Quote:
Originally Posted by dowlingm
Given the usual provision of specials for Six Nations games, we know north of the border rugby people aren't shy of using rail to travel south, but there doesn't appear to be any in-service equipment which can do a continuous trip from Belfast to Limerick (I don't think the DDs were ever cleared into Limerick from the Junction?). In that light an opportunity may have been missed to run a Belfast-Limerick Special for the recent Ulster-Munster game.
Now the rollout of the "block 2" 22000 sets is under way and more 22000s have been sent Connolly-side. Is there any word on when clearance trials on the Dundalk-Belfast track might commence so that 22000s can be deployed on Enterprise replacement trains instead of commuter sets and hopefully snag a bit of Special business too? It seems incredible that has not yet been done given that NIR fitted stock was the first-delivered of the class yet there can be heritage stock and steam engines puffing up and down the Northern Line and into the Howth branch with a 201 sent in to haul it back out.
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Given Irish Rail's entrenched dis-interest in cross-border services, I wouldn't hold my breadth. Still unless they intend mothballing some of the latest batch of 22000s I would expect them to be cleared in the near future as they are already working a few local services to Drogheda and Dundalk.
Another factor which might force their hand is the likeliehood that the NI authorities will ultimately object to the routine substitution of trains not compliant with safety systems in Northern Ireland.