[24.09.08] 06:30 Drogheda Rosslare - A 4 Car set
 

This morning we had a 4 car 29k set in place of the usual 8 car non-29k. No announcement was made about reduced capacity.

Same story this morning on the 06:30 ex Drogheda. Is there a shortage of rolling stock on the Northern line recently?

6:30 is a 6 coach 2800 unit, not a 8 coach 29k. There isn't a spare 28k so if one breaks you get a short train. Of course be nice to be told

This one's a 4-car 29K again today, 29X21 to be specific. Car 3 has a horrendous smell in it and it doesn't even have a toilet. The accessible toilet is in an awful mess. How often are the railcars supposed to be serviced and cleaned? I miss the Mk4s and their onboard cleaner and train host...

Back on 29X21 on my way back north. The PIS has just gone insane and is going through the messages:

• 06
• 06
• 06
• .noitatS yllonnoC rof si niart sihT .murdhtaR si noitats txen ehT
• hgnohC íU tS ítd og nieart na oeS
• .VTCC htiw dettif si niart siht ytiruces dna ytefas ruoy roF

I pity any foreigners on board trying to decipher that.

Back to the 4 car 29k set today

No change there then...

I think it is necessary to reactivate this topic. For the last weeks Irish Rail keeps sending a 2-set train to Rosslare in the mornings (6.30 am service). After Rush and Lusk the train is totally overcrowded and most uncomfortable to use. I have complained to Irish Rail numerous times since 2007 where that issue started to occur. There are periods when there is a 3-set train but now they have fallen back again.
I was told by there Customer Service team that there is a shortage of commuters trains and their %usage of the carriages is one of the highest in Europe. I was also told that new trains will be in Service (for example the Sligo line) which would free old stock. Now that these new trains are in service what happens.... nothing. Same old story. I cant except the excuse for a shortage of trains any more and I expect a basic service is provided for all trains.

What are you thinking about that issue?
Looking forward to hear from other affected people.

Cheers

Shortage of Commuter trains? Find that hard to believe.You have every right to be angry with Irish Rail.

A lot of these new InterCity trains cannot be used until the new timetable is implemented in May. For example Dublin to Rosslare.

The new timetable should've been introduced in Dec 08 but Irish Rail love to delay and complicate things. It is their fault there is a 'shortage of commuter trains'.

By June this mess better be sorted out once and for all.

thanks for the info sublimity.

I hope this mess will get sorted soon, Its really a pain to complain to Irish Rail about the same issue over an over again, I actually complained so often that my e-mails were answered by the Customer Service Manager for the Northern Line. Thats were I got the info with the shortage and the high utilization rate of carriages in a lengthy e-mail in October last year.

So where are these "extra" carriages are they standing idle or are they used in other trains? The thing is sometimes there is a 3-set train on the 6.30 am Rosslare line for 1 or 2 days then its gone (Some weeks ago it was nearly every day of the week when we got 3-train set, only recently it has turned i a complete bummer again). I guess some stock breaks down and is in repair, but then there definitely is a need to get more carriages if thats the point.

I wish more people would complain about it (they do on the train for sure but then don't seem follow up with e-mail, customer service hotline etc, might work ;) )

guys, just got an update from high up on my most recent complaint to Irish Rail (I do appreciate that my e-mails are taken seriously)

There is a repair for some set of carriages at the Maintenance
Department in Drogheda in place which cannot be replaced until the beginning of march. I was told the the situation should improve then. Irish Rail confirmed that normally there should be a 6 train set in operation on that line and they apologize for the inconvenience caused.

Fingers crossed :)

Great. Fairplay for your perseverance.

There was been long standing shortage of railcars, we are quoted in the Sunday Business Post a while back on the topic

The 6:30 service is booked for a 6 coach 2800 railcar and is currently running as a 4 coach train (it can't possibly be 3 coaches)

There is an overhaul project of the 2600 fleet currently underway which is impacting on train lengths. The 2600 fleet are the most unreliable fleet and have inflicted much pain on commuters in recent years with frequent breakdowns so the work is required.

I've been given the tour of the depot in Drogheda as have senior engineers from numerous rather envious railways across Europe. They currently hold the unoffical most reliable fleet of diesel commuter trains in Europe title, can't fault their efforts. Irish Rail simply never order enough coaches for the demand, always seems to be out by just that small amount to result in these kind of unacceptable situations.

A further 51 coaches are on order and tenders out to overhaul 48 intercity coaches of which 32 are to provide a hourly service Dublin Belfast, however with Midelton and the Western Railway Corridor opening this Summer things are not going to get anyway better

These 51 coaches are the 22ks right?

yeah thats correct, when I said 3 train set I meant 3 set's with 2 coaches each = 6 coaches.
I meant to highlight that they are running the train thats supposed to run but not always.

after 3 weeks of normal service we were back again to the 4 car set this morning...
No announcement on the train why and no apology for the reduced service (at least not in between Rush/Lusk - Connolly when I was on the train)

back to the "we have an issue, but we don`t tell you - deal with it" mentality

what a ignorant service

short again today. I am pretty much :mad:. steam coming out of my ears.....

Is there anything else one can do against this misery other than writing endless e-mail complaints to the Customer Service Manager for the Northern and Eastern department?

Your six coach train worked the 0746 Maynooth-Connolly this morning. This service is booked for four coaches :mad:

Who is in charge putting these trains together? Whats the criteria?

Obviously Irish Rail seems to think a 4 car set is enough for commuters from Drogheda into town in the mornings. Or they just don't care (only after you complained long enough).

There is a 8 car set leaving Connolly at around 7.30am towards Maynooth. Its nearly empty all the time. Sure it will get more crowded later but I doubt there is that many people leaving town (in case I am wrong, please let me know). If IR is short of carriages they should at least try to make a fair use of them instead of pulling the joke on certain services all the time.

I have to agree with you. I boarded the train at Connolly for Gorey(07.26) and that train was just crazy with the amount of people. I had to wait to Pearse Station which was ok but people coming from Drogheda and stations in between they must feel this everyday. The 13.05 Connolly Rosslare service is a 4 car 29000 set which then operates 17.40 Rosslare Drogheda maybe this train will be the 06.30 Drogheda Rosslare the next morning. Personally I so much prefer the 29000 sets for the Rosslare/Gorey line the 2800's are uncomfortable the 29's have much better seating and engine performance than the 28's mixed in with 2600's.