[06-02-2009] Tara and Pearse Closed

[Mark Hennessy]

A machine? :(




Pearse Street and Tara Street Stations closed to DART and Commuter services this morning by Corporate Communications

Due to the failure of a machine working overnight at Pearse Street station northbound DART and Commuter services are terminating at Grand Canal Dock and Southbound Services are terminating at Connolly Station until further notice.

Dublin Bus are honouring all rail tickets at this time.

Iarnród Éireann apologises for any inconvenience caused

[Mark Hennessy]

Jane Cregan on Morning Ireland says a track machine failed at Pearse overnight.

Why the hell couldn't they just haul the machine out?

Will be closed for the morning.

[zag]

I just picked this up as a one liner on the radio this morning . . . all through trains affected and they have a single line to cover it. I wouldn't like to be looking for a taxi or onwards bus connections from Grand Canal Dock.

It's the bus for me this morning.

z

[Thomas Ralph]

It's rather poor that they can't even manage a single track through service.

[Trampas]

train driver said there was bus transfers from Connolly to Grand Canal Dock.

Came out of Connolly and not a bus to be seem.

Nice 40 min walk to work.

[Thomas Ralph]

There are huge delays on the southside with trains getting backlogged in GCD. I'm on the 0740 Bray-Malahide. We've been stuck between Sandymount and Lansdowne Road for nearly 10 minutes awaiting track clearance. Recommend using alternative transport if heading to areas served by stations from Sandymount to Tara Street.

[Thomas Ralph]

In fact, I would recommend avoiding the southside DART entirely for the rest of the morning. The first southbound train in over 20 minutes just left Lansdowne Road. We are told that Dublin Bus is honouring rail tickets "in the affected areas".

[Aphfaneire]

They gave little or no explination to commuters on the 717 from drogheda, the old rust bucket train.

First they said something that sounded like they couldnt stop at connolly and had to run through to tara.

Then we stopped at connolly. They only gave the message before after a prolonged wait in the yard, not at any other time.

Then at tara they told everyone to get off even though we were on platform 1 instead of 2. Then they said that the new alternate exit was closed, and that every was to use the "north" exit.
Bizarely crowd barries were deployed in the entrance. Large gates that i had never seen before, leaving a small area for people to get out. With an plackard saying southbound service's were closed, but not why.

Not once did they full explain why. Just that we had to. There was something about a failed engine and driver but it was garbled and not repeated.


That's customer service for you. If it was overnight you'd think Drogheda and all other stations could have told us?:rolleyes:

[Mark Gleeson]

These ejjits does it every stop

Word is the line is back open again but trains are not stopping at Pearse or Tara Street

Edit thats what some people wait for trains been told, but isn't the truth

[Colm R]

Got to O'Connell street this morning at 7:30 on my way to Tara. Just heard it on the radio and turned on my heels to get the 7 to Blackrock. Driver did not accept my rail ticket. I persisted, and brought up the Irish Rail website on my phone and he allowed me on.

Which brings an interesting question. I find Dublin Bus complicated, and unless you know the routes, its very difficult to sort out. Would it be possible to have signs on standby at all the stations, which could list all other stations and which buses to use to get there in Such times. For example, in Clontarf Road, you could have a sign saying:

City Center: 130
Grand Canal: 130 + 2
Lansdowne: 130 + 7
etc etc.

[igy]

Would it be possible to have signs on standby at all the stations, which could list all other stations and which buses to use to get there in Such times. For example, in Clontarf Road, you could have a sign saying:

City Center: 130
Grand Canal: 130 + 2
Lansdowne: 130 + 7
etc etc.

Of course it would. But it's not likely to happen unfortunately.

[Mark Gleeson]

Still no motion here through Pearse

Bus options need to be more clearly shown

BTW its 130, then O'Connell Street and 4,4a,5,7,7a,8,45,63,84 for Lansdowne, don't bother with the train at all

[Mark Gleeson]

Well there is not a single member of staff on the ground floor concourse in Pearse to help people, no signs no notices

Strangely upstairs there isn't any machine on the track

[Thomas Ralph]

Just got into work. Internet on my phone failed. What a complete mess :(

[Mark Hennessy]

This again highlights the sheer laziness and lack of effort put in by Irish Rail management.

