6 car set in peak time
 

The train which I get leaving Donabate at 7.51, so I think that makes it the 7.18 ex Drogheda, had only six carriages this morning.

As you can imagine it was absolutely packed and the people sitting on the floor didn't help much.

The driver made an announcement at Donabate that another train to Connolly would depart in ten minutes and at Malahide that a DART would leave at 8.05 but I didn't see anyone get off.

Once we got to Connolly he announced that there were only six cars on the train due to a failure at Drogheda last night.

I wonder if the 1815 ex Pearse will have the same six cars.

The recon team will report in throughout the day

And spare a thought for the poor schoolkids at Donabate station trying to squeeze themselves onto this train on this the first morning of the Junior and Leaving Cert. I felt so sorry for them this morning - just the sort of extra stress that they could really do without. Did anyone see if they could all get on board? I don't think anyone was left behind but it must have been a close-run thing. At Donabate the driver announced that there would be another train in 9 minutes, but that was no good to them because it doesn't stop in Malahide - where they all disembark.

I hope all their mothers were on to IE this morning to demand a better service tomorrow!

Recon team just reported in

Its still 6 car at the current time and its in Pearse, it it will be in Drogheda within the hour so there is still a chance but it looks highly likely that the 18:15 will be only 6 coaches

Advice is to board the front 4 coaches as the rear two will end up with most of the passenger who would have got into coach 7 and 8

I have had enough experience of those so-called pupils to feel no symptathy for their plight whatsoever.

There were plenry of them aboard for the 4 minute journey over the estuary!

You may not have any sympathy for these students, but do consider that my near pathological hatred of Dublin Bus comes from my school days. Building the confidence in use of reliable public transport starts from a young age. It will take a generation of reliable public transport to change that point of view that buses, trains, or anything under the CIE banner are nothing less than rubbish.

I hope anyone that has no sympathy for students remembers where they came from, and what life was like as a student doing their Junior/Leaving Cert.

Let me assure you, my fellow students and work colleagues felt the same way, and once Luas came to our area, we were happy never to set eyes on Dublin Bus for the rest of our lives. Because Luas and DART represented clean, efficient, reliable and trustworthy public transport.

Ah no, Students are fine, it is just the schoolkids who can get unruly. There was one young lad was threatening to punch a woman because he was messing, stood on her toe and she pushed him off.

He was saying he would hit her etc. and so I gave him a shove on the shoulder and he then started mouthing off at me, knew what his rights were etc. I then looked at his school badge and said I'd phone his school. Shut him right up.

A few days later, I saw him getting out of his father's car at Donabate station. He went white as a ghost when he saw me!

Recon team reports that there was nothing wrong with coaches 7 and 8, a 4 coach 2600 set appeared mid morning in addition to the 6 coach set, so it was another train that had failed

I was on the 18:15 and it was jammers (I'd normally hang on for the 18:40 ex Connolly, but I had a dentist appointment and if anything went wrong I'd rather be on the train that's in front).

Clearly the system is stretched to breaking point, with reduced capacity trains happening far too frequently.

I was on the 11am 8 car service this morning to Rush&Lusk.
Me and the other two passengers didn't see anything untoward......

Why IE run 8 cars during the day I dunno though.
to justify their price rises I suppose.

I fairness, a 33b and a 230 to go a few short km is excessive.

Apparently Fingal Co.Co. are to build a pedestrian/cycle route across the estuary... maybe Terontess, you or your neighbours grandchildren could use this...

Sorry about that Terrontress, had a similar experience a few years back on the train from Ennis to Dublin.

Being on holiday, somewhat tired, grouchy and hungover, the last thing I was in the mood for was a bunch of screaming teenage alco-scum at the opposite end of a Cravens....and they were making a racket.

Walked up, aggressively, threatened them.

"Blah....rights.....blah...."

My reply.

"You have the right to remain silent, I suggest for your own sake, and everyone else on this train, you use it, before I get the train guard to confiscate your cans. Now enjoy you drink....quietly".

They got out Thurles....and I slept. Plus, I knew I could batter them if I wanted to.....because I'd be well away from Ireland within 3 days in any case :).

I know I am getting old when I start saying things like.....

"We never behaved like that as kids, we'd get a clip on the ear"

But its true.....we were either scared of misbehaving, or we knew the boundary.

The four car 2600 set ran the 21.00 pearse-maynooth and the (deferred) 23.10 pearse-maynooth. if it did do the full run that the 29000 set normally does it would have run the 17.08 connolly-balbriggan and 19.00 pearse-maynooth as well.

Six coaches again this morning. It wasn't quite as crowded because the numbers tend to tail off at the end of the week, and because I'd say a lot of people gave it a miss due to the horrendous overcrowding yesterday. Still, it was bad enough and at Donabate, quite a few kids were flying up and down the platform looking for a carriage that they could squeeze into. While there were a lot of apologies from the driver, there were no explainations and no indication as to when this situation would be rectified.

As for the school pupils - well, they are boisterous but kids will be kids. I'd still rather be me, heading into work, then them, heading into exams!

One thing today was it was actually on time

If I recall correctly, they reduced the same train to six cars over the Easter school holidays.

Could it be because term has finished and it is only exam kids on the trains that they have knocked two off to save on diesel?

It goes without saying that the 18:15 Pearse to Drogheda is going to be 6 coaches today

So as per yesterday, advice is to board the front 4 coaches as the rear two will end up with most of the passengers who would have got into coach 7 and 8

The 8:32 Drogheda Pearse is the 6 car 2600 this morning

Ok thats not great but its not as crowded as the 7:18

Edit 7:18 was 8 coaches and it was ontime

Thanks to our man in Drogheda for reporting in

Yeah, I got the 7.51 from Donabate. It was an 8 car 29000 class. Busy enough but not too bad. I think that the 29000s don't just have as much room as the 2600s.

18.15 pearse-drogheda friday 8th
 

This train will start from connolly tonight

The 17:33 Bray Longford was also a 6 coach set tonight, and it was a 2800 set so there are two 6 coach trains roaming the network which should be 8