The chairman of State-owned train operator Irish Rail has resigned, the Department of Transport has confirmed.
Steve Murphy was appointed chairman of Irish Rail two years ago, having previously been appointed to the board in August 2023. He was due to serve as chairman until 2029.
Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien on Tuesday appointed Ultan Courtney as chair of the board of Irish Rail and as a director of the State-transport group Córas Iompair Éireann for a one-year period while a recruitment process is carried out.
Courtney is a former chairman of Dublin Bus. Murphy had been a senior transport executive in the UK for many years before his appointment to Irish Rail.
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From 2020 to 2024 he was chief executive of MTR UK, overseeing the delivery of full Elizabeth line services in London (the busiest rail route in Britain), the joint venture on South Western Railway and the start-up of both infrastructure and property development businesses.
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He was previously managing director of MTR Elizabeth line since its establishment in 2015.
From the start of his career as a British Rail graduate trainee, Murphy had held leadership roles with Chiltern Railways, Irish Rail (he was a general manager with the company from 2004 to 2007), Deutsche Bahn and London Overground.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Department of Transport said: “The Minister made the appointment to Irish Rail following the stepping down of the previous chairperson Steve Murphy. Following the Minister’s appointment, Government appointed Mr Courtney to the board of Córas Iompair Éireann under the Transport (Reorganisation of Córas Iompair Éireann) Act of 1986.”
