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Unread 18-05-2008, 22:56   #7
Colm Moore
Local Liaison Officer
 
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,442
Default Return trip

Quote:
Originally Posted by tralph View Post
The doors open based on pressure mats on either side. Generally if someone leaves luggage there, as they usually do, they will stick open.
No luggage. I suspect they were out of order and / or turned off.
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It doesn't really matter if ice is left out.
It was a bag of open ice, strictly speaking it should be kept cold and definitely shouldn't be in an area where people are washing their hands.
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While the announcements make reference to hot and cold snacks, I am not aware of them serving any hot ones.
There are paninis and the like on the menu.
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Unfortunately mental arithmetic is nowhere near like what it used to be, and I don't think there are very many of the minwaged catering staff who can add the price of a sandwich and a can of coke together, sadly. My chemistry teacher in leaving cert did logs in his head. I wish I was that good.
The Revenue really prefer people to use cash registers.
Quote:
The ticket checkers have never worn name badges for as long as I've been travelling by train.
Strictly speaking they are meant to be displaying ID when asking for tickets.

So I did Cork-Heuston today. Arrival by car at the station was good, with the security guard in the car park encouraging people to use the whole set-down area and not to queue. The set down and taxi area has been revised and the taxi area now has a shelter. Its not perfect, but it seems to flow much better than previously.

As I had a couple of bags, I grabbed a trolley and inserted my one euro coin - a little stiff, but it worked. They also take 50c coins and I suspect people who put in a euro are at risk of being ripped off. There was no designated point on the platform for trolleys so it was a matter of working with two other trolleys (one didn't have the device for returning your money) to get my euro back.

The train was reasonably busy with maybe a 50% loading at Cork and that increased on its way north. Departure was reasonably prompt although the clock on the platform seemed to be running about 2 minutes ahead.

Train host was Nichola who came on and made a good welcoming announcement. She then walked the train, I even got a smile and then she wasn't seen for the rest of the journey, possibly hiding in City Gold. Unfortunately she did make one announcement over a recorded announcement (I think it was the snack car one). Another announcement later was indecipherable. Some of the "this train is the ......... please stand clear of the doors" announcements didn't work and merely came across as low static on the speakers.

The was no trolley service (neither was there one during the week)

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