2016 - Heuston Upgrade Works

[Jamie2k9]

http://www.irishrail.ie/news/lineimprovementworks
Line improvement works - revised timetable on 5th March to/from Heuston

18 February 2016

Customers using our services to and from Heuston, and all connecting services are advised to re-check your times before travelling on affected dates.

Iarnród Éireann is commencing a programme of line improvement works on the Dublin to Cork line, focusing this year on the section between Hazelhatch and Portlaoise.

The initial investment in 2015 of €10 million in line improvements will lead to higher reliability, smoother running of trains and with other works deliver consistent 160kph speeds (100 mph) by the end of 2016 on this section. This will deliver journey time improvements for customers.

Service arrangements

To facilitate these works, there will be service changes on selected Saturdays* this year. Works will not take place during the peak tourism and sporting season of August, or on Saturdays of other major events (including St Patrick’s Festival, All-Ireland Finals, Ireland soccer and rugby internationals). There will be some minor modifications to service arrangements subject to precise work locations as the project proceeds.

Cork/Dublin, Limerick/Dublin and Tralee/Dublin
On affected Saturdays:

Services between Cork and Dublin will operate every two hours in each direction, with higher capacity on services.

Limerick services will operate every two hours, connecting to and from all Cork services at Limerick Junction.

Tralee services will operate every two hours, connecting to and from all Cork services at Mallow.

17.25, 19.00 & 21.20 Heuston/Cork services will terminate at Mallow with a bus transfer from Mallow to Cork.

21.20 Heuston/Cork service will split at Limerick Junction. The first 4 coaches will travel to Cork and the last 4 coaches will travel onto Limerick. Please ensure that you are on the correct coach for your destination.

Passengers travelling on the 20.20 Cork to Heuston and intermediate stations will be transferred by bus from Cork to Mallow, a train from Mallow to Portlaoise and a bus transfer from Portlaoise to Heuston. This will also affect Limerick passengers on the 21.05 Limerick to Dublin and to Cork will be a bus transfer between Mallow and Cork.

For full details of schedules, click on the affected date Saturday 5th March or check times for your journey through our journey planner above.

Galway/Dublin and Westport/Dublin

On affected Saturdays:
Services between Galway and Dublin will operate every two hours in each direction, with higher capacity on services – this will result in seven services each way between Galway and Dublin on these dates instead of nine.

Please check departure times before travel.

There will be significant changes to departure times on these dates, please check and recheck times before travel on the Journey Planner.

For full details of schedules, click on the affected date Saturday 5th March or check times for your journey through our journey planner above.

Waterford/Dublin

On affected Saturdays:
Please check departure times before travel.
Please note that there will be bus transfers between Dublin and Athy for all services.

For full details of schedules, click on the affected date Saturday 5th March or check times for your journey through our journey planner above.

Portlaoise and Kildare to Dublin Commuter services

On affected Saturdays:

Portlaoise communters will operate to/from Dublin Heuston and Newbridge only.

07:20 Portlaoise/Heuston and 22:10 Heuston/Portlaoise services will operate.
There will be no other commuter services between Portlaoise / Kildare and Dublin. However, customers travelling to / from Portlaoise, Portarlington, Monasterevin, Kildare and Newbridge will be served by Intercity trains.

For full details of schedules, click on the affected date Saturday 5th March or check times for your journey through our journey planner above.

Catering
On affected Saturdays, a trolley service will be provided on all Intercity services to / from Heuston. Dining car and restaurant car facilities will not be available.

First Class
On affected Saturdays, first class facilities will not be available.

Existing Bookings
If you have already booked a train on an affected date which has seen a change in time or seating availability, we will contact you to reschedule your booking, or offer a full refund.

How can I reserve a seat?
When you purchase an Adult, Child or Student ticket on this website or through our call centre (1850 366 222) you are given an assigned seat as part of the price.

