Cross border rail passengers warned of further delays

Overhead power lines damage in the Republic of Ireland that caused major disruption to cross border rail services between Belfast and Dublin has been repaired.

Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) said a number of services in and around Dublin have now been restored.

Some services, Iarnród Éireann said, including the Belfast Enterprise Service, are still experiencing delays but should be full restored later on Wednesday.

"We apologise for the inconvenience and thank customers for their patience and understanding during this disruption," the company said.

Earlier a replacement bus transfer between Dublin's Connolly Station and Drogheda had been in operation throughout the morning peak while the 09:00 and 11:00 Belfast to Dublin services were both cancelled.

About 15,000-20,000 commuters are expected to be affected by the disruption to services across the Republic of Ireland, Iarnród Éireann said.

It had been caused by damage caused to lines in the Raheny area of Dublin which occurred at about 20:30 local time on Tuesday.

Speaking to RTE's Morning Ireland programme Barry Kenny from Iarnród Éireann said delaying the repair works due to a Teddy Swims concert in Malahide, outside Dublin, on Tuesday evening "was the right decision".

Starting work then, he said, would have shut the entire the line.

"I think potentially we would have had public safety issues if we weren't able to clear and help move thousands of people from Malahide after the concert last night."