Cork-Kerry services

[comcor]

While waiting for the 06:30 Cork-Dublin this morning, I was able to view the goings on with the 06:20 Cork-Tralee.

A massive three passengers boarded.

Now, perhaps it's as much of a repositioning train as anything else, but that's a pretty shocking figure.

Then when I got to Mallow on the Cork train, I started of getting an inkling of why. The