[11/01/2010] Temporary Service Changes from Monday Jan 11 2010
 

Its claimed

However the split/combine operation still applies on the Dublin Galway/Westport OR is a change of train involved at Athlone, Irish Rail seem to be contradicting themselves. Can't understand the problem in Waterford

When the current timetable came in, there were complaints that they did not publish a comprehensive timetable book. Now it looks like a good idea, as any such book would be pretty useless, considering the number of alterations.

The Dec 2009 timetable seems to have been very ill-thought out in many respects. Evidence of serious deficiencies in the operations department.

The amalgamation of the Waterford trains would seem to me to have more to do with the inadequacy of the 3-car formation on the 0710. The cold weather is just a smokescreen, as evidenced by the continuation of splitting on the Galway and Westport trains.

are not the control and mechanical mechanisms exposed in every 2X3 car 22k set up, which is how a substantial element, if not the majority element of how the 22k fleet is deployed in any event?

whose job is it to join these trains up?

If the hatch door was working the coupler would be protected from the ice and snow, alas the doors are either missing or won't open

Driver is in charge, but the process is a matter of seconds to complete

I hear there's an iceberg off the coast. Wouldn't surprise me if it decided to whip down the North Sea and take out Malahide Viaduct because that's the year IE are having. In theory adverse conditions on the roads should mean bumper traffic for IE but instead the infrastructure and fleet teams have no plan or if they do no resources to implement it. I wonder how IE was doing in 1982 the last time the country really ground to a halt.

It seems to me that the IE withdrawal from service projections included having 2 more 6 x 22k but when they had to be binned IE never bothered rewriting their withdrawal from service schedule - if they had, surely 2 x 6 x Mk3PP would still be available for, for instance, Waterford or Carlow commuter. No doubt the PPs are being "stored" in a similar vein to hauled car 7156 - open to the elements.

Probably got to do with points; the 0710 bypasses Kilkenny using the curve a few miles from Kilkenny. By amalgamating the 0710 and 0740 and going via Kilkenny it avoids having to keep two sets of points clear.

But that has nothing to do with the excuse given

This morning the Galway/Westport train was a 3-car and the on-board display said it was from Galway. Presumably Westport passengers change at Athlone?

Presumably but not notice given

The 11:05 was a strange one to cancel from Galway. This train was also on the old timetable, and, if I am not mistaken, leaves a huge 4 hour gap in the middle of the day. Anytime I have been on it it is relatively busy, at least from Tullamore to Dublin, and is always sold out of sandwiches.