Best Train Journeys on the IE timetable

[Oisin88]

Would you do this:
From Station: Galway 2110
To Station: Dublin Heuston 0710
Journey Time: 10 hour(s) 0 minutes
Number of Changes: 1

Came up on the www.irishrail.ie timetable when I looked for Galway-Dublin Services?
Will they, like Iberia for flights through Madrid that involve an overnight layover, put you up in the Radisson near the train station in Athlone for the night?

[Mark Gleeson]

That has been admitted to us as being a bug and a new journey planner thing is currently under evaluation

[Derek Wheeler]

But its still a damn good laugh.:D

Anyway, a bug is only an excuse that can last a reasonable period of time. Should be fixed immediately. Makes the country look stupid. Its a case of taking the option out of the database.

[Mark Gleeson]

Will they, like Iberia for flights through Madrid that involve an overnight layover, put you up in the Radisson near the train station in Athlone for the night? Radisson is a bit expensive breakfast is'nt really that greeat. I've been there, great bar though overlooking the Shannon. Over night accommodation is your problem

This is a route problem its a pain for computers to work out from a to b they lack the human intuition

The journey is valid its not incorrect information its just not a journey anyone would make

[Derek Wheeler]

Its a database of the existing timetable. Each route, service, station and connection is assigned a code. Database search returns all possible journies. Its ASP (Active Server Pages) The rediculous journey quoted by Oisin can be taken out of the database very quickly. Obviously IE have not instructed their IT people to do that. No need for a new journey planner. Ryanair use CGI (Common Gateway Interface) Similar gadget. Its not rocket science. All very basic stuff that requires an initial dose of human commomsense.

[Mark Gleeson]

The system doesn't store preassigned routes, thats not the way to do business since you would have to recalc several million options given the number of stations and choices its not feasible, its a recursive problem known as the traveling salesman which is only practically solvable if you have conditions. its real easy if there is a direct train

It has a list of all trains running and combines the timetables together to get a result by connecting trains together based on assessing all possibilties at all stops with an aim to get as close to destination and then drop loops and rank by fastest and fewest connections. Tralee to Rosslare is one that really tests the system

I've been impressed by the systems abilty to get a routes from A to B its given me routes I wouldn't think of it has a problem with trains passing through midnight, that said Cork Belfast at 19:30 overnight in Dublin and onwards by the 7:35 ex Dublin is a legitimate journey

The software used is irrelevant its how its programmed (cgi is dead, asp is well $oft php or a java based is where most are going), Ryanair don't do connections try Lufthansa who allow you to book through journeys. There is money involved and contracts not signed but a new journey planner system is being sought out

[Derek Wheeler]

The software used is irrelevant its how its programmed,

Is that not what Ive suggested in my above post.


All very basic stuff that requires an initial dose of human commomsense.

Software only does what a human programmes it to do. I do know that daft journies like this one can be easily removed from IE's existing journey planner. The "bug" in the Journey planner is human error.

[bigjim]

I suppose getting IE and BE to get together to have a combined bus and rail journey planner is too much to ask?! :rolleyes:

[Derek Wheeler]

CGI is dead

When Ryanair move away from it, I'll accept that opinion. They currently earn an absolute fortune from it via online bookings.

[Derek Wheeler]

I suppose getting IE and BE to get together to have a combined bus and rail journey planner is too much to ask?! :rolleyes:

This would be a very easy facility to provide, if it wasn't entrusted to the civil service. Its also related to the mess that is integrated ticketing. Its cost us 9 million so far and is still nowhere near roll out. A combo of backward culture and poor governance.

While Ireland apparently prides itself on being the IT capital of Europe, its indigenous IT output within state controlled bodies is a disaster. Think Garda computer system and the HSE's P-Pars system. State bodies are hopeless at implementing efficient IT solutions. The proof is out there and no amount of defense can rescue them.

[Mark Gleeson]

When Ryanair move away from it, I'll accept that opinion. They currently earn an absolute fortune from it via online bookings.It works cost a fortune to fix, it can't do through bookings thats a huge weakness

I know what IT solution IE are eager to buy in and its fairly impressive but I'd bet money it will by default offer werid journeys, its a matter of taste really

[Mark Hennessy]

Surely all that is needed is a check to see if the two journeys are on the same date? If they aren't then dont show them unless an explicit overnight option has been ticked by the user :confused:

[Mark Gleeson]

Then you got an issue if IE decide to run trains at 2am which they have done on 3 occasions this summer

I see the problem as the excessive layover not the early morning

It already has a time restriction http://www.irishrail.ie/your_journey/timetables.asp?from=Tralee&to=Blank&RadioReserve=true&InvalidElements=To

[ccos]

Its not unusual to get quoted Train journeys in other European countries with long middle of the night layovers.

