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Track record: 300 stranded as ‘ghost’ train departs with single passenger
By Jimmy Woulfe, Mid-West Correspondent

MORE than 300 Limerick-bound passengers watched in disbelief as their train left Dublin’s Heuston Station with just one person on board.

The bizarre incident involved the 7.25pm train from Dublin to Limerick on Sunday night — one of the most heavily booked trains of the week.

According to passengers, as they stood on the platform before going through the check-in area, a visually impaired man was escorted by Irish Rail customer care personnel onto the train.

“It seems when that person was put on the train, the signal was given that this was the last person to board, when in fact, he was the first person to be put on board,” a passenger said. “The doors closed and the train took off.”

Irish Rail last night confirmed the incident.

A spokeswoman said communication difficulties arose between the station controller and the guard on board the train.

“We apologise to our customers for the error and we will be offering them a 50% discount,” said the spokeswoman.

She said they managed to put the stranded Limerick-bound customers on board the 7pm train to Cork. This train made an unscheduled stop at Limerick Junction where, she said, a shuttle train took the passengers on to Colbert Station, Limerick.

The spokeswoman said the passengers arrived in Limerick a little more than a half-hour later than their scheduled arrival.

The incident has caused embarrassment and Irish Rail is investigating how a train with more than 300 passengers, who had paid in excess of 20,000 for their tickets, had left Heuston the flagship station of the company, with just one passenger on board.

The error will cost the company in excess of 10,000 in refunds.

A source said once the train had departed there was no question of bringing it back to Heuston as this would have disrupted the entire schedule.

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