Rail Users Ireland Forum - View Single Post - A damning indictment of Irish Rail's Intercity service.

MrX · 02-12-2007, 12:00

Mark,

That's actually not the normal situation on the CDE.

The luggage van is open to the rest of the train, the doors are rarely closed and you can see into it / walk into it without any problems.

Perhaps the doors *should* be closed, but it's never been the case.

I've also been on trains where the glass doors failed / we bypassed at the head of 1st class and the luggage van doors were wide open. This resulted in a stench of rubbish wafting through the unnecessarily drafty coach.

The problem is the on-board cleaners walk in and out of that area and don't keep the doors shut.

Also, it's questionable as to whether on-board cleaners should be hanging around in that area if there are indeed loose heavy objects.

I would also think it would be prudent practice to lock down / belt down heavy items in there.

You can get large items being carried in fast track service and also I've seen items of heavy railway equipment i.e. parts for trains en route to Cork in there. These large metal objects could potentially fly around if the train crashed / derailed.

If stowed in the middle of the coach, they could potentially shoot through the doors and into the first class area. Those glass doors wouldn't stop anything.

However, I would be more worried about the poor unfortunate cleaner who might be 'hanging out' in there. He/she could quite easily be pommelled by heavy objects. I think the HSA/RSA needs to take a look at how they're handling this issue.

Also, while it has improved, the train hosts need to ensure that people don't stow heavy items overhead. I've seen crazy things put on overhead racks in many trains. It's really up to staff to take those items and put them into a luggage rack, or into the luggage van if there's no space available.

I don't fully agree with the boards.ie poster, but I do think the management of the luggage van is very sloppy.

02-12-2007, 12:00	#8
MrX Really Regular Poster Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 585	Luggage van Mark, That's actually not the normal situation on the CDE. The luggage van is open to the rest of the train, the doors are rarely closed and you can see into it / walk into it without any problems. Perhaps the doors should be closed, but it's never been the case. I've also been on trains where the glass doors failed / we bypassed at the head of 1st class and the luggage van doors were wide open. This resulted in a stench of rubbish wafting through the unnecessarily drafty coach. The problem is the on-board cleaners walk in and out of that area and don't keep the doors shut. Also, it's questionable as to whether on-board cleaners should be hanging around in that area if there are indeed loose heavy objects. I would also think it would be prudent practice to lock down / belt down heavy items in there. You can get large items being carried in fast track service and also I've seen items of heavy railway equipment i.e. parts for trains en route to Cork in there. These large metal objects could potentially fly around if the train crashed / derailed. If stowed in the middle of the coach, they could potentially shoot through the doors and into the first class area. Those glass doors wouldn't stop anything. However, I would be more worried about the poor unfortunate cleaner who might be 'hanging out' in there. He/she could quite easily be pommelled by heavy objects. I think the HSA/RSA needs to take a look at how they're handling this issue. Also, while it has improved, the train hosts need to ensure that people don't stow heavy items overhead. I've seen crazy things put on overhead racks in many trains. It's really up to staff to take those items and put them into a luggage rack, or into the luggage van if there's no space available. I don't fully agree with the boards.ie poster, but I do think the management of the luggage van is very sloppy.