Trees and Vegetation on Railway Property
Tree and Vegetation Management
Iarnród Éireann has over 4,000Km of boundary to manage with thousands of trees growing near the railway. Our priority is operating a safe railway for the large numbers of intercity and commuter users who depend on our services on a daily basis. This necessitates the cutting back of trees and vegetation along the railway boundary as they can obscure signals and contribute to low rail adhesion. We endeavour to advise local residents, who are likely to be impacted, in advance of such works unless the work is required for urgent operational safety reasons.
Requests from Residents for Vegetation/Tree Cutting
To enable the efficient use of resources, Iarnród Éireann manages vegetation control on a priority programmed basis over pre-determined lengths of railway boundary. It is not feasible to respond to the large number of individual householders requests for vegetation control. Vegetation control will not normally be carried out to address such issues as: tree height, shading of light or television reception. However, if, following professional assessment, vegetation is deemed a safety risk to the railway or a third party, reasonable steps to mitigate the risk will be taken.
Property owners adjacent to the railway may cut back any vegetation or branches over-hanging their property. Where any such vegetation removal is likely to impact on the railway, the property owner should contact us in advance of the work at community.liaison@irishrail.ie