View Full Version : Reserved Seating
choo choo
13-10-2006, 09:47
Hi, Long time complainer first time poster. Just thought I'd mention this as I'll probably face the same situation this evening. I get the 17.05 service every friday to Limerick and as my arrival to the station varies and with standing room only available 5 mins before departure I usually book my ticket online and get a normal seat in the first class carriage. All was well during the summer. The nice attendents with their lovely bright yellow t-shirts were there to make sure people got their seats or to direct other passaengers to vacant seats.
But since the students (nothing against students) have started back and numbers on this train (always people standing between every carriage) increasing the system has fallen into chaos. The bright t-shirts are gone and have been replaced by an ageing conductor who hides at the top of first class. I've had to ask people to move (sometimes with not a pleasent response), seen a team of 13 rugby players accomadadted in the dinning car as their seats were taken and on only 2 occasions acctually getting the seat i booked (call me old fashioned but i'm not gonna ask an old person or a woman to move).
I know there are bigger issues out there but it just annoys me that if they provide a service they should at least try to implement it.
Regards
Mark Gleeson
13-10-2006, 14:17
I've suffered here as well, out of 4 attempts only once did it work as it should and all 3 failures where IE's fault and yes I even met a nun on the way. Thankfully I always got a seat, while I must add not everyone did.
The seats are clearly marked with the sticker at eye level so the general ignorance of some members of the public is the biggest challenge. You won't find nice people to help you elsewhere in the world.
The problem actually has three fronts
1) If the wrong train type is put into the system by IE the bookings go missing (Dublin Cork its common)
2) It all depends on some lazy IE employee sticking the seat cards into the slots at the windows (extremely frequent they are missing)
3) It assumes the Irish public are not thick about it
All three issues can be sorted by IE if there bothered
There is no talking to some people and even with a big seat reserved sign in place they won't shift and its not your responsibility to make them shift. Its totally legal for the guard to throw someone off for sitting in a reserved seat which is not theres, they can even be fined.
Firstly if you ever had to stand as a result you are entitled to a 100% refund. If you encounter an IE employee (not catering staff) who is troublesome and refuses to assist you (even with the granny scenario) follow the following steps
Ask for the name of the member of staff and where they are based, thats a basic right you have, if they refuse its no matter since IE know from the roster,
Insist they initial the back of your ticket to indicate that seat reservations where not provided
Indicate you will make a complaint to Steve Murphy General Manager (or Myles McHugh Service Planning Manager if heading west) not that you will but should have the desired effect
Mention Platform 11
At this point I'd make a phone call but its never come to that
BTW the pesky students can book seats as well
This problem doesn't go away, not even in countries that have had it for years.
I've found people in my reserved seat in France and on Thalys services between France and Belgium/The Netherlands.
In fact the Thalys only has reserved seats. On this one the culprits seem to almost always be inter-railers who are supposed to got to the ticket desk to get a reservation, but instead seem to just get on and take any available seat.
It's quite annoying, especially when you can't just decide to go off and get another seat instead yourself.
Donal Quinn
13-10-2006, 15:17
similar problem on 18:05 galway to dublin on sun 1 oct
i booked two ord class seats in the first class carraige. booking system said they were in the first carraige but when the train arrived there was a normal carraige first and then the 1st class carraige. i'm getting on at athenry so i know there's a v good chance the seats will be gone and as i find two in the normal carraige i grab them. after train pulled off i wandered down to see if my seats were there and they are taken of course and no sign of anything indicating that they were booked
i didn't follow it up as i had seats and i'm lazy but looks like they weren't there.
would it be worth ringing galway station in advance and tell them i expect the seats reserved - maybe i could post my booking here and barry kenny (hi barry!) could tell the lads in galway to get the finger out...!!!
Welcome to the board choo choo, and as a regular sufferer of the 1705 to Limerick on a Friday I feel your pain!
This seat booking thing really annoys me because IE have claimed for the past two years that you can book a standard class seat on that service, and it's never worked properly (except, as you point out, when the yellow jackets briefly descended)
It's obviously the problem of the conductor who hides in 1st class. Problem is if you manage to get a seat -- any seat -- you're so thankful that you couldn't be bothered trying to find him to assert your right to the seat you had booked. I know this is what I do.
And if you did find him the response would be along the lines of "ah jaysis, that system doesn't work at all, nobody tells me anything"
Let us know how you got on on Friday. Any other problems with that service these days? I used to find that we'd often get stuck behind the late 1700 to Cork, causing the train to run late (of course they 'fixed' that problem by banging in another 5 minutes journey time in the timetable...)
choo choo
17-10-2006, 14:58
Just to give a quick update (I know ye are all dying to hear.. lol) Well journey time came along and low and behold there was the queue for 17.05 to Limerick, but this week it was split in two with some people queing toward the door and the rest snaking around confectionary stands, seats etc.
Queing has now become the norm because for the last 3 weeks the train hasn't arrived for boarding until at the earliest 16.55 (Iarnroid Eireann would like to apologise for the late boarding blah blah blah). And then once the queue starts moving it descends into chaos and everyone just starts running at the ticket guys.. 5 abreast.. no real point in queing.
Anyhows, got to the top carriage eventually, packed as always, my seat gone, so i slip into another seat. A few more people board and predictably someone has a booking and no seat. I must add at this stage that they have never put reserved/people's names in the holders or those orange reserved signs on the seats. Maybe I'm crazy but if they got the train in on time they might be more organised!!! MIGHT.
Well the guy beside me is the unlucky fella with no booking and is in the reserved seat. He chooses first to ignore the conductor and then when told of the situation is a bit reluctant to move. I don't blame him as theres no signs/notification. Eventually he storms off barging into the person who's seat it was (Not her fault buddy).
The conductor dealt with it well explaining the situation but i think both the passenger and the conductor should not have to go through this...
Roll on the Bank Holiday weekend.. what fun...
Mark Gleeson
17-10-2006, 15:43
Even with a hour to stick in the cards above the seats they can't manage it.
Now from what I have seen the front coach has a very clear sticker below the luggage rack indicating the seats are reserved
Key to remember is you are in control and if they don't seat you are entitled to a 100% refund that even applies if they bump you to first since the charter is worded strangely since they expect only first class to book
If we fail to honour your seat reservation, and no other seat of similar standard on the same service is available for you, we will refund the fare of your single journey in travel vouchers.
You have nothing to lose by challenging the guard or ticket checker its their job. Stay calm stand your ground its their problem if we all did this you would be damn sure they would sort it out. Keep it simple always get the name of the person you are dealing with and be clear that you will complain
Same story with no cards stuck in on the 7.10 Galway-Heuston for my reserved ticket on Monday morning, not that it mattered given the train wasn't busy. At least they managed it on the 18.30 service from Galway the previous Friday when it did matter. Those signs about not occupying a reserved seat were in this carriage too.
Donal Quinn
23-10-2006, 19:54
huge amount of advertising by IE on reserved seating for upcoming oct bank holiday
without much optimism i reserved my seats. i presume lots of reader of this thread will do the same. I suggest a test. if all those who do reserve report back on 31 oct then we'll get a clear idea of a)how often the actually mark the seats b) how often the seats are taken by other passengers c) what efforts the IE guy makes to get you into the seat you paid for....
