Posted by Kelly Fincham at 8/21/2009 4:34 PM EDT


I couldn't tell you the amount of times I've traveled on this rail line from Drogheda to Dublin and back again.

And every time we've crossed over the estuary just north of Dublin I've looked out the window and thought 'what if.'

Well 'what if' finally arrived today.

Part of the Belfast-Dublin rail line that crosses the narrow bridge across the estuary collapsed into the sea at 6.30pm Irish time.

As you can see in the picture above.

No word yet as to what caused the collapse but it's a miracle nobody was killed or injured.
The driver of a Dublin-bound train saw the damage and managed to stop his train in time.

The line has been closed and will be for several weeks.

The collapse means that the main rail link between Dublin and Belfast - not to mention the major commuter towns of Drogheda, Balbriggan, Skerries and Laytown - has been severed.

This is a major disaster for Irish commuters, but clearly, if that train driver had not stopped in time, it could have been much much worse.