Timetable Alterations from 28 September

[Jamie2k9]

Following customer feedback we are altering some service departure times beginning the 28th September in order to improve performance and reliability of services into Heuston in the morning peak.

From 28th September the following changes will take place:

05.55 Cork (Kent) / Dublin Heuston service (Monday to Saturday) will now depart at 05.50 hrs and will call at Mallow at 06.11, Charleville at 06.24, Limerick Junction at 06.46 and arrive in Dublin Heuston at 08.20 hrs.

06.20 Limerick (Colbert) / Limerick Junction service (Monday to Saturday) will now depart at 06.15 hrs and will arrive in Limerick Junction at 06.41 hrs.

04.50 Tralee (Casement) / Mallow service (Monday Only) will now depart at 04.45 hrs and will call at Killarney at 05.15, Millstreet at 05.40 and arrive in Mallow at 06.07 hrs.

05.25 Westport / Dublin Heuston service (Monday to Friday) will now depart at 05.20 hrs and will call at Castlebar at 05.32, Claremorris at 05.50, Ballyhaunis at 06.03, Castlerea at 06.16, Roscommon at 06.34, Athlone at 07.00, Clara at 07.14, Tullamore at 07.22, Portarlington at 07.40, Monasterevin at 07.48, Kildare at 07.55, Newbridge at 08.02 and arrive in Dublin Heuston at 08.30 hrs.

07.05 Athlone / Dublin Heuston service (Saturday only) will now depart at 07.00 hrs and will call at Clara at 07.14, Tullamore at 07.22, Portarlington at 07.40, Monasterevin at 07.48, Kildare at 07.55, Newbridge at 08.02 and arrive in Dublin Heuston at 08.30 hrs.

http://www.irishrail.ie/news/schedule-alterations-to-cork-limerick-tralee-westport-athlone-morning-services

I am going to assume the 05.55 been advanced to 05.50 is to avoid a possible signal check for the 06.15 and delaying the Westport service.

Still believe they are continuing to brush over the real problem and we will see nothing change. There I suggest the outrageous decision to move the 06.15 to 06.20 instead, of course this the sensible thing would destroy the heavy loading on board by moving a service by 5 minutes. :rolleyes:

They really should change the headline from "Following customer feedback" to "Following sheer incompetence and ability on our behalf"

[Mark Gleeson]

The 5:55 is moving back to 5:50 due to the signal spacing issue, the 6:15 was tailing it from Limerick Junction

Changes to the Westport train give it 7 minutes more between Portarlington and Heuston, the previous 43 minute schedule with 3 stops in 42 miles was all but impossible

Westport train will now be in front of the Cork train. 8:11 from Newbridge now has a chance of leaving on time

Still though 2 trains arriving at 0830

[Jamie2k9]

The 5:55 is moving back to 5:50 due to the signal spacing issue, the 6:15 was tailing it from Limerick Junction

Changes to the Westport train give it 7 minutes more between Portarlington and Heuston, the previous 43 minute schedule with 3 stops in 42 miles was all but impossible

Westport train will now be in front of the Cork train. 8:11 from Newbridge now has a chance of leaving on time

Still though 2 trains arriving at 0830

Interesting that Westport will move in front, do you think it will last (not so sure myself) given the 3 stops on Westport and the express Cork have they just moved the signal problems closer to Dublin, would I be correct in saying they have left around 4 minutes between them from Portarlington in terms of before Cork will have to more less tail it and excluding the 5 minutes at the end of journey.

While on paper they have both 08.30 arrivals if the scheduling of the Westport is good and it departs Newbridge at 08.03 it should be in Heuston at 08.25 and while the same can be said for Cork on paper it would be worth the risk in my view for IE to move it to 06.20 and keep the 08.30 arrival or lets say 08.33 to allow a TSR etc. The whole 08.30 thing with IE seem's to be a red line issue and while I see a very small point they need to get priorities into prospective.

[Jamie2k9]

Didn't exactly make much difference as expected, 08.35 Cork arrival needed. Saying that a few Galway services were up to 15 mins late so that may explain Westport problems.

I arrived after 9.00 and our train had to depart 15 minutes lather and re enter a platform that could handle the full train.

[Mark Gleeson]

Just about everything was late this morning

The 05:50 was late (+6), which made the 06:15 (+12) late. With the temporary speed restrictions in place even the new timetable is unlikely to work

The Westport train was late also before it made it Portarlington, arrived +8 Heuston,it got out ahead of the 06:15 and lost time enroute when it would be expected to make up time given it has 7 minutes more than before. Seemed to lose 3 minutes between Newbridge and Sallins alone. This hurt the 06:15

The timetable requires a element of operating precision of running 5 trains to minute perfect precision across 200+ miles of network. Not something Irish Rail can deliever

[Jamie2k9]

Seemed to lose 3 minutes between Newbridge and Sallins alone.

And the tsr between both was lifted last week.

The timetable requires a element of operating precision of running 5 trains to minute perfect precision across 200+ miles of network. Not something Irish Rail can deliever

Not easy but they can do a lot to improve it.

Some of the scheduling they make is plan stupid such as adding the 06.15 from Cork. Other aspects of the schedules are completely unpractical to operate but IE never listen 9x-z running time etc).

Releasing the draft schedule is nothing more than creating the illusion that they are listening to passengers when they do not change anything that is pointed out.

Would like to know if they have increased revenue to out weight the costs of the new 06.15, bet we will never know!

[Jamie2k9]

Appears new Heuston timetable pushed back to March/April, Connolly remains a January change and drafts out by end of month.