Customers who are already in possession of or purchasing on the day of travel a valid standard class ticket(s) such as Family Tickets, Day Return, Open Return, Weekly, Monthly, Annual, InterRail and Free Travel pass holders can reserve a seat on a service for €5.00 per person each way.
Dates of Works

* Current dates for work schedule (subject to alteration for currently unplanned major events):

Saturday 5th March
Saturday 2nd April
Saturday 9th April
Saturday 16th April
Saturday 30th April
Sunday 1st May
Saturday 14th May
Saturday 4th June
Saturday 11th June
Saturday 18th June
Saturday 2nd July
Saturday 23rd July
Saturday 10th September
Saturday 24th September
Saturday 1st October
Saturday 15th October
Saturday 29th October
Sunday 30th October
Saturday 5th November

Iarnród Éireann apologises for any inconvenience caused by these arrangements.

[Thomas J Stamp]

http://www.irishrail.ie/news/lineimprovementworks

so when this is done, how much 100mph track will there be? Wasn't a bit done a few years ago now outside Portaloise towards Ballybrophy? Is the middle tracks of the 4 track from Inchicore 100mph? that'll be quite the distance for trains whose first stop will be Portaloise or Thurles.

I assume that the aim is in about 20 years time to have us have 125 mph like the uk have had since the 70's. That would coincide with the time frame for replacement of the ICR's and whatever is left of the Mrk IV's.......

[Kilocharlie]

so when this is done, how much 100mph track will there be? Wasn't a bit done a few years ago now outside Portaloise towards Ballybrophy? Is the middle tracks of the 4 track from Inchicore 100mph? that'll be quite the distance for trains whose first stop will be Portaloise or Thurles.

I assume that the aim is in about 20 years time to have us have 125 mph like the uk have had since the 70's. That would coincide with the time frame for replacement of the ICR's and whatever is left of the Mrk IV's.......

Inchicore(start of 4-track)-Portlaoise apart from the Curragh and Portarlington 80mph bends. Middle tracks of the 4-tract are 70mph; outer tracks are 100.

[Jamie2k9]

so when this is done, how much 100mph track will there be? Wasn't a bit done a few years ago now outside Portaloise towards Ballybrophy? Is the middle tracks of the 4 track from Inchicore 100mph? that'll be quite the distance for trains whose first stop will be Portaloise or Thurles.

I assume that the aim is in about 20 years time to have us have 125 mph like the uk have had since the 70's. That would coincide with the time frame for replacement of the ICR's and whatever is left of the Mrk IV's.......

I think Portlaoise-BB is 90 at the minute and most of the way to Thurles, some of Thurles to Limierck J is 100 (seem to be more relaying happening) and most of Limerick J to Charleville.

They will get the 06.15 out of Cork down to 2 hours (at the expense of others :rolleyes:) in next schedule however to be safe they really need to do some works between Portlaoise-Thurles.

Recently however they have put a 15mph in place in Limerick J from where Waterford line crosses until you after the points on the platform rejoins Cork. No big deal but you could really be loosing a 1-1.5 minutes. It appears not to be a TSR but I was not paying much attention.

Inchicore(start of 4-track)-Portlaoise apart from the Curragh and Portarlington 80mph bends. Middle tracks of the 4-tract are 70mph; outer tracks are 100.

They really messed up when they rebuilt Portarlington, today at 80mph you get a wake up when passing the station.

[Mark Gleeson]

The centre tracks are good from a design and signaling point of view for 100mph but are maintained for 70mph

[Kilocharlie]

The centre tracks are good from a design and signaling point of view for 100mph but are maintained for 70mph

In fact, they were used at 90mph for a while during and for a while after the construction phase when the old tracks were being re-laid. I think trains operated through the points at that speed for a while before the limit was reduced.

[Jamie2k9]

Trespassing on quad track is a more immediate problem and in particular at Kishoge, the railings with the pointy tips have a number turned down and in recent weeks I have been on a number of services impacted.

Wonder do IE use the 22's footage to get people caught and if not I think a major roll out of CCTV along the while section from Adamstwon to Park West is needed.

