Updated 3.20pm
THE SECOND DAY of Irish Rail strikes is having a knock-on effect for other public transport services, as thousands use alternative commuting routes today.
Services on Bus Éireann routes have been affected in some areas due extra traffic on the roads, with services in Cork particularly affected.
A spokesperson for Bus Éireann it had experienced delays on eight routes this morning, including services linking Dublin and Dublin Airport to the rest of Leinster.
Similarly, Luas has advised that the park and ride at the Red Cow is now full, while the other car parks are extremely busy.
“Illegally parked cars will be clamped,” the operator said.
Dublin North West TD Noel Rock questioned Dublin Bus’ preparation for the strike, accusing their real time information feature of being “out of action at the exact time when people needed them today”.
“In this situation, people depend more than ever on these systems and – at the time of need – the systems and Dublin Bus were found wanting.
He questioned “how prepared” Dublin Bus were for this, as at least three more days of industrial action have been planned.
AA Roadwatch, meanwhile, has said that commuters should expect heavier traffic today.
“With over 150,000 journeys effectively being cancelled on each strike day, we anticipate a significant increase in traffic on the major commuter routes and in the major cities,” it said.
Today is the second of five planned strikes by Irish Rail workers in the coming weeks.
Further 24-hour works stoppages are planned on Tuesday 14 November, Thursday 23 November and Friday 8 December.
Pay talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) collapsed last month and a solution doesn’t seem likely at present.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie ahead of today’s strike, NBRU general secretary Dermot O’Leary said he’s “not hopeful” that a breakthrough will happen soon.
“The last day of strike action planned at present is on 8 December, there’s not much of a window between that and the end of the year to find a solution.”
With reporting from Órla Ryan and Gráinne Ní Aodha
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