They put out the press release "use alternative means and Dublin bus accepting tickets" and go back to bed.

You can't even get a bus from Grand Canal Dock.
Why was the back entrance at Tara closed?

Why did an overnight failure not get sorted out before the first trains?

Who is accountable for the mess that all commuters had to endure this morning?

No one, though I'm sure most commuters had time to get used to the new Green "smart" transport policy - walking.

[Mark Gleeson]

Line just reopened, 8 car 29k has just gone southbound through Pearse

[ACustomer]

Well if it's open, a minute ago the Irish Rail Website said it was closed until further notice.

What's more they refer to "Pearse Street Station", There is no such station! What a bunch of idiots.

[Mark Gleeson]

Well a DART going south to Dún Laoghaire has just stopped in Pearse (9:59)
Second one for Bray (10:03)

One has gone north in the last 3 minutes but it didn't stop in Pearse

[Mark Gleeson]

DART and Commuter services have now resumed through Tara St. and Pearse Stations by Corporate Communications

DART and Commuter services have now resumed through Tara Street and Pearse Stations after an earlier closure, due to the failure of a maintenance machine working at Pearse Station

Iarnród Éireann apologises for any inconvenience caused

Its running but delays remain

[MOH]

Went through Pearse southbound about 10:04.

Ticket machines in killester had handwritten signs saying line was closed, the guy in the office was even drawing people attention to these. Decided to get the train as far as Connolly anyway, sat outside it for about 10 min then they announced just before 10 that the line was re-opened.

Assuming the train I was on was the 09:20 Howth-Bray, southbound is running 15-20 mins late.

[zag]

I reckon it was the coffee machine in Pearse froze over . . . :p A little creative thinking and the PR people could spin that as a 'maintenance machine', sure it helps to maintain the lads afterall, doesn't it ?

z

[ACustomer]

The Website does it again. Just now the Travel alert headline on the IE Homepage says Tara St and Pearse closed or words to that effect. Click on the message for further details and it says they have re-opened. Absolutely unbelievable muppetry!

[MOH]

One colleague who had walked from Connolly to GCD just missed a train, had to wait 20 mins for the next one. He thuoght there might have been one due in between which failed at Pearse. Our driver did announce that our delay outside Connolly was due to a train failure at Pearse - I assumed at the time it was the maintenance thingy, but may have been a separate issue. Would have been about 09:40

[Rashers]

I was going for the 06.35 ex Dundalk to Bray
On my walk to the station someone texted into Q102 say say no trains between Grand Canal dock + Connolly. However, the next AA roadwatch traffice news had no mention of same. In fact, for the next 40 mins none of the traffic reports made any mention of same.
Anyhow, got to the station. Nothing on the displays, and no announcements. Nothing on board either, so assumed it must have been sorted. Around 7.55 we started queueing somewhere around Clontarf road. There was an announcement on board, but it was so low, I have no idea what it was about. Arrived into Connolly about 5 mins late. Still no announcements, but no one left the train, so I assumed all was ok. Waited there for 5 more minutes. There were now annoucements about all services terminating at Connolly, so got up to leave. However, driver announced we would be going to Tara St, so got back on, and away we went.
However, when we arrived there, when I went to the Southern exit and found the gates locked. Not a staff member in sight, and not a single announcment.
Rang Connolly information. They told me the service I was on was not due to run to Tara st, hence no one opened the gates. Walked to the old exit, and got a bus. Had no problem with the rail only tickets.
All in all a bad show, yet again on the basic communications. This incident happened at 3.30am, yet 4 hours later they still had no CTC announcements, no driver announcements, and nothing on their displays. The girl at the information desk agreed there was a communications breakdown with passengers (yet again :mad: )

[Mark Gleeson]

What is curious is diesel powered services could have made Tara Street without a problem, at least 2 did, but Irish Rail said nothing in public about that

The back entrance should have been open

The latest information we have is a cherry picker working within Pearse station was the source of the problem

That said I stood on the platform in Pearse at 9:25 and saw nothing, line reopened 30 minutes later

There is no plan, they knew at 6am there was a big problem, the fact the AA didn't know is the fault of Irish Rail. I know of people who walked the whole way from Sydney Parade in as the southside became a car park despite the fact Grand Canal Dock can be fairly easily used a terminus capable of dealing with the flow