Quote:
Originally Posted by Sealink
You'll find that there are huge allowances made in timetables in the UK, probably IE are doing the same...
Here's just one example from Virgin Trains...
London Euston DEP: 0805 1005
Milton Keynes ARR: 0836 1036 (Journey time: 31 minutes)
Milton Keynes DEP: 0931 1159 2155
London Euston ARR: 1009 1242 2252 (Journey time: 38 - 57 minutes)
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The 2155 is slightly unfair, as it allows for closure of the fast lines for maintenance / engineering work, with operation on the slower relief lines. The point is valid however. Look also at St Erth - Penzance - a section with little real congestion.
For those who preach privatisation of IE as a final solution, note that while these allowances started in the nationalised era for "Customer Charter" purposes, the same performanace regimes have been adopted and extended since privatisation, and so have the recovery allowances built in to the timetable, at the behest of both the operators and the infrastructure owner.
The reason that the figures are only recorded at journeys end is due to the impracticality on many UK lines of accurately recording and collating the information at each and every stop due to the presence of manual signalling, together with the sheer amonut if data involved, much on secondary routes still recorded manually. This would - in theory - be less of an issue with IE with CTC and stops in loops.
However, privatisation would still involve governement subvention, so "targets" would still be in place, and ways of circumventing them would also occur. That is human nature.
Fianlly, don't forget that journey times out of Heuston are extended to cover the Kildare Route Project works, and given the number of restrictions currently in place, outbound especially at the moment, this time is needed.
LC