[article] Commuters face rail disruption

[ThomasJ]

This is a bit late was yesterdays news but worth the read.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/commuters-face-rail-disruption-1332268.html



Commuters face rail disruption
By JEROME REILLY
Sunday March 30 2008


commuters are facing further disruption today as Irish Rail engage in a war of words with driver trainers.


They are accusing renegade drivers of "hypocrisy", and of ignoring their own union and Labour Relations Commission recommendations.

Iarnrod Eireann said that train drivers must follow their own trade unions' instructions on restoring cooperation with flexible working and new-driver training, to allow the accelerated talks process proposed by the LRC to proceed.

"Perhaps the most ludicrous and hypocritical stance of all is the drivers' continuing refusal to cooperate with the training of new drivers, while at the same time urging the company to recruit more.

"We have increased driver numbers by more than 50 per cent in the last eight years to expand rail services, and are trying to continue to strengthen staff numbers, but existing drivers are blocking trainees -- contrary to their own claimed wishes."

Urging train drivers to restore co-operation, Irish Rail said there was now a unique opportunity to conclude the talks process quickly resolving all issues around working hours and flexibilities.

Today there will be disruption on some routes.

The 16.00 Connolly to Belfast route and the 19.00 Belfast to Connolly route will have bus transfers

There will also be some timetable alterations.

This morning, services from Cork to Dublin will depart at 08.30 and 10.30, not the advertised 07.30, 09.30 and 11.30.

The 11.00hrs Heuston to Cork is cancelled and Cork/Cobh services continue to operate to the 2007 schedule. The 08.10 Tralee to Cork train departs at the earlier time of 07.15. The 13.30 Westport to Dublin departs at 14.25. All services are expected to operate normally on Monday, though the 06.30 Portlaoise to Heuston, and 17.35 Heuston to Carlow (both Monday to Saturday) remain cancelled.

- JEROME REILLY

[Mark Gleeson]

As far as we know there isn't agreement on the new mentor driver thing, questions of money and responsibility. It was on the Phil Flynn list of things, actually its the first thing on the list.

New drivers are still being passed out

[Colm Moore]

I picked up one of the British Railway magazines last week (one of the less spotted ones ;)).

It suggests each new trainset is getting 10,000km (sic) of running before being put into service and it appears a lot of this is being done between Limerick, Mallow and Portlaoise in the middle of the night. I get the impression that at least some of this is done with double 3-car sets, so 1 driver = 6 cars.

Surely this has an effect on the availability of drivers for ordinary services.

[Mark Gleeson]

This is not an issue, Limerick drivers are working the test trains, hasn't been a Limerick cancellation since this trouble started.

[Colm Moore]

But surely a driver can only do so many hours. Instead of driving a passengerless train around at night, some of those drivers could be running, let us say, the 0635 from Portlaoise?

[Mark Gleeson]

All testing is done by Limerick drivers as has been practice for the last 3 train types purchased.

6:35 Portlaoise Dublin starts empty in Dublin shortly after 5am.
17:35 To Carlow returns to Dublin that night

Both are driven by Inchicore based staff since they start and end in Dublin. Both these trains are cancelled as a result of the combined lack of staff/rosters dispute. There is a view is that sticking to last years roster minimises the number of cancellations and also leaves the passenger no worse off than the 2007 timetabled service

[Thomas J Stamp]

this is the core (no pun intended) of the problem.

there are drivers with no trains and trains with no drivers, why, you would swear that IE wasnt a nationwide company after all, but rather a series of small regional ones, all with localised arraingements.

Of all days I really do wish I was joking there.

[dowlingm]

But surely a driver can only do so many hours. Instead of driving a passengerless train around at night, some of those drivers could be running, let us say, the 0635 from Portlaoise?So how do the new trains get commissioned then? It's not exactly an avoidable frill, and the timetable depends on those trains entering service.