I reserved seats last week to and from Galway, and it worked both ways. However, I think was because I reserved seats in carriage A, which is shared with first class. In Heuston, there was an additional check on entering the carriage, and a young girl brought me to my seat. No such luxury in Galway, but again no one went near my seat. These were both evening peak services, although they had plenty of seating.
If anyone could explain the principle of "Reserved Seating" and what it intends to achieve in the long run, I would be very obliged, and this from a company who regularly up until recently sent a Saturday evening Arrow out to Maynooth with no working toilets........
I am in two minds over the whole concept of reserved seating. I can see why regular travellers who always use the same busy trains would like it but as someone who prefers to have flexibility I usually can't reserve seats and don't see why I should be penalised in favour of someone else who paid the same price for a ticket.
In the instance mentioned above where a person was booted out of a seat that IE staff hadn't bothered to label as reserved I wouldn't have moved on principle. At least the person who had the reservation was entitled to a refund, the person who unknowingly occupied an unmarked reserved seat is I assume entitled to nothing.
When I lived in the UK, on certain routes it was common for most of the train to be littered with reserved cards. Every single seating bay would have at least one reserved seat as of course the majority of people chose facing window seats. On several long journeys I ended up having to move seats a number of times as the only available seats were ones partially reserved, not fun at all.
If anyone could explain the principle of "Reserved Seating" and what it intends to achieve in the long run, I would be very obliged, and this from a company who regularly up until recently sent a Saturday evening Arrow out to Maynooth with no working toilets........
I've never seen a toilet on the 66 bus either. Is the bus much quicker than the train getting to Maynooth?
For inter-city services, it makes sense to have reserved seating. It prevents "ryanair syndrome" and "french queing" where old people and children are shoved out of the way in queues by people trying to get seats.
It also allows, subject to Irish Rail having sufficient rolling stock, to have proper efficient planning of train services.
It would also make things quicker if ticket checkers only had to check the unreserved seats.
Also, if you get on at an intermediate station you should be able to book your seats instead of being the equivalent of being at the end of the queue (or turning up at Heuston 2 minutes before the train leaves .:)
Mark Gleeson
24-10-2006, 18:26
One of biggest issues we hear about is overcrowded trains and seat booking
If I could book I would avoid the queue in Heuston and crazy need to stand there for 1 hour plus. You are rightly stuck if you board beyond the starting station.
The system should favour the organised, you can book up to departure time but in reality about 60-50 minutes before hand will ensure your name over the seat. There is no cost to book which is good and booking available on all ticket except social welfare since they are not bookable and are sold only on day of travel thats not set by IE
The electronic booking system can rebook the same seat so if I book C33 Dublin Thurles someone else can book C33 Thurles Cork
There is talk of off peak discounts if you pre book, it is unlikely that full seat booking will be enforced except a very busy times
Only 1 coach is normally bookable and that coach has a clear sticker just above the windows which says do not occupy these seats unless you have a reservation. That satisfies the legal requirement under SI 109 1984 to give notice a seat is reserved and thus you could get fined for not moving
There is no cost to book which is good and booking available on all ticket except social welfare since they are not bookable and are sold only on day of travel thats not set by IE
What I'd like is to be able to use my annual ticket to reserve my seat during these busy weekends
oh well. :rolleyes:
kevin
Mark Gleeson
24-10-2006, 19:37
I know I know still looking for a answer
What I'd like is to be able to use my annual ticket to reserve my seat during these busy weekends
oh well. :rolleyes:
kevin
I second that but my eyes are too tired to roll!
If anyone has got the IE reservation system to work on any other browser than Internet Explorer running on a Microsoft Windows machine, can they let me know.
I use a mac for both work and home and I can't remember the last time I had to fire up a PC cause I couldn't view a site on my mac. And yes, I know the techie reason why the site won't work on my mac.
Also, while I'm at it, has anyone figured out how to change your credit card details without registering a new account? I have three accounts registered so far (work, personal, joint account with wife) and it seems ridiculous that I can't just change my credit card number.
This is 2006, having a functional online reservation system isn't rocket science anymore.
I suggest a test. if all those who do reserve report back on 31 oct then we'll get a clear idea of a)how often the actually mark the seats b) how often the seats are taken by other passengers c) what efforts the IE guy makes to get you into the seat you paid for....
That's a great idea Donal, will report back after the weekend.
Hope everybody gets on OK with their bank holiday travelling, and watch out, due to the bank holiday chicken and stuffing sangwidges are predicted to be low, passengers are advised to bring their own to avoid disappointment.
Mark Gleeson
27-10-2006, 11:23
It will work with Firefox on a mac and pc and I have booked using firefox on both
It won't work with safari on a mac, a fact I have pointed out in detail to the guy in charge of the seat reservation project, no response
Safari the primary Mac OS browser fails on the select seats page, the continue button, bottom right doesn't do anything, looks like a javascript error, tried two different machines same result. A while back Firefox used to trip up but that was fixed.
At the payment page I can edit my credit card details
It will work with Firefox on a mac and pc and I have booked using firefox on both
Didn't work with Firefox on my mac when I tried it. It's up to date too. Anyway, perhaps beside the point.
Will check out the edit credit card bit...
Donal Quinn
27-10-2006, 13:45
it will work with camino on a mac, that's what i use
aaahh obscure browsers, the preserve of the true nerd
Mark Gleeson
27-10-2006, 13:58
One major tip here
Before clicking anything wait until the full page has loaded if you don't the javascript functions don't work correctly so if you click quickly for a certain train or seat the click will show on screen but when you hit submit/go/proceed etc it will throw an error insisting you haven't selected something
Camino is from the same family as Firefox, Firefox works for me on a Mac certain of that
I've never seen a toilet on the 66 bus either. Is the bus much quicker than the train getting to Maynooth?
Maybe it's just me, but I thought that Dublin Bus didn't actually OFFER toilet services, whereas the Arrow DOES..... Also, the Arrow takes me DIRECTLY into my Saturday night boogie woogie realm of debauchery, which I believe anyway, is made more alluring by the fact of having gone in via train, rather than a soulless, decrepid bus.
Donal Quinn
29-10-2006, 11:27
oh dear oh dear
remmeber the test i proposed?
a)how often they actually mark the seats
b) how often the seats are taken by other passengers
c) what efforts the IE guy makes to get you into the seat you paid for....
reserved seating on the 17:55 heuston-galway was a joke on friday
i got to heuston quicker than i expected so i was quite early
headed to the fron of the train and sure enough there was the pleasant chap in the yellow who looked at my ticket and directed me into the first carraige.
Not only was my name or a reserved sign not on my seat (FAIL A) there were no seat numbers in the carraige at all! but being early i picked a spot and took out me book. anyway the carraige fills up and about 17:50 i overhear this woman looking for her seat number. yellow man has disappeared and the carraige is full (FAIL B). She and about 5 others with reserved seats can't find any staff to talk to (FAIL C)
train moves out with them standing. enough ppl get off at hazelhatch to give them seats spread out (some had booked seats together)
i had planned to post my story on tuesday but in the faint hope that someone from IE is reading this can they make sure that the lads in galway reserve the seats on the 18:05 to dublin tomorrow as i'm bringing my niece up to her cousins and if she has to stand my brother will kill me
----------------
in other news!
