Rail Users Ireland Forum - View Single Post - Midleton Line Opening

comcor · 24-08-2009, 08:52

I finally got to use the service on Saturday.

Kent Station was insanely packed because of people trying to get to Dublin for the All-Ireland football semi. But as those kind of things are a one-off, it can probably be forgiven.

Some observations

Still no non-Cork stations on the TVM in Midleton (i.e. You can't walk up to the machine and buy a through ticket to Dublin, Killarney etc.)
Almost no cars in the car park in Midleton, but loads parked in the surrounding housing estates (this will gradually become an issue)
While restored, the station building in Midleton seems to be being used for nothing. Surely there was an opportunity to get a retail unit in there.
Almost nobody using the service in Carrigtwohill (on the way, one person got off, none got on; on the way back, one got on, none got off).
A surprising number of people were making journeys from Glounethaune/Little Island to Midleton and back.
Are there any TVMs in Little Island and Carrigtwohill? As you can't buy a ticket on board or at the station and there are no barriers, the service may as well be free.
Overall there was about 40-50 on both trains. Not bad as it was a Saturday and the trains I used were against the general flow of passengers.

For the record, the trains I used were the 11:15am Cork-Midleton and the 2:45pm Midleton-Cork.

As an aside, when upgrades are done to the TVMs, is it possible to push the software on remotely or does someone need to go to the machine and do it? Obviously, they must be connected to the internet or some EDI system if they can handle card payments, so the connectivity is there.

24-08-2009, 08:52	#60
comcor Really Regular Poster Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Cork-Dublin, Cork Commuter and occasionally DART and Dublin-Wexford Posts: 855	I finally got to use the service on Saturday. Kent Station was insanely packed because of people trying to get to Dublin for the All-Ireland football semi. But as those kind of things are a one-off, it can probably be forgiven. Some observations Still no non-Cork stations on the TVM in Midleton (i.e. You can't walk up to the machine and buy a through ticket to Dublin, Killarney etc.) Almost no cars in the car park in Midleton, but loads parked in the surrounding housing estates (this will gradually become an issue) While restored, the station building in Midleton seems to be being used for nothing. Surely there was an opportunity to get a retail unit in there. Almost nobody using the service in Carrigtwohill (on the way, one person got off, none got on; on the way back, one got on, none got off). A surprising number of people were making journeys from Glounethaune/Little Island to Midleton and back. Are there any TVMs in Little Island and Carrigtwohill? As you can't buy a ticket on board or at the station and there are no barriers, the service may as well be free. Overall there was about 40-50 on both trains. Not bad as it was a Saturday and the trains I used were against the general flow of passengers. For the record, the trains I used were the 11:15am Cork-Midleton and the 2:45pm Midleton-Cork. As an aside, when upgrades are done to the TVMs, is it possible to push the software on remotely or does someone need to go to the machine and do it? Obviously, they must be connected to the internet or some EDI system if they can handle card payments, so the connectivity is there.