- Belmond Grand Hibernian breaks down on first journey.
- Refurbished carriages had experienced technical difficulties during their period of use with Iarnród Éireann.
The Belmond Grand Hibernian experienced a nightmare start on its inaugural journey as it broke down en route to Belfast on Saturday.
The maiden voyage of the luxury train – which costs €7,722 for a six-night journey – left Heuston Station for its first trip on Tuesday and broke down on the sixth day of the journey between Skerries and Balbriggan. The issue was revealed to be a problem with a door on one of the carriages and the train was taken to Drogheda for repair works; the passengers continued on to Belfast by road.
A statement from Belmond, said: “Belmond’s first priority is the safety and security of our guests and staff and we regret any inconveniences caused by this short interruption.”
The trains are refurbished inter-city carriages used by Iarnród Éireann and had been lying idle since 2007. Belmond bought the carriages in 2014 and spent two years preparing them for the new luxury service. The trains had similar issues with door malfunction during their period in use with Iarnród Éireann and it would appear that Saturday’s malfunction is a reoccurrence of the same issue.
