[15-1-2007] Dublin to Cork

[Mark Gleeson]

As expected chaos on the Dublin Cork, we knew the Mk4 coaches couldn't hack it

The 17:00 failed in the platform and was dragged away since room was needed for another arrival

18:00 to Cork was cancelled since the set timetabled for the 18:00 ran the heavily delayed 17:00 (as in 30+ minutes)

Passengers of the 18:00 transferred to 18:35 to Tralee changing at Mallow to reach Cork. 18:35 is reported as filling rapidly

No notice on IE site

[Mark Gleeson]

To make matters worse the 14:30 out of Cork was held in Inchicore for about 10 minutes

Why Irish Rail have an obsession with platform 5 in Heuston

As a result passengers for the 17:00 had an extra 10 minutes delay

[hhf8]

Read a piece in The Herald AM this morning,Boasting about how the New High SPEED trains have benefited the customer..

[Mark Gleeson]

Put it this way we where expecting this to happen before lunch yesterday

You will be getting the same experience more or less every day

[2Funki4Wheelz]

Read a piece in The Herald AM this morning,Boasting about how the New High SPEED trains have benefited the customer..

:eek: ? Because journeys are faster where? Surely someone will email them and make it on the letters page.

[MrX]

Absolutely everyone who hasn't used them (and even some who have) seem to think that they're high speed simply because they're new and pointy.

It's amazing what a point on the end will do for PR!

[hhf8]

the article also quoted a time of 2hrs 25 mins, implying it has improved with the new trains?,it hasn't has it?

[comcor]

Don't worry

It went without a hitch

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2007/0116/1168895586278.html

[2Funki4Wheelz]

Journalism = Regurgitate press release. Do not authenticate facts via another source.

[Derek Wheeler]

This went to the Times yesterday.

Madam,

Your paper reported on the 16th last, that Irish Rail claimed the first day of hourly services on the Cork route, “went without a hitch”. One wonders what a “hitch” is or if one was standing in a replica Heuston station that day.

I personally witnessed the Failure of the 17.00 hours service to Cork before it even left the platform! As a result the arrival of the 14.30 hours service from Cork was slightly delayed, while the new “state of the art” train was towed away to hide it’s blushes. But that wasn’t the end of it. As a result of this train failure, the 18.00 hours service to Cork was cancelled so the train intended to run the 18.00 hours service could actually fulfil the duties of the failed 17.00 hours cork service! (Departing nearly 45 minutes late) Passengers intending to travel on the 18.00 hours service were accommodated on the 18.35 service to Tralee, with a change at Mallow. One can only imagine the implications if this happened on a Bank holiday weekend.

So, as I scratch my head and search for an accurate definition of “without a hitch”, perhaps Mr. Barry Kenny from Irish Rail would like to reply and reassure me that I wasn’t seeing ghost trains in Heuston last evening.

Yours,

Derek Wheeler.
Communications & Media Officer,
Platform 11,
National Rail Users Organisation.