Emergency services at scene of ‘serious’ incident after car hit by train in Co Mayo

Emergency services are at the scene of a serious incident involving a train striking a car at a rail crossing in Co Mayo.The 6.15pm service from Dublin’s Heuston station to Westport hit a car at a crossing outside Ballyhaunis just before 9pm. The car had several occupants.The incident occurred at a user-operated crossing about a 1km outside the town.An Irish Rail spokeswoman said the line will remain closed overnight.READ MOREAn Garda Síochána said: “Gardaí are currently at the scene of a serious traffic incident at Kiltybo, Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo.“The road is currently closed with local diversions in place.”In a statement, Irish Rail said it was arranging bus transfers for affected passengers.It also warned services to and from Westport can expect significant disruption on Friday morning.In a post on X, the rail operator said: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by today’s incidents. We’ll continue to do our best to provide clear and timely updates as info becomes available. A sincere thank you to all passengers/staff for your patience, understanding and cooperation during this challenging day.”It is the second incident involving a road vehicle being struck by a train at a crossing on the Westport line on Thursday. Earlier, a train collided with the tractor at around 4pm when it was attempting to cross the rail line at a different user-operated crossing near Tullamore, Co Offaly. The train that struck the tractor was the 1.10pm Westport to Heuston station service. Emergency services attended and one person was taken to hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.Train services in both directions were suspended and passengers were bussed to Athlone to pick up other trains.