Every public meeting I've been at concerning rail services without fail has the question when are you (IE) getting rid of the horrible coaches on the xx:xx service. On a safety, accessibility and reliability fronts they score very low
I'm not convinced of the leg room argument. Anyway you can try both on the Ballina railcar, classic spring seats in one coach and the new style single piece in the other
Once you have a railcar you can do all kinds of fun things, you could continue to Westport and Castlebar. Either way its a lot cheaper than leaving a 2475 hp diesel engine and a generating van lying around
A working PA is an essential tool on a modern train, OK its hard miss Foxford but still it is important to know where you are, not everyone travels everyday you can't assume people know the score. The automated PA and display systems are required under the adopted UK RVAR rules that IE and many other European operators have adopted. They are here to stay
The statistics behind improving accessibility are quite shocking, 25% of all passengers have an mobility impairment of some kind, its not just people in wheelchairs its people with luggage parents with children old people. Cravens coaches are an assault course, just getting the door open is enough of a challenge for most, the door is extremely narrow, then the interior partition doors are spring loaded, the armrests don't lift up, there are no grab rails or handles
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