Concerns about 30m radio mast which "went up under darkness" in Kildare

Irish Rail has insisted that a 30m radio mast hastily erected near Caragh is essential for safe communications between drivers and a control centre in Dublin.
Caragh Tidy Towns group was concerned at the scale of the structure — for which there was no prior public consultation.
Mayor of the local Municipal District Cllr Rob Power said he had received plenty of messages about the mast which he said “went up under cover of darkness”.
Cllr Peggy O'Dwyer also expressed concerns about the development and sought urgent clarification from Iarnród Eireann.
Iarnród Eireann said in a statement that the radio mast is critical to allow secure communication between staff and a control centre in Dublin.
It added: “Iarnród Eireann’s existing train radio system dates from the early 1980s and is obsolete. This system provides for vital safety- critical communications between train drivers and signalmen located at our Centralised Traffic Control (CTC) Centre at Connolly Station.
“Continuous secure radio communications with train drivers is a prerequisite for CTC and essential for the safety and efficiency of rail operations. The provision of train radio is mandated by the Commission for Rail Regulation. Iarnród Eireann is currently upgrading this train radio system to a modern digital radio system, known as GSM-R, in line with EU Railway Technical Directives.”
"This system is widely adopted by rail administrations throughout Europe.

"In order to provide the required 100% radio coverage along this area of the railway network a radio mast is required at Caragh (near Railway Bridge OBC30). This is an engineering requirement to ensure continuous radio operation over the route.

"This is an exempted development under Class 23 of Schedule 2 Part 1 of the 2001 Planning and Development Regulations."