[markpb]

At the risk of being pedantic, CGI is a standard (the Common Gateway Interface) for passing data between users and web serers. ASP, PHP, Java servlets and even C implement CGI. It's not dead at all, just not as visible as it was.

[Oisin88]

It already has a time restriction http://www.irishrail.ie/your_journey/timetables.asp?from=Tralee&to=Blank&RadioReserve=true&InvalidElements=To

Tried the link.

You can choose direct trains.
If you choose leaving Galway before midnight it still gives you the overnight option.

I am concerned about Olga the German backpacker choosing the overnight train, I suppose. :)

[James Shields]

I'm sure we should ban computer geekery just as much as we ban technical train info, but...

There's nothing wrong with CGI. It's a perfectly valid way to build a website, albiet more expensive and time consuming to maintain than some of the newer technologies, particularly if you need to scale it across multiple servers.

I wouldn't build a new site out of it, but having invested heavily in developing a flight booking site on CGI, I wouldn't throw it all away as long as it;s working.

Ryanair don't do through booking. That's a business decision, and nothing to do with the technology they build their website on. If they took through bookings, they would presumably become liable if they cause you to miss your connecting flight.

CGI can be used as the interface for ASP, PHP, et all, but nowadays they mostly interact with the web server at a lower level, allowing a greater level of integration and performance.

[James Shields]

How about this one...

Tell it you want to go from Skerries to Pearse at 7PM on a Saturday and see how many changes you have to make.

I wonder what ticket you need for that journey?

[Colm Donoghue]

Marko,
would I be alright on a short hop to try going Rush+lusk -> Drog -> Connolly
(if I printed the timetable out)?
Well by the rule book anyway. I'd be fairly confident I couldn't be convicted

[Mark Gleeson]

If its the fastest way from A to B and it is offered it is would be valid, I am assuming you do the Drogheda Dublin leg by enterprise

5.1.2 Tickets which do not state a route are only valid for the most direct joumey

Question is define direct, Dublin Limerick via Nenagh is shorter distance wise does that mean if I'm on the 9am ex Dublin I'll take the Nenagh connection and arrive 30 minutes after the Limerick Junction one, both are valid in fact

We looked at Waterford Bray last year, it was marginally faster go via Rosslare at one specific time

[PaulM]

Seriously people, I'm not even going to read this thread. We are discussing time tables. I thought other internet message boards served that purpose. Let us end this thread without me having to lock it due to boredom.

[Thomas J Stamp]

z

[Derek Wheeler]

Actually, the original theme of the IE journey planner throwing up train times that are fairly useless, was a good one from a customer service viewpoint. You will note from reading the thread, that when this concept was referred to, as easily solvable, the thread degenerated into pedantics and "I know more than you do", baloney.

It deserves to be locked. The makings of a good thread killed.

[Oisin88]

The starter of this thread started the thread in Canteen in the hope of having a few giggles at other unlikely journeys.

I never meant to spawn geekery or nerdism. That is amply catered for in the binary thread.:(

[Derek Wheeler]

Oisin

You are absolutely absolved from any blame. You brought up a good topic and we could've had a laugh with it and maybe highlighted the stupidity of it. But, due to what I mentioned (and its rampant in other threads aswell) it wasn't to be. We want to keep this board as "customer friendly" as possible.

[James Shields]

The issue on the northern line is a Customer issue. If show up at Skerries (or several other stations) at certain times the quickest way to Dublin is to get the train the wrong way and get the Enterprise back to Dublin. It's a fair question to ask if your ticket covers that journey.

Of course you're probably still better off to check the timetable ahead and get a direct train - if you want to get from Skerries to Pearse at 7PM on a Saturday, it takes a slightly absurd 1 hour 40 mins with two changes (but gets you there 20 mins ahead of the next direct train).

[Thomas J Stamp]

Its OK Oisin, our wise and mighty admin came back espically from Sweden to move this thread away from public viewing.

You may all get very technical indeed from this point on.