Rail services on the Westport line were suspended on Thursday evening following a collision between a passenger train and a vehicle at a level crossing near Ballyhaunis, County Mayo.

The incident occurred shortly before 9:00 p.m. at a user-operated crossing in the Kiltybo area, approximately one kilometer outside Ballyhaunis. The train involved was the 6:15 p.m. service traveling from Dublin Heuston to Westport.

Emergency services and members of An Garda Síochána attended the scene to treat the occupants of the car. Gardaí confirmed that the local road was closed to traffic with diversions established.

Iarnród Éireann reported that rail services on the Westport line were halted on Thursday night. The national rail operator arranged bus transfers for passengers on board and advised commuters that the train would not be moved immediately.

Irish Rail warned passengers traveling to and from Westport to expect significant service disruptions, indicating that services were not expected to resume early Friday morning.

The collision marked the second incident involving a train hitting a road vehicle at a level crossing on Thursday. Earlier in the afternoon, around 3:50 p.m., the 1:10 p.m. Westport to Dublin Heuston train collided with a tractor near Tullamore, County Offaly, resulting in one person being hospitalised with non-life-threatening injuries.