---------------
while i was waiting to board in heuston there was this girl on her mobile almost in tears as she explained to her friend that she wasn't allowed to board her train to limerick as it was going on to ennis and only people with ennis tickets were being let on(!) for whatever reason she had been relying on getting on that train and when she asked the ticket checker if she went off and bought a ticket to ennis would she be allowed on and he said no...
is this true? maybe she was bull****ting her friend but if so she's an amazing actress. classic IE customer care!!
Mark Gleeson
29-10-2006, 13:14
Firstly Donal write it all down and send it in to IE
Customer Services
Southern and Western
Heuston Station
Dublin 8
And if you hear nothing within 3 weeks let us know, the time has come to play a game with IE
The 17:05 is the last train to Ennis, if it was so important to this person to be on it they should have booked..............
Best of luck this evening Donal! I can't believe that IE still can't get this right.
Was intending on carrying out your test, but ended up not getting the train I booked on.
I'm going to be car-less for a month starting from yesterday and already I'm depressed at having to use public transport!
Donal Quinn
31-10-2006, 14:56
well much to my suprise the trip back was ok
of course the seats were not marked as reserved, but the train wasn't full so we got two seats together. because of this i didn't really look too hard for my seat but i get the feeling that A55 does not exist on the first class carraige - is that right?
in any case this is my 4th time reseving seats and i have yet to sit on the seat i reserved!!
anyway out of principle the letter is going in to customer services...
Colm Donoghue
31-10-2006, 15:43
I thought you travel for free if you don't get your reserved seat?
Surely free travel should counterbalance the hassle no?
Mark Gleeson
31-10-2006, 16:11
You travel for free if no equivalent seat is provided, well you apply for a refund and given IE's current performance it could be months before you see it
Thus if you stand you get your money back and by the letter of the law if you are upgraded to first it still applies since its not equivelent
Colm Donoghue
31-10-2006, 18:21
Would not getting 2 seats together if booked together count?
Mark Gleeson
03-11-2006, 16:43
So game on Donal
a) how often they actually mark the seats
b) how often the seats are taken by other passengers
c) what efforts the IE guy makes to get you into the seat you paid for....
So I shall try the 11:00 Dublin Cork tomorrow (Coach C Mk4 so it should be ok) and the 19:30 Cork Dublin (Coach A Mk3 and I already know it will go wrong since that train has a coach B)
I'm going to Thurles so the return trip will allow me to sample finding my seat occupied when I board. If it goes wrong any IE offical I find who does not perform their duty will be brought to full account, names will be taken since this crap has gone on too long
Brian Condron
03-11-2006, 17:07
Guess I should report on last weekend.
On saturday we took the 15:00 Dublin Heuston to Portlaoise. The guy in the yellow jersey was busy chatting to somebody, but we found our seats ok, and they had been marked with a "This seat is reserved, please do not sit here" sticker. So outward journey was grand,
On sunday we took the 19:28 Portlaoise to Dublin Heuston. I knew we were in coach A so waited a long way down the platform, but the train was longer than I'd expected so it was coach B that we boarded on. Met the ticket inspector immediately after boarding, and showed him our tickets. I said to him that we were heading down to look for our reserved seats and he told us not to bother, there were plenty of seats around. I insisted on getting the seats we'd reserved anyway, so we went down the coach A only to find them occupied, reserved sticker in-situ. However the row behind them was unoccupied but even though it also had a reserved sticker as Portlaoise was the second last stop before Heuston and the carriage was only half full, I thought nothing of sitting there. Nobody got on our carriage in Port so it was a nice pleasent trip, but my girlfriend was not impressed by the ticket inspecters laissez fair attitude to the reservations, you wouldn't get the like in Norway! I know it was a pleasent trip, but I kind of agree with her, if you don't enforce the rules when a train is quiet, then people are less likely to follow them when the train is full.
Mark Gleeson
03-11-2006, 17:15
Question:
Was there a card with your name above the seat
eg
http://forum.platform11.org//attachment.php?attachmentid=98&d=1145375259
If not its a fail a, b and c on the return and a fail a on the outbound
Brian Condron
03-11-2006, 17:18
There were no cards above any seats that I saw. I wasn't aware that those cards existed, this was my first time reserving seats.
Mark Gleeson
03-11-2006, 17:21
Fail a outbound so and fail a, b, c on the return
You missed fail b on the outbound just by chance
Its not much use unless your name is there, we have had incidents where there are two coach B's
Mark Gleeson
04-11-2006, 22:46
So the results
11:00 Dublin Cork
Seat labeled, no one in it
No IE staff seen to assist anyway
19:30 Cork Dublin
No seats labeled, seat didn't exist
IE staff on site moved us up to first since I had the cop to board coach A even knowing I wasn't getting a seat
And reports from ground 9:00 Dublin Cork had no labels either
17.05 Heuston-Ennis Friday 10 Nov
Booked a student single online (seat A37) arrived at Heuston about 4.45 so far so good. However a huge queue had formed for the train snaking all the way around the concourse, which didn't start moving until nearly 5, with the result that no tickets were actually checked at the platform (the checker just waved everyone through).
I saw the yellow jersey crowd on the concourse but no sign of them when I was on the platform or boarded the train. When I got on board no seat in carriage A was labelled and the checker was only concerned with the 1st class. A woman was about to occupy my seat but in fairness to her moved without any hassle when I told her it was reserved (the train was full, large no. standing). No effort by IE staff to guide people to their seat. Tickets were not checked at any stage on the trip.
Overall, pathetic implemetation of the reserved ticket concept. And to top it all had to change to an Arrow at Limerick despite the FO service being timetabled as direct to Ennis. Ennis station has been done up well though, new carpark and bus bays. Progress of a sort...
Mark Gleeson
10-11-2006, 23:29
Excellent choice on A37
Lash it down send it in to Customer Services, Southern and Western, Heuston Station, if you hear nothing in 3 weeks tell us, the 17:05 is a persistent source of trouble
If you had to stand on the Arrow to Ennis, IE failed to provide your reserved seat thus a refund is in order
Will fire a letter off to them, quite peeved by the whole pointlessness of going to the trouble of booking the ticket online when it isn't enforced.
Arrow to Ennis wasn't full of course, just annoyed I had to change trains and move bags and baggage when timetable calls it direct.
Thomas J Stamp
11-11-2006, 22:26
I hadnt read this thread all the way thought till now so i'm having to refer to some old posts.
firstly these:
while i was waiting to board in heuston there was this girl on her mobile almost in tears as she explained to her friend that she wasn't allowed to board her train to limerick as it was going on to ennis and only people with ennis tickets were being let on(!) for whatever reason she had been relying on getting on that train and when she asked the ticket checker if she went off and bought a ticket to ennis would she be allowed on and he said no...
