Whatever the reasons for it, that is a really nasty screw-up to have to face as a passenger. Irish Rail always seem to treat passenger information as an optional extra - sure everyone knows where they are going.
I first came across those electronic light-up maps in Tokyo over 20 years ago and they were fitted to pretty old trains. Needless to say they worked flawlessly. I found it far easier to get around Tokyo than I did to get around Dublin despite not having a shared common language with any railway staff and not even being able to read their native character set. But their electronic passenger information worked every time where fitted and every driver announced every stop every time on a PA that worked consistently, clearly and loudly and said nothing else.
This is nothing to do with scale or investment - it's purely due to staff that give a damn. In Irish Rail, giving a damn is optional - most people do but enough don't to make for an inconsistent experience.
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