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Unread 13-12-2008, 00:07   #20
Mark Gleeson
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Coach C, Seat 33
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The issue of regular later services and the miss match to modern lifestyles is comprehensively addressed in the policy presentation available in the members area but thats not the topic of this thread.

Extra trains are now run as routine to Cork, Limerick and Galway for big concerts, no other way home bar the train, those trains are full, they make a profit. If any train is full it makes a profit. There has been a significant increase in these in recent years and indeed Irish Rail permit people to book at the reduced web fares to further encourage passengers, they are most certainly playing ball to make this work.

In the past due to a combination of poor advertising and late running concerts there have been special services with less than 50 people on board. Like I posted earlier a poster at a station isn't really going to work, if you only use the train once or twice a year, you won't see it

The first responsibility of Irish Rail is to operate the published timetable, it is utterly unacceptable to sacrifice or delay timetabled services to cover for concerts, equally it unacceptable for the daily passenger to subsidise an extra service if its loss making.

I've spoken directly to the people who actually make these decisions and they appear genuinely focused on providing extra services where possible. However the cooperation of the concert promoters is essential on several fronts. I do know Irish Rail are they party applying the pressure they want to carry more people remember the profit off extra trains is increasingly important to keep the daily service on the road.

Many will recall the rip off charter run by a concert promoter a few years back, compared that to Irish Rail offering discounted fares and students fares, the finger of blame is starting to point at someone other than Irish Rail.

Some thoughts on how to sort this out

The concert promoters need to email the transport arrangements to the ticket buyers in advance, thats a trivial matter
Knowing where the concert goers are coming from could help, with GAA it's obvious. Gives an idea of the numbers allowing better planning
Finishing at an agreed time, there are issues with working hours and so on, its illegal for train drivers to exceed certain working hour limits (and that is a legitimate problem for ad hoc specials), trains have to be in place for the morning and so on, need for maintenance and inspections overnight. Holding the train costs a heap of cash and it might not be possible

The real question is the social obligation of the venue and promoter in getting their patrons home, the ball is very much in their court to make things work better. Planning conditions would really sort this mess out by putting a legal onus on the venue and promoter to get the house in order.

Given Connolly is staffed 24 hours and there are empty trains there already, and getting trains and staffing Docklands is awkward to serve only one route its unlikely it will open
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