I get that train all the time, and indeed regularly comment on it here. Pat the waiter for the first class poeple is a great guy by the way. I always travel in coach A and sometimes there is reserved seats. The last time I took it, eight seats were reserved - for that mornings service from Limerick. The ticketman wasnt allowing anyone sit there untill i pointed that little fact to him, and then he opened them up.
As for your tearful girl, what she was told was rubbish. If you are going to any of the stops on that train (eg I get it to go to Templemore) you are perfectly entitled to get on, and if you are there before people from Ennis - tough on them. The 1730 to Limerick stops everywhere and she may have been late for an appointment or something.
The 17:05 is the last train to Ennis, if it was so important to this person to be on it they should have booked..............
She had a ticket to Limerick. That train stops in Limerick. She was on time and she should have been let on. How can you possibly stand behind that decision of the ticket checker? What if the ticket checker in Prease told you that they were only letting on people who are going to Bray on the next DART? Same difference.
packetswitch
11-11-2006, 22:31
1900 Dublin-Cork this evening, reserved C35 and C36. All straightforward at Heuston, and yellow t-shirts and signs at the entrance to C. She checked our reservations but we still found someone in one of the seats. We explained and she moved on (although how the occupant got on the coach I dunno). About five minutes later the system came to life and all the names appeared above the seats. Ours were ok but the Ã* (I fada) in my name (twice) became an O with an umlaut. Oh well.
Returning tomorrow evening on 1930 ex Cork so will let you know if it's as smooth from there.
Mark Gleeson
11-11-2006, 22:38
You shouldn't really hit a situation where the electronic displays are switched off, it takes only seconds to load the list, they should be on before you board
19:30 ex Cork on Sunday is a Mk4 normally so you should be fine coming back
I have never seen the yellow t-shirt brigade, out of 6 attempts only twice has my name been above the seat
I have seen Ã* done right so the system can handle it
packetswitch
12-11-2006, 23:56
Indeed, the 1930 ex Cork was a Mk4 (seats C61/C62). Quite a lot of people waiting for it (being a Sunday night, full of students!*) but the ticket checker on the Cork platform simply directed non-reserved passengers further along. Names etc working fine on the inside, but at a guess only about half of the coach had reservations, so others piled in. I think a few people might have come on at intermediate stops with reservations, though, but didn't pick a fight with the person in their seats...
* interesting aside is that I think as the system becomes better-known, students will use it a good deal...it is not possible to buy a student ticket at the ticket machines (you have to use the ticket office!) but it is possible to buy one from the Web and get a seat reservation. Odd.
Got the 12:53 train from mallow to Heuston yesterday (sunday 12th Nov) The reserved seating was causing alot of hassle as the train was jammed.
In my carriage I counted four reserved seats with names over them which were vacant. Nobody was willing to sit in them until after the last stop (Thurles). This appeared to be the same in other carriages with alot of people standing up.
If people go to the bother of reserving their seat they should go to the bother of sitting their ass in that seat and not leave the people standing. train manager was very good and tried to find these people to seat them correctly. he also went about the train finding seats for non reserved ticket holders.
Other points to note about the MK4, The dining car is a joke. it is laid out badly with poor presentation of items for sale and no change for anything larger than €10 leaving alot of unhappy people (me included). The swaying on the train was rather violent at times particularly on the cork side of kildare station??
People complaining about lack of baggage storage space which I didnt see as a valid issue.
finally I really think it is time IE stopped serving drink on friday and sunday trains. Stag parties heading from dublin to cork have been a thorn in my side on these trains for years. I was subjected to this sh#t yesterday again with six drunken guys trying to insult any person that walked by while drinking the bar dry by the time we got to kildare.
Mark Gleeson
13-11-2006, 11:20
interesting aside is that I think as the system becomes better-known, students will use it a good deal...it is not possible to buy a student ticket at the ticket machines (you have to use the ticket office!) but it is possible to buy one from the Web and get a seat reservation. Odd.
Students can book (been there) and it works and its no charge. Of course if you push the system you can book a student ticket in first class something which even the booking office will find hard to do
its €60.50 student return in first to Cork vs €59 for a Adult return in standard, its €11 upgrade each way
Colm Donoghue
13-11-2006, 13:33
can you book a chisler in first on the Dublin Cork?
( or a smallie from Cork to Dublin?)
Mark Gleeson
13-11-2006, 13:43
can you book a chisler in first on the Dublin Cork?
( or a smallie from Cork to Dublin?)
Yes
If you have an existing standard class ticket or are travelling on a social welfare pass you can simply buy the upgrade to first, you must have both tickets with you and the standard class ticket must be valid. Bear in mind to Cork citygold services are €31 more each way over standard fare
Just one gripe, and I have raised this with IE twice now to no avail.
My Chip & PIN AIB Laser/Maestro card will not read in their ticket machines for purchasing a ticket or for collecting a reserved ticket while my old non-chip and pin card did.
I assume there's some technical glitch as I've seen other AIB Laser/Masetro card holders also having their cards refused at the machines.
Is there any chance P11 could also raise this with IE ? I have done so myself already but it might help to hear it from the group too.
Bare in mind that there are a LOT of AIB current account holders, far more than credit card holder and that AIB is much more liberal about issuing these Laser/Maestro Debit Cards than they used to be. So, many students etc etc have access to a payment card for the first time. It seems stupid for IE not to take advantage of it as many more people could avail of their online booking and TVMs.
(Also, last time I tried, the LUAS machines also refused the card --- same manufactuer)
packetswitch
13-11-2006, 22:24
Same experience (both with IÉ and RPA machines). In the great Irish tradition, my response was not to complain, but to make a point of using a Mastercard instead of a debit card for any such transactions. Which doesn't solve the problem.
Thought I would relay an interesting nugget of information that I gathered over the weekend...
I was on the 1500 to Cork on Saturday 11th. I had reserved a seat, and the two lads in the yellow tops were waiting to guide me to my seat.
I told them that I'd got a number of trains to Limerick and Cork recently where my seat wasn't reserved. Going on the principle that the amount of customer service you get on our rail service is directly proportional to the compatibility of your needs as a customer to the work rosters of Iarnrod Eireann staff, I asked them whether there were particular trains they tended to check.
They said:Yeah, we normally do the Cork and Waterford trains, and sometimes we do the Galway ones too
Which kind of explains why Donal only sometimes gets his reserved seat and I never do.
IE, you've been claiming for two years that you can book a seat on trains to Limerick, and I've called you, I've emailed you, and you still can't do it and you still can't tell me why. Oh by the way, if you maybe followed what they do in loads of other countries and put little tickets above the seats (there are even little plastic holders for them on your Mk3 coaches!), you could send the men in the yellow tops round to put these in every train, and everybody could be confident of a reserved seat. That's what I thought you were going to do two years ago, and that's what I'm still waiting you to do.
I'm off to write a letter to Willie O'Dea to ask him to go for the Minister for Transport job, seems like it's the only way I'll ever be able to confidently reserve a seat on a Limerick train...
Mark Gleeson
13-11-2006, 23:48
Thomas is one of the lucky ones he actually has held the fantom ticket card in his hand.
