An engine fire on a packed morning commuter train was extinguished after an automatic suppression system was triggered.
Irish Rail said the 9.40am service from Drogheda to Pearse Street in Dublin’s city centre caught fire about 50 minutes into the journey as it approached Clongriffin.
A diesel engine under one of the four carriages caught fire, but all passengers were safely evacuated, the company said.
It also revealed the fire was put out before emergency services arrived on the scene when an internal suppression system was activated.
“While the fire generated smoke, and customers would have seen and smelled this smoke as it developed, it was confined to the engine and at no stage did fire enter the passenger area,” an Irish Rail spokesman said.
“On-board safety systems operated correctly, and the driver responded professionally to ensure all precautions were taken and passenger safety prioritised.”
Irish Rail said the driver alerted the company’s central traffic control to the fire and got everyone off the train after it pulled into Clongriffin.
The incident forced the closure of the line through Clongriffin for about 70 minutes.
Irish Rail said the fire will be investigated and it apologised to customers.