Line of electric fence along the top wouldn't do any harm if it was legal, is it considered private property and would IE have the backbone to put such measures in place?

[Thomas J Stamp]

just wondering, i assume that 125 is the max that our trains will run so i guess thats the goal for the track to be capable of....what would that mean for Cork/Lim/Dublin journey times?

looking long term, there will come a point I guess when the 22k and the MarkIV will all be heading towards withdrawal, the problem is that they are all aging together (I think there is only 6 years between the first MarkIV and the last 22k) i was wondering if they aren't replaced early is it an indication of a desire to electrify the Cok-Dublin line? Maybe the DD sets will be end of life at the same time.

[Thomas J Stamp]

Trespassing on quad track is a more immediate problem and in particular at Kishoge, the railings with the pointy tips have a number turned down and in recent weeks I have been on a number of services impacted.

Wonder do IE use the 22's footage to get people caught and if not I think a major roll out of CCTV along the while section from Adamstwon to Park West is needed.

Line of electric fence along the top wouldn't do any harm if it was legal, is it considered private property and would IE have the backbone to put such measures in place?


Electric Fencing is set at a safe level for humans and a deterrent for animals as far as I know. anyway, chuck a coat on it and you're over.

[berneyarms]

After this work is completed - it should mean that Cork-Dublin non-stop is down to two hours, and the regular Cork-Dublin trains cut down to 2 hours 15-20 minutes.

The CEO has alluded to additional works that could bring the journey time down further by 5-10 minutes.

[Inniskeen]

Two hours to Cork would be impressive and hopefully will be delivered. This timing would be little problem for an ICR although the MK4/201 combination will struggle unless the line can be kept slack clear. I would expect the Dublin/Killarney trip to reduce to 2 hrs-50 min or less with up and down trains crossing in Killarney rather than the current inefficient crossing at Rathmore.

[Jamie2k9]

Electric Fencing is set at a safe level for humans and a deterrent for animals as far as I know. anyway, chuck a coat on it and you're over.

Wouldn't be as easy as the fence is quiet high from ground level so getting over it without fence is that bit difficult and this would make it harder.

Kishoge is the new local landfill, while IE seem to have by in largely addressed the issue near Park West in terms of rubbish.

After this work is completed - it should mean that Cork-Dublin non-stop is down to two hours, and the regular Cork-Dublin trains cut down to 2 hours 15-20 minutes.

The CEO has alluded to additional works that could bring the journey time down further by 5-10 minutes.

Perfectly doable yes however like everything IE will make a mess of the scheduling, please do not suggest they won't as it's guaranteed. If they want to run a successful non stop and other services they need to allow 3-4 minute window south of Portloiase to recover from TSR's and not at the end of journey as leaving it at the end of a journey allows the non stop service to be on time however everything else to be late.

If IE bothered to apply this across all routes we would all benefit but no, IE know best.

Two hours to Cork would be impressive and hopefully will be delivered. This timing would be little problem for an ICR although the MK4/201 combination will struggle unless the line can be kept slack clear. I would expect the Dublin/Killarney trip to reduce to 2 hrs-50 min or less with up and down trains crossing in Killarney rather than the current inefficient crossing at Rathmore.

You are taking about a daily return service so no real baring on Killarney however they should be room to improve by cutting some stoops from Mallow to Heuston. Would expect more Cork services to be 2h25 than 2h20m.

[Inniskeen]

It has ever bearing on Kerry road services if 10 to 20 minutes is going to be saved on the semi-fast services. In fact the Kerry provides a very proprtion of patronage on the Cork services and in terms of revenue is, I imagine, of similar importance.

[Jamie2k9]

It has ever bearing on Kerry road services if 10 to 20 minutes is going to be saved on the semi-fast services. In fact the Kerry provides a very proprtion of patronage on the Cork services and in terms of revenue is, I imagine, of similar importance.

Fair point however I don't really think Kerry would be overly sensitive to journey times. Yes reduced is a big plus. I agree about what Kerry provides and Limerick.