[Colm Moore]

So how do the new trains get commissioned then? It's not exactly an avoidable frill, and the timetable depends on those trains entering service.You extend the period of commissioning.

The timetable also depends on scheduled services running. Given that existing trains are being withdrawn to be replaced by the new DMUs. Its not like the current service is 100% dependent on the new DMUs.

[Mark Gleeson]

One of the fundamental problems in the current dispute is some depots have a glut of staff and have plenty of idle time, Limerick, Galway, Waterford. Others don't.

Its impossible and impractical to get someone based in Limerick to drive a train which doesn't go within 70 miles of Limerick, they would spend more hours traveling around that actually driving. If management where to force such we would have an all out strike

[Laois Commuter]

One of the fundamental problems in the current dispute is some depots have a glut of staff and have plenty of idle time, Limerick, Galway, Waterford. Others don't.



Then you declare redundancies at the overstaffed depots, and offer the displaced staff transfer to the struggling ones. Not rocket science - been done in the UK (pre and post privatisation) for years. Three-four weeks route learning, problem solved. If staff won't transfer, fine - they take the money. IE can then recruit locally from the savings, from outside the industry if necessary to fill posts - oh sorry, unions won't allow that. Self interest? You bet.

I'll bet there hasn't even been any agreement on transfers to the new depot at Portlaoise yet - is that why the building work is "delayed"?

As usual, s** the customer.

LC

[Mark Gleeson]

Thats great until the WRC opens and they go every second hour on Waterford Dublin and on the Limerick Junc Waterford line, then you are short. Thats 10 months away

The problem is bar Cork and Dublin most locations have a sparse train service so the rostering is inefficient no matter how it is done. Forcing transfers is just going to make things worse imagine that being tied up in the labour court for years and the disturbance payments and so on not to mention it would trigger an all out walkout which is not something we want

Believe it or not in Cork there are 15 cancellations a day currently, if there was an infinite number of drivers available, there would be 14 cancellations, its not the drivers in Cork, its a lack of serviceable trains

[dowlingm]

UPDATE: I had started this post before Mark G posted his.

Laois Commuter - at the moment the overstaffing in Limerick means the commissioning work is done there. It's a good thing. If a train under commissioning broke down on the Kildare line because that's the only place there was staff, there could and should be hell to pay.

Limerick and Galway are both likely to see commuter service increases over the next few years in addition to the service via Athenry so it's likely that will absorb at least some of the overstaffing. Waterford is less likely admittedly but once Limerick and Galway get busy Waterford might become the commissioning centre.

Also, I doubt that IE's collective agreement and Irish labour law allows for firing and rehiring in the way you envisage, otherwise the country wouldn't have gotten so bogged down by decentralisation. And while I am possibly wrong about that, I doubt I am mistaken in my impression that IE's unions would find ways of disrupting operations if legal firings were attempted.

Victor - my point was that if we extend the commissioning period by reducing the amount of driver hours committed, we reduce the number of trains entering the fleet per month when the scheduling folks have already written schedules dependent on them. This will just mean that timetabled trains will run as drivers will be available but they will be short or on units whose maintenance periods are overdelayed because they were supposed to be relieved by 22ks. It's a catch 22 and I don't think there's an easy answer to it.

[Colm Moore]

Limerick and Galway are both likely to see commuter service increases over the next few years in addition to the service via Athenry so it's likely that will absorb at least some of the overstaffing. Waterford is less likely admittedly but once Limerick and Galway get busy Waterford might become the commissioning centre.I imagine it will stay in Limerick as it is convenient to the relatively quiet section of double track between Mallow and Portarlington.

Forcing transfers is just going to make things worse imagine that being tied up in the labour court for years and the disturbance payments and so on not to mention it would trigger an all out walkout which is not something we wantNobody is suggesting forced transfers. Merely ask drivers "Would anyone like to work weekdays from X for the next few weeks? B&B paid.".