Irish Rail reports that there were 58 incidents of deer being struck by trains last year – up from 42 in 2021 and double the number of incidents in 2018.
Among the railways worst affected are the Dublin-Wexford line, Mallow-Killarney, Mullingar-Galway and Ennis-Athenry.
All of the incidents led to deer fatalities and little damage to trains but did delay passengers as trains must stop and check the vehicle before continuing.
The company is installing deer-proof fencing where possible and feasible, but said it is difficult to make it 100% effective.
In recent days’ deer on the road near Dundrum have been reported amid calls for a cull from Tipperary TD Jackie Cahill whose car was damaged in a recent encounter with a wild deer.
Road Safety Authority records show there were ten casualties as a result of collisions with deer between 2017 and 2021, and the role of deer in some fatal road collisions has been raised during inquests in Co Kerry on a number of occasions.
The Department of Agriculture is now examining 1,500 submissions made during a recent consultation with a view to developing a National Deer Management Strategy.
There is no accurate data as to how many wild deer are in Ireland -data from the Deer commission shows that 55,000 deer were culled last year by hunters self declaring their results.
The Commission is calling for action to be taken on a scientific basis in areas of high deer population.
