Rail Users Ireland Forum - View Single Post - A damning indictment of Irish Rail's Intercity service.

sean · 05-12-2007, 18:01

I've been on a few railways around Europe and the U.S. and I've never seen anything like that.

Most places, including the Sligo line out of Connolly, it's really very simple, you buy your ticked and show up at the platform. If the train is ready, the doors are open, you board, and there's usually well announced with clear station announcements, destination boards that work etc. Simple as that. If it's not ready, the doors are closed and you don't get on. Simple.

As for this valiadation business - again wtf?

This individual didn't know enough about the unusual and second-guessing situation that exists on some long distance services - all he wanted was a simple, relaxing journey to Cork. Nothing more, nothing less.

He apparently came to Heuston not that well informed, found a lack of customer information, an unstaffed gate that was closed (not locked?) and saw that his train was due to leave in 8 minutes.

What's more, he went out of his way to give IE a chance when he could have (and most likely will from now on) get a connecting flight to Cork.

It is reasonable to assume that a train scheduled to leave in 8 minutes is now boarding - unless you're explicitly told otherwise. Using the airport example, when was the last time a plane boarded 2 minutes before it took off? Not too often, I'd say.

IE either needs simplify boarding procedures dramatically, or make it very clear to all users - including those not familiar with it - the exact procedures to be followed.

I can certainly identify with his problem with the ticket inspections on the train and again, this is a major failure by IE. Mark may be quick to defend IEs onboard ticket checks but the way they do it simply isn't best practice. The best practice I've ever seen is on the MTA railroads out of New York City. There, the conductor uses punched slips of card paper on seat headrests to see who's entitled to travel where. If you're at a seat that doesn't have a card, the conductor asks for your ticket and will either punch your ticket (if it's valid for more trips) take it if it's only good for that journey, or sell you a ticket at a serious premium if you don't have one.

Once that's done they punch a small card, slide it into the headrest (which was designed for that purpose) and they don't bother you again unless they have a good reason. It's simple and it works.

Particularly in 1st class where someone pays a serious premium for comfort and convenience, some simple way of tracking passengers without bothering them should not be beyond the realms of possibility.

None of what goes on in IE is defensible because all of it can be done much better.

05-12-2007, 18:01	#34
sean Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Dublin Posts: 707	I've been on a few railways around Europe and the U.S. and I've never seen anything like that. Most places, including the Sligo line out of Connolly, it's really very simple, you buy your ticked and show up at the platform. If the train is ready, the doors are open, you board, and there's usually well announced with clear station announcements, destination boards that work etc. Simple as that. If it's not ready, the doors are closed and you don't get on. Simple. As for this valiadation business - again wtf? This individual didn't know enough about the unusual and second-guessing situation that exists on some long distance services - all he wanted was a simple, relaxing journey to Cork. Nothing more, nothing less. He apparently came to Heuston not that well informed, found a lack of customer information, an unstaffed gate that was closed (not locked?) and saw that his train was due to leave in 8 minutes. What's more, he went out of his way to give IE a chance when he could have (and most likely will from now on) get a connecting flight to Cork. It is reasonable to assume that a train scheduled to leave in 8 minutes is now boarding - unless you're explicitly told otherwise. Using the airport example, when was the last time a plane boarded 2 minutes before it took off? Not too often, I'd say. IE either needs simplify boarding procedures dramatically, or make it very clear to all users - including those not familiar with it - the exact procedures to be followed. I can certainly identify with his problem with the ticket inspections on the train and again, this is a major failure by IE. Mark may be quick to defend IEs onboard ticket checks but the way they do it simply isn't best practice. The best practice I've ever seen is on the MTA railroads out of New York City. There, the conductor uses punched slips of card paper on seat headrests to see who's entitled to travel where. If you're at a seat that doesn't have a card, the conductor asks for your ticket and will either punch your ticket (if it's valid for more trips) take it if it's only good for that journey, or sell you a ticket at a serious premium if you don't have one. Once that's done they punch a small card, slide it into the headrest (which was designed for that purpose) and they don't bother you again unless they have a good reason. It's simple and it works. Particularly in 1st class where someone pays a serious premium for comfort and convenience, some simple way of tracking passengers without bothering them should not be beyond the realms of possibility. None of what goes on in IE is defensible because all of it can be done much better. Last edited by sean : 05-12-2007 at 18:05.