Quote:
Originally Posted by James Howard
You're still not comparing like with like. Pearse puts another 10 minutes on Longford services exactly the same as for Dundalk. The morning service is over two hours from Edgeworthstown to Pearse, the evening one is as long as it requires a change at Connolly. And if you're comparing Edgeworthstown, you should be comparing Drogheda. The extra 20 minutes at Connolly isn't really a choice. If you don't wait, you will definitely spend about 40 minutes standing and you stand a good chance of spending over an hour standing. Try doing that 5 times a week.
My point is that they should not be using these trains on 2 hour runs (Some of the Longford trains come from Bray so end-to-end you are not far off three hours actually). When Irish Rail put in the second 22K order they actually stated the reason for the order was that they would use the 22K from any runs longer than 1 hour so at the time they acknowledged themselves that the 29K didn't offer sufficient passenger comfort for this duration of a run.
Maybe it is something in the air on Longford, because this issue has massively pissed off any of the commuters I've talked to. If everyone on the Dundalk route is so happy with the service, that's their own business, but I know a couple of people on that line (around Drogheda and Rush) who have switched to buses as they are cheaper, more comfortable and faster.
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James - I'm trying to make a point that there are and have been people on the Northern Line who have had to make journeys of a similar length in time perspective on 29k sets, yet I don't hear the same level of complaint as from you.
If I was to compare a journey on the Northern Line that is similar to Connolly/Edgeworthstown in terms of journey time, then Pearse/Dundalk is fairly close - they are both about 1 hour 35 or so. Whether you sit on it for an extra 20 minutes is your choice. People have to stand often for 35/40 minutes on the Northern line so I am comparing like with like.
I'm making the point that your objection to the 29k is down to a personal dislike for that trip rather than one that is generally prevailing - otherwise people on the Northern line would have been up in arms about them.
For the record - I do accept that they shouldn't be going any further than Longford.
As for the 22k sets on the Northern line - you know full well that they are maintained overnight in Drogheda and hence have to be on the Northern line first thing.
I appreciate what you're saying about what the sets were bought for, but we're now in completely different circumstances, exacerbated now by politicians cutting the subsidy yet expecting service levels to be magically maintained. The company is faced with trying to maintain services yet having to cut fleet size back. It's far from ideal, but what would you rather see - services cancelled?
I would be far more concerned that:
1) Services be maintained - i.e. that they continue to operate
2) Capacity be such that no one is standing beyond the short hop zone boundary