Services in the West are seemingly the worst affected.
An Orange Weather warning for strong winds, rain and gusts of up to 120km/h was issued ahead of the arrival of Storm Ali over Ireland on Tuesday night.
The first named storm of the season was expected to batter Atlantic coasts from 5am on Wednesday morning before swiftly moving eastward on Wednesday afternoon.
Persistent rain and powerful winds are expected as it makes its way towards Dublin, with a weather warning in place until 5pm Wednesday.
Dozens of trees have fallen across the country, deeming roads impassable. 55,000 homes are also without power.
As a direct result of the severe weather, a number of transport services have been affected. Irish Rail took to Twitter to share that line closures are currently in place in Dundalk, Carrick-on-Shannon and Clara.
Due to Storm Ali, there are line closures in on the following routes.
Dundalk – Drogheda
Carrick on Shannon – Boyle
Clara – Tullamore
Crews are on route to clear lines, expect delays. Update to follow.— Iarnród Éireann (@IrishRail) September 19, 2018
According to the staff at Mullingar Train Station, no trains are running due to a number of fallen trees, and the line between Malahide and Clongriffin has also been closed due to a fallen tree.
Line between Malahide – Clongriffin closed due to a tree on the line.
Dublin Bus are honouring rail tickets.— Iarnród Éireann (@IrishRail) September 19, 2018
Bus Éireann also took to Twitter to share that all Galway city services are not operating until further notice.
Due to the bad weather all Galway city services will not operate until further notice. All other services are operating and we are monitoring the situation. We regret any inconvenience this may cause to our customers.
— Bus Éireann (@Buseireann) September 19, 2018
As of 10.30am, the following Bus Éireann routes have been affected due to high winds and fallen trees:
- Route 103, will not serve stops in Finglas after Harts Corner, and will resume from Kilshane Cross.
- Route NX, will operate from City centre via the Navan road, Gardiner St, Dorset St, Hart’s Corner and Finglas not served.
- Route 109X, will operate from City centre via the Navan road, Gardiner St, Dorset St, Hart’s Corner and Finglas not served.
- Route 120. Fallen Tree between Coill Dubh and Prosperous is causing delays to service.
- Route 111, No Service between Athboy and Trim and this time due to a fallen tree. Delays to be expected.
- Route 111A, Service unable to access Delvin from Castlepollard.
- Route 109, Route 109B and Route 105 are not currently serving Clonee due to a fallen tree
- Route 167, Route temporarily suspended
- Route 132, Tree Down at Citywest, minor delays to Service
- Due to bad weather in the South West, Route 350 is currently not operating via the Cliffs of Moher
Delays of up to 20 minutes have also been recorded on all DART services due to weather-related signalling difficulties.
The opening time of the National Ploughing Championships has also been affected, with doors not expected to open until 12am instead of its usual 9am start. This has been deployed as a safety measure.
10.30am update: #StormAli peaked an hour and half later than expected. Plan is now to open gates for 12noon. ##Ploughing18
— National Ploughing (@NPAIE) September 19, 2018
Bus Éireann shuttle bus services to the event are not expected to commence from Tullamore Station until 11am also. However, all train services will operate as scheduled and customers are advised to travel on the trains they are booked on.
Gardaí have asked all those travelling to Screggan for the Ploughing Championships to “Please take extra care approaching the site and follow the directions of Gardaí and stewards.”
The Road Safety Authority has advised drivers to beware of debris and allow extra space when near cyclists and motorcyclists. They have has also advised drivers to take note of strong crosswinds, as they can also affect the control of a vehicle. Dipped headlights are recommended at all times.
All pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists have been advised by the RSA to wear bright clothing and to take extra care when crossing the road.
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