-level institutions across the country are closed today and the Department of Education has confirmed schools will remain closed tomorrow.
The HSE has cancelled all hospital outpatient appointments which were due to take place. These appointments will be rescheduled as soon as possible.
Bus Éireann has cancelled all services nationwide for the rest of the day. It said that it will resume services from 5am tomorrow with the exception of school routes. Find the latest updates on the Bus Éireann website. It does expect disruptions, especially in worst-affected areas. It told customers to allow for delays, cancellations and diversions.
Dublin Bus has also withdrawn all its services for the rest of today.
It had been hoped that bus services in the capital would resume at 7pm but a decision has now been taken to suspend all services until first thing tomorrow.
Dublin Bus said:
Due to updated information received from Met Éireann and the National Emergency Coordination Committee on the ongoing adverse weather conditions, Dublin Bus is not in a position to resume services this evening.We apologise for the inconvenience caused however this decision has been made in the interest of the safety of customers and our employees.
“We expect that our services will resume from first bus tomorrow morning, Tuesday 17 October.”
ROADS
People are being told to avoid travelling unless it is absolutely necessary.
AA Roadwatch is reminding drivers that high-sided vehicles are especially vulnerable on open roads.
Trees have been felled by the storm all over the country and even after the storm has passed extreme caution is being advised due to the debris that will remain on the roads.
RAIL
At 2pm, Irish Rail said it was suspending its services for the remainder of the day.
“Line maintenance teams will be monitoring the network throughout the weather warnings associated to address any impacts from Hurricane Ophelia, and will take all measures necessary throughout the day to ensure the safety of rail services,” Irish Rail said in a statement.
Train services are expected to run as scheduled tomorrow but journeys will be subject to railway line inspections.
LUAS
This evening, Transdev – the firm that operates the Luas - said it would not be running any trams tomorrow morning because of damage to its technical room following an incident in the Depot at Red Cow, Clondalkin.
In a statement, it said it will take time to investigate and repair the damage. It was not able to estimate how long it will take to fix.
“Luas will inform customers, media and the public about Luas services post a 12 noon meeting tomorrow,” the statement continued.
AIRPORTS
There are major flight disruptions across Ireland due to Storm Ophelia but the effects vary across different airports.
Cork Airport has cancelled all departures but some flights may still be arriving.
A gust of 122 km/h has been recorded at Shannon Airport but it remains open as airlines make decisions on individual departures.
Dublin Airport is also remaining “open and operational” during the storm but up to 135 flights have been cancelled.
Both Aer Lingus and Ryanair are advising customers that a refund or a free change of flight are available to passengers of cancelled flights.
FERRIES
All Irish Ferries sailings between Dublin and Holyhead have been cancelled in both directions.
The same is the case with Stena Line
With reporting by Rónán Duffy, Órla Ryan, Sinead O’Carroll and Michelle Hennessy
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