Ireland's largest body representing builders has called on the government to assess the safety of all rail bridges in the Irish Republic, following a near fatal collapse in Malahide last Friday.

The Construction Industry Federation's Don O'Sullivan said the cost of repairing the suspended railway could range between €2m and €5m.

Initial investigations by transport operator Iarnród Éireann have suggested the Malahide incident was likely to be caused by the viaduct rather than the track.

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"This is the second sudden bridge collapse in the last five years," said Mr O'Sullivan.

"Bearing in mind that most of the railway bridges were built in the 19th century and are old at this point in time, we're calling for an inspection and assessment of the whole stock of bridges that CIE have in their network, of which we estimate there are about 600.

"We estimate that it would probably cost in the region of €2 million to have them all assessed."

Earlier this week, Iarnród Éireann suggested the repair work at Malahide could last at least three months.

The firm said it plans to construct a single strengthened span over the collapsed section, supported by enhanced abutments to existing piers, before the reinstatement of line and services.

(PR/BMcc)