There is a 'problem' with the cards I'm told, never met the yellow t-shirt brigade
I've used the MK4 reservation system 8 times now and it has worked flawlessly all but once, where a networking error at heuston meant the train didn't receive the information.
The system puts up notices like "THIS SEAT IS RESERVED FROM LIMERICK JUNCTION TO HEUSTON" on seats that are booked from intermediate stops and it does genuinely seem to discourage people from sitting in them.
That coupled with the constant "Please do not occupy reserved seats" announcements.
The tags also switch off when a passenger reaches their destination e.g. a seat booked Heuston to Limerick Junction will be available again once the train reaches that stop.
I think MK4 should be 100% assigned seating though. There's really no reason that the ticket machines can't dispense a ticket with an automatically assigned seat number for those who don't book online. If a cinema can do it, surely a railway company can.
It seems though, once the staff are taken out of the equation i.e the system is totally automated, it generally works very well.
2Funki4Wheelz
14-11-2006, 09:55
I think MK4 should be 100% assigned seating though. There's really no reason that the ticket machines can't dispense a ticket with an automatically assigned seat number for those who don't book online. If a cinema can do it, surely a railway company can.
100% not workable with annual/monthly etc ticket holders and even a monthly return where you could come back any day - fine outbound but return?
Where do all these people get to sit?
Mark Gleeson
14-11-2006, 10:03
Mk4 works since your name is above the seat and there is no hiding from it, when a Mk4 set is rostered the seat res works otherwise is dies. While the train can download the seating manifest itself by wifi the normal proceedure is to use a flash card. If it fails totally the train manager has a print out of the seating list thus it could be done manually since its only one coach
As of this week it appears all Dublin Cork services are Mk4 including the Fridays only so hopefully seat res is sorted and it means I've made my last Mk3 trip
Compulsory reservations are probably a step too far but in time the number of reservable seats will increase something like 40% in standard is the UK standard which is a decent starting point
Don't see how it'd be a big problem for monthly / annual etc ticket holder.
Just issue all of them with a magstripe card or Smart Card for an annual ticket and an allow them to create an account on the online reservations system:
You could either
a) Book online picking your seat at no extra charge, which would be a lot handier than arriving to a full train and having to fight for a seat. Just stick your annual ticket into a ticket collection machine and your boarding pass ticket would pop out with your seat reservation etc.
or b) If you're just arriving at a train without reserving, just stick your annual / monthly ticket (hard plastic magstripe card) into the ticket machine and it'll spit out a ticket with a seat number on it. Perhaps allowing you to pick a few seat options on the screen. Thus, you've a seat.
c) Present your annual ticket to the ticket desk person who can assign you a seat and issue a boarding ticket.
I really, can't see what the big deal about implementing a system like that would be. They have the machines, it's just a bit of software tweaking.
It's no different from airline boarding passes.
Also, it's not THAT inconvenient for annual ticket holders as you're only talking about doing this on serious intercity routes i.e. not just "long hop" commuters.
All IE intercity stock should have the ability to electronically reserve / assign a seat before long. So, with the exception of the enterprise, there really shouldn't be a big fuss about it on most routes.
I mean, many european coach (bus) operators issue seating numbers on intercity coaches !! It's *not* that big a deal.
For people just arriving at a train (without any annual etc tickets)
You can :
a) Go to ticket desk - purchase ticket.. they'll have a seating map on the screen and just assign you a seat.
b) Go to ticket machine - purchase ticket - simplified seating map or "automatic assignment" of seat.
You get a card with a seat number on it.
That's how it's done on many european routes. It's really quite easy and user friendly.
The technology's there! You might as well use it.
40-50% of seats would be a good start though.
I can see it being more popular than they thought, people are well used to booking flights online thesedays.
sandraoh
14-11-2006, 12:14
Yes
If you have an existing standard class ticket or are travelling on a social welfare pass you can simply buy the upgrade to first, you must have both tickets with you and the standard class ticket must be valid. Bear in mind to Cork citygold services are €31 more each way over standard fare
So can annual ticket holders just buy the upgrade to first?
Mark Gleeson
14-11-2006, 12:17
So can annual ticket holders just buy the upgrade to first?
Well its an option the system allows it, given IE's silence on the issue its the only option currently
Mark
Forgive me if this question has been answered already.
I regularly travel from Limk Junction to Heuston using Credit Union tickets which are great value and completely flexible.
Can I purchase an upgrade to first class when I board the train?
Also can seats be reserved only when you buy your tickets online?
Thanks
Mark Gleeson
14-11-2006, 13:09
I am aware of no restriction on upgrades once you have a valid standard class ticket
The upgrade can be purchased on board from the ticket checker, you can book online, by phone (CIE travel Abbey Street) or indeed in person at most major stations, Connolly, Cork, Heuston, Galway, Limerick, Mallow, Thurles and others
choo choo
17-11-2006, 10:57
Well good to see I'm not the only one with reservation problems (or maybe good is a bad choice of words).. well bad to see..
Just to let ye know that still have the same problem every Friday on the old 17.05 to Limerick/Ennis. And by the way someone asked before if this runs late because of the 17.00 Cork train, it has started again. Hence people having to change in Limerick for Ennis. I reckon they purposefully delay letting people on the train to use that as an excuse.
But a bit of hope in a gloomy situation. On the bank holiday weekend there was an army of yellow t-shirts on the platform with orders to hold the line in front of the top 3 carriages and only let people through with the correct papers, sorry i mean tickets. Worked a charm and got my reserved seat. As for the girl that didn't get on and was crying on the platform, the train was actually full as they had a clicker counting the numbers getting on (wow ie taking peoples safety into account).
Anyhows another friday rolls around and the train will be packed, with long cues probably getting longer beacuse nobody ever wants to have to get the 19.15 service. No room, no lights, no heating, breakdowns (still wating for my 1hr 30 refund - begining October). And they want to raise the price! Raise the service first.
Mark Gleeson
17-11-2006, 14:52
Here is yet another werid one
This is the 7:00 Cork Dublin tomorrow
This is coach C, note its a Mk4 layout
There are 68 seats in a Mk4, note coach D has 70 seats (2 already booked so its 72)
353
So coach C is a Mk4, coach D a MK3 love to see that work out since the seat res is going to go nuts on the train
Thomas J Stamp
17-11-2006, 15:32
Any snipers out there - Gleeson is on Seat C19 7.00 am train tomorrow.
Whos joining me out at the hatch?
Lock and load.
2Funki4Wheelz
17-11-2006, 15:37
Any snipers out there - Gleeson is on Seat C19 7.00 am train tomorrow.
Whos joining me out at the hatch?
Lock and load.
I'd hang out my bedroom window in Port to catch a glimpse but I think he's on the wrong side :(
Mark Gleeson
17-11-2006, 15:37
That be a window seat facing Dublin on the Inchicore side :eek:
Seriously though I'd be in seat D 72W since it doesn't exist and then complain bitterly until I was moved to first but that requires the train to be full to standing
I might as well publish my guide on how to travel first for free when seat res goes wonky
Brian Condron
17-11-2006, 16:00
'tis a pity all the seats around you are booked, surely once Irish Rail spot the name, it will be their policy to ensure that nothing bad happens within eyeshot of that seat. Those passengers will be the best treated on the whole netwok!
Mark Gleeson
17-11-2006, 16:12
I can confirm my name is not on a internal hit list, in the last few months there has been a few incidents on train where my name is known to the staff, ie seat res, ticket not forgetting the train manager/ticket checker has a list of everyone booked and I wasn't the person who secured the first class seats on my last trip
BTW I'll be asleep in a bed in Dublin at 7am tomorrow
2Funki4Wheelz
17-11-2006, 16:39
BTW I'll be asleep in a bed in Dublin at 7am tomorrow
'a bed' - have you not decided which one? :D
(no more o/t Friday giddiness from me I promise)
portarlington_user
17-11-2006, 16:54
Just one gripe, and I have raised this with IE twice now to no avail.
My Chip & PIN AIB Laser/Maestro card will not read in their ticket machines for purchasing a ticket or for collecting a reserved ticket while my old non-chip and pin card did.
I assume there's some technical glitch as I've seen other AIB Laser/Masetro card holders also having their cards refused at the machines.
Hi
I regularly use my AIB chip & pin card to purchase tickets without a problem. Maybe for once it's not actually a problem on their end, after all there's a first time for everything!
Mark Gleeson
17-11-2006, 16:59
'a bed' - have you not decided which one? :D I was trying to convey not being asleep on the train, people always assume something
Its possible to have a lot of fun without buying a ticket on the IE site, haven't got the time to check every train but there are clearly a lot of avoidable errors
StephenM
17-11-2006, 19:59
Hi
I regularly use my AIB chip & pin card to purchase tickets without a problem. Maybe for once it's not actually a problem on their end, after all there's a first time for everything!
I'm one of the students to manage to book my ticket online, but due to my AIB Maestro card I cannot collect them at a machine so I have to go to the ticket office anyway. Same with LUAS it wont accept my Maestro card. (Tried last year and gave up)
Can you log a complaint about that with Iarnrod Eireann and RPA (www.luas.ie)
More the merrier!
packetswitch
22-12-2006, 01:12
What is the status of the passenger who wishes to get a seat reservation for the first leg of a return trip, but does not know when they are coming back?
I assume that normal 'return' tickets as sold by IÉ are what would be 'open returns' in the UK - that is to say, the price or T&Cs are not relevant to the second leg, apart from a one-month timeout.
So (as our example) we take the college student Ms. McGillyhooley. She's in Dublin during the term but is heading home (to...Limerick Junction, for example). So she wants to book an online ticket (remember that student-fare tickets can't be bought from a walk-up ticket machine - you can either buy online-collect from machine, else you are stuck with the booking office). She knows what train she will travel on this week, but has no idea when she's coming back in January.
However, the system (it seems) will require her to reserve a seat for the return leg, otherwise the booking cannot be completed.
My questions:
a) What does she do when she actually picks the train she wants to travel back to Dublin on - who does she ring and how much information is IÉ supplying on how to do this? (i.e. let's assume she picks a random train and time for the return but then wishes to change this when she gets sick of Mammy and Daddy some time around New Year's Eve)
b) if these are in fact open returns, why not have an option to purchase without making a seat reservation for the return leg - even if reservations are mandatory, give the passenger an opportunity (by telephone or indeed by the website once more) to make a reservation for leg 2 at a later date.
Mark Gleeson
22-12-2006, 10:38
All IE tickets are deemed open, valid any train provided the outwards trip occurs on the valid from date and before or on the valid to date
There is no charge for a reservation on IE unlike in the UK where a nominal charge applies with nearly all operators
The online system will always issue the lowest fare for the given combination of trains
There is provision in the system to book one leg and a 'Ticket Only reservation' on the other where you can travel any train on the date printed
It appears a reservation is linked to a ticket sale and can't be added retrospectively, well you coul call Abbey Street 01 7034070
The bigger problem is that more often than not even with a reservation you don't get the seat you booked
Can you get a refund of a reserved ticket if you surrender it before the train is supposed to depart?
Mark Gleeson
22-12-2006, 14:09
T & C's are as follows
Terms of Use for the Iarnród Éireann online booking service.
In addition to the terms below, your use of the Iarnród Éireann online booking service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use applicable to this website. By using the Iarnród Éireann online booking service, you are agreeing, and you are signifying your agreement, to be bound by the terms below and the said Terms and Conditions of Use.
Bye-laws and Conditions of Carriage.
All tickets are issued subject to the Córas Iompair Éireann Bye-laws and Iarnród Éireann's Conditions of Carriage. For a copy of these documents please write to:
Iarnród Éireann Travel Centre
35 Lower Abbey Street
Dublin 1
Online bookings.
Online bookings may only be made for certain Iarnród Éireann-operated journeys. You can book online for up to six passengers per booking provided that all passengers, including the credit card holder, travel as part of the same booking.
Provisional Bookings.
Provisional bookings cannot be made using the Iarnród Éireann operated journeys. It can only be used for purchasing tickets.
Ticket Rules.
By using the Iarnród Éireann online booking service, you will be subject to the ticket rules applicable to the particular ticket purchased.
Where a reservation has been made a customer must travel on the train that they have reserved on.
If a First Class or Citygold reservation has been made a customer may travel in standard class on another train that day as long as the journey is similar and the replacement train is not fully reserved.
Ticket Only reservations are valid on other services up to the end date of the reservation except in the case where other services are fully reserved.
The following refund rules apply:
Cancelled up to day before travel - 80% refund.
Cancelled on day of travel - 50% refund.
All cancellations must occur before time of travel to be considered eligible for refund.
Tickets must be presented for cancellation.
Changes and cancellations
Please call the Iarnród Éireann Travel Centre at 01 7034070 if you wish to request any changes to or cancellation of a booking made on this website. Depending on the conditions applicable to the ticket purchased, changes to or cancellation of your ticket may not be permitted and/or change/cancellation fees may apply.
Copy of the conditions of carriage
http://www.platform11.org/passenger_info/legal.php
packetswitch
22-12-2006, 17:24
There is provision in the system to book one leg and a 'Ticket Only reservation' on the other where you can travel any train on the date printed
Is this possible from the website? I've just checked it again and it doesn't seem possible to move to the next page without picking a specific train for both legs of the journey. Or do you mean that there is provision at a system level, but it's not actually available to the public?
Mark Gleeson
22-12-2006, 17:30
The system has a ticket only reservation capabilty, problem is with Dublin Cork all trains have reservations, the ticket only reservation was a cop out when you had to travel on a train which did not have reservations
packetswitch
22-12-2006, 18:00
Right. So an intending passenger on (for example) Dublin to Cork who doesn't know when they are coming back should pick a random day/time-train for the return leg, then ring IÉ Abbey St for a new reservation before they travel, after they have chosen a return day/time-train. Correct?
If anyone from irishrail.ie is reading this, you could always put a note to this effect on the site. Would do no harm ;)
Mark Gleeson
22-12-2006, 18:19
Thats more or less the case, if it works
It should be extremely easy to allow alterations online of course that would have to be done before the tickets are printed, the ticket issued has the outbound and return portions on the same ticket
Once the ticket is issued how do you get it back?
Can you get a refund of a reserved ticket if you surrender it before the train is supposed to depart?
Filled out the paperwork at the customer service desk in Heuston. There was no mention of 50% so I guess I'll see what turns up in a few weeks.
thanks
kevin
Mark Gleeson
22-12-2006, 21:47
Well they will charge you at least 10% http://www.platform11.org/passenger_info/refunds.php#your_fault
If you surrender a non reserved ticket on the outward portion before departure you are entitled to full cash refund no questions no paperwork
Filled out the paperwork at the customer service desk in Heuston. There was no mention of 50% so I guess I'll see what turns up in a few weeks.
Got a letter today denying my refund because they say the ticket wasn't surrendered before the time of travel.
I refer to your refund application reveived in this office on 10.1.07
Please note our conditions state "Iarnrod Éireann's on-line conditions state that there is no refund due on tickets that were purchased on-line but not cancelled in advance of travel". As you did not cancel your Tickets, I cannot accede to your request.
What do they mean by cancelling tickets as opposed to surrendering?
As I did exactly what the customer service rep told me to do I think I'll be calling in to them in Abbey street tomorrow :rolleyes:
kevin
After explaining that I handed my ticket in to the customer service desk in heuston I'll be getting my 50% refund. Yay. :p
Mark Gleeson
01-02-2007, 08:57
Was on the 19:05 to Galway last night
Had a reserved seat, got to coach A no seat cards and my seat actually was in the first class area. Once again Irish Rail can't do the most simple of things
choo choo
05-04-2007, 13:16
Sorry to drag this topic up again but just wanted to tell of an expierence I had last friday with regard to reserved seating which some weeks is marked and other weeks isn't (or the yellow t-shirts get on late and get stuck on the train - they seemed to enjoy their trip though).
I tend to get their early these days just to avoid any situations, or passengers innocently sitting in my seat, but i still watch for other people. Last friday a young collage student got on the train and went to find his seat (one of the 2 seaters ) a passanger was sitting in one. A passenger I recognised as a regular every friday who unfortunately has a yearly ticket and therefore can't book a seat in the carriage (not his fault i know).
When the collage kid explained he had booked the 2 seats (the other for his girlfriend) our regular traveller said i don't see any names or reserved notifications on the seat, that this is my seat so i'm not moving, and that the collage kid would have to take things up with the conductor.
Now come on this guy knows the situation as he's always in the carriage and has moved before and the blue signs are there saying do not sit in this carriage without reservation.
So instead of biting my lip i say to our regular passenger that i know it's not his fault but that he knows the situation and that all seats in this carraige can be booked. Well that was a mistake. It has been along time since i've been f'd out of it so much, "How dare you f'n talk to me", "I can't believe your f'n talkin to me", "You f'n pup".
I now know why some conductors don't get involved with reserved seating problems if this is the type of ignorance/language/behaviour they have to put up with. The collage kid did take it up with the conductor but with no luck.
I've decided to get a different train on a friday for the next while as i don't think i could face that passenger for a while. I know it's not really appropirate to the board but i just wanted to tell my story..
Keep up the good work.. oh and the new trains in limerick are looking good..
Mark Gleeson
05-04-2007, 13:35
I've got a classic story about the pain I will suffer tonight already writing it up, I know its going to go wrong tonight since my seat doesn't actual legally exist, as in IE have sold me a seat which if I sit in I can be thrown off the train.
packetswitch
05-04-2007, 13:35
When you say the conductor didn't take it up, what exactly do you mean? I assumed that if a conductor received a complaint from a passenger that their seat was occupied, the conductor would go and instruct the other passenger to move - and that this would be part of a job description except if there was a threat of violence etc (in which case the Gardai should be called).
Mark Gleeson
05-04-2007, 13:49
Its easy solve while the train is in Heuston, but the ticket checker is the guy at the gate checking tickets so we are left to fend for ourselves unless the yellow tshirt crowd are present and lets face it they aren't trained to cope with this situation its team of hastily recruited teenagers
Why can't we have a few trains hosts to do it instead, for more professional, trained and have a better 'presence' than someone in a cheap yellow jumper
choo choo
05-04-2007, 14:04
Hi packetswitch,
No the conductor was actually just outside the door to our carraige and he told the collage kid to find a seat somewhere else as there should be no problem. They were gone for a while and eventually they walked back in to our carriage and tentatively sat in seats hoping the weren't booked. The conductors don't really want the hassle i think.
Actually that train host thing is a great idea and actually works really well..
packetswitch
05-04-2007, 15:34
he told the collage kid to find a seat somewhere else as there should be no problem.
See, that's the problem. Train systems elsewhere that use reservations wouldn't do that. There's no point in half measures. If IÉ want to use reservations, then the staff have to be told that 'find somewhere else' is not an acceptable answer except in an emergency.
I went to Kilkenny last Saturday on the 18:25 from Heuston. I booked my tickets on the internet from my house at 17:55 and went straight down to pick them up. Machine wouldn't do it for me but the ticket office helped out. I'm glad there was no queue.
Anyway, I got to carriage A and my seat was occupied. There were bits of paper in the reservation clips above the seats, but they were for Galway to Dublin. I just sat in a seat opposite.
Also, how come I wasn't able to reserve seats on the 15:46 back from Kilkenny on the sunday? The train was packed and it was a Mk3 with the same plastic clips over the seats. It also had "you can reserve this seat on www.irishrail.ie" (I think) which was not much comfort for the people standing.
Odd that, had booked A27 myself on the 1905 Dublin-Galway tonight too and the seat didn't exist either (no cards over any seats either)
TBH I'd personally be on the verge of giving up on the reserved seating lark, the cards never seem to be used on the ex Heuston services I'm on (Galway station in fairness do use them), and the staff never seem to enforce the seating, leaving you to fend for yourself moving people out of seats.
Odd that, had booked A27 myself on the 1905 Dublin-Galway tonight too and the seat didn't exist either (no cards over any seats either)
TBH I'd personally be on the verge of giving up on the reserved seating lark, the cards never seem to be used on the ex Heuston services I'm on (Galway station in fairness do use them), and the staff never seem to enforce the seating, leaving you to fend for yourself moving people out of seats.
There was a fairly tough looking Carlow regular passenger in my seat. Would hesitate to move a regular given that I have an annual heuston-tullamore which doesn't allow me to reserve a seat.
Interesting that it is Heuston that can't be bothered putting in the seat reservations. Is it a fast train turnaround thing?
I am beginning to think that it is time I was allowed reserve my seat on the 16:31 Tullamore-Heuston on Fridays. It's starting to get busy. Maybe I'll have a word with Abbey St (or my TD :D )
Simple sollution:
If your seat's occupied and the staff do nothing:
1) Full refund
or 2) No quibble Upgrade to first class.
Otherwise, they might as well scrap the reservations system.
Twice now, I have arrived on a Cork-Dublin train with the reservation system not powered up/working correctly and my seats have been occupied. We have either had to find other seats or ask people to move.
I've heard horror stories like a German teacher who had an entire coach booked for a full school tour. People removed the reserved seating notices and sat down, staff were unhelpful / non existant and she ended up having kids scattered throughout a busy train.
She got off and just laughed it off as "typically irish disorganisation" but was very unimpressed.
packetswitch
06-04-2007, 20:50
Another simple solution would be that all walk-up tickets (i.e. bought at the station) come with a reservation. Hardly rocket science, and doesn't take account of return tickets or season tickets, but it would certainly reinforce the importance of the reservation system.
Virgin have an extreme policy for certain trains (which run as all-reserved); if you're in a reserved seat and don't have a reservation (or another excuse like an Irish-bought ferry/rail ticket which is a paper ticket with no possibility to reserve!), they can charge you the full open single (which is usually about £100 or something similarly ludicrous). That might sort things out ;)
Another simple solution would be that all walk-up tickets (i.e. bought at the station) come with a reservation. Hardly rocket science, and doesn't take account of return tickets or season tickets, but it would certainly reinforce the importance of the reservation system.
Virgin have an extreme policy for certain trains (which run as all-reserved); if you're in a reserved seat and don't have a reservation (or another excuse like an Irish-bought ferry/rail ticket which is a paper ticket with no possibility to reserve!), they can charge you the full open single (which is usually about £100 or something similarly ludicrous). That might sort things out ;)
Good idea in theory but knowing IE, in practice it wouldn't be implemented at all or else in a half-assed fashion similar to the fining of people without tickets seen on other threads.
Will the new 22000s have the electronic names over seats like the Mk 4s? Maybe once all the network has uniform equipment, train hosts etc. the whole reservation setup might improve.
Mark Gleeson
07-04-2007, 23:22
As promised some fun from the weekend
So I was booked on the 18:30 to Tralee on Thursday, seat A27 which the website told me was the bottom centre window at the partition with first, well actually is in first on the train when you check
http://www.platform11.org/images/booking/easter_reservation_3.JPG
Coach A was infact from what I could see a citygold coach
Yellow jumper dude had hijacked the whole of coach C (72 seats) for the 36 standard class bookings on the train and it was the usual sit anywhere thing, yellow jumper dude fecked off 8 minutes before departure and took the badly photocopied this seat is reserved notices with him, so god help you if you board beyond Heuston
So to the return leg, I book a seat A29, grand there is no first class so the software goof won't effect me. IE went one better as I was the only reservation on the 17:35 Limerick Dublin they decided to withdraw it from the booking system.
http://www.platform11.org/images/booking/easter_reservation_2.JPG
But I have a seat number, http://www.platform11.org/images/booking/easter_reservation.JPG to prove they pulled a fast one
Show up and guess what coach A is a citygold coach, being that I boarded in Templemore its a long walk to reach coach A and not worth it when you know the seat ain't there and the train was empty.
So ZERO points to IE
And they still haven't got it right on the Cork Dublin.
We had C35 and C36 booked on the Cork-Dublin 18:30 this evening. No names up in lights over the seats.
Got on the train at about 5 past and there was people sitting in the seats. Mentioned it to them, but then just sat on the seats across the aisle, to avoid hassle.
Then the train got busy. Girl got on. walked past our seats. then asked if the seats opposite us were free. sat down. Lots of crashing of bags etc. Turned out later we were on their seats.
The train got fairly full when the Kerry crowd got on at Mallow. Huge kerryman with suit and laptop got on. Asked girl that was sitting in our seats (taking up 2) was the inner seat free. Lots more bag crashing and grumpy faces.
At the end of the day, everyone got seats but really if Irish Rail had been doing their job properly there would have been less grumpy customers.
Mark Gleeson
06-06-2007, 11:01
After months waiting for it, IE have finally corrected seating layout on the Mk3 coach so standard class reservations will finally work
IE have known about this since January, took them 5 months to sort it
Friend came back from Kilkenny on Sunday, had seats booked, no indication anywhere in the carriage that seats were reserved, eventually convinced the skang-- the gentlemen in their seats to move after much abuse, they moved to two other seats that were also reserved, conductor had to be called ot move them again.
How can they get away with claiming to reserve seats when they never actually reserve them?
I've found that increasingly the seat reservation system on the CAF coaches is switched off. I don't believe that it's a technical fault, I think it's just pure incompetence or some kind of refusal to upload the names.
In the last 6 trips to Cork, my reserved seats have only worked twice.
Then again, I wouldn't expect anything more from Irish Rail, they've never been anything other than incompetant and inconsistant.
I don't even bother getting annoyed anymore, I just accept that they're always going to provide poor, sloppy and patchy service.
My AIB Laser card has never been able to be read by the ticket collection machines, so I have never been able to use them. I have made countless complaints about this and nothing was ever done to resolve the issue.
Complete joke of an organisation. I'm amazed they manage to rememer to put diesel in the trains sometimes!
For a business user (and many of them don't opt to use city gold due to price). It makes IE a waste of time. I mean, if you reserve a seat and the end up having to stand from Limerick Junction to Heuston what's the point?!
It's ridiculous that you have to turf people out of your seats, many of whom don't even believe that your seat's reserved as there are no longer ANY signage in the coaches indicating anything other than "Book Your Seat Online at www.irishrail.ie". I've had a few instances where people have point blank refused to move and I've ended up having to scramble for a seat in another carriage.
On top of that, if you book a seat (even in First class/City Gold). You can't board the train without queueing for ages, particularly in Heuston (Dublin) and Kent (Cork). At busy times, these queues can go right outside the station !!
Again, makes booking online utterly pointless and a waste of time and energy.
To be quite honest, after my last experience with them I will be flying from now on.
1) No seat
2) Huge queue
3) No food in CityGold other than a very bad quality, overpriced toasted sandwich.
I don't for one min. believe that it's a technical problem. Similar seat reservation systems are used all over the world, it's not that hard to get them to work, if you're a customer-focused organisation that actually gives a toss!
What it comes down to is that a large part of Iarnrod Eireann clearly have no interest in customer care or quality of service. All they care is that a train goes from point a. to point b. and you should be thankful if you get to stand beside the toilet all the way.
Mark Gleeson
08-07-2007, 12:30
A bit out of date but still
So June 22nd I took a trip to Newry to collect something
So I book a seat in both directions
Show up in Connolly for the 13:20 to Belfast, located carriage D and walk through it twice, some genius had left the seat reserved cards from the 7:35 Dublin Belfast service in place, of course no one bothered to place the seat reserved cards for the 13:20 service.
So on the return trip I boarded the 17:00 Newry Dubin, which by chance was the same set of coaches and the seat reserved cards from that mornings 7:35 where still in place
So the train ran
7:35 Dublin Belfast
10:30 Belfast Dublin
13:20 Dublin Belfast
16:10 Belfast Dublin
All with the 7:35 seat reserved cards in place.
freeluas
08-07-2007, 17:08
I only go on by IE to use the free travel. Wouldnt like to have to pay regularly for the experience. Unlike Switzerland where I gladly paid for a weeks Swiss Pass to have a good travelling holiday and admire how a railway should be run!
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