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Unread 23-01-2007, 08:55   #115
Mr T.
New to the board
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Kildare Town
Posts: 14
Default 7:16 from Kildare to Heuston driver error?

This train arrived in Heuston 6 mins BEFORE it's scheduled time today!

Now before we start celebrating, this rare time shift happened because it failed to stop in Sallins/Naas.

There were 2 announcements made telling passengers that the next stop was Sallins - unfortunately both came after we had passed through Sallins. In fact, one came between Clondalkin and Cherry Orchard. Just before we arrived in Heuston there was another announcement apologising saying that the train hadn't stopped in Sallins. But we all knew that already.

I actually became concerned when the train sped through Sallins and then through Hazelhatch (for some reason I thought it might stop there instead - perhaps the driver mixed up the stations) - I had visions of a driver slumped over the controls bringing us all to our doom (yeah - I know there's the dead man's lever/pedal/button but what if it failed...?) so I went looking for a guard/ticket checker and no-one was to be found. I went as far as the guards van and shouted into it but no-one responded. It was quite noisy in there anyways.

I know for a fact that this is not the first time that IE drivers have missed scheduled stops (I was on a train scheduled to stop in Kildare one evening a few years ago and it didn't stop - we all had to get out in Portarlington and wait ages for a train back... but that's a different story) and I assumed (maybe incorrectly) that signals should prevent a driver from missing a stop. If this is a case, this driver ran a red/amber light: which I believe is a serious offence in terms of health and safety.

I'm fed up writing to IE, so if anyone wants to raise this issue, feel free. By the way, the locomotive was emblazoned with the Enterprise logo and was called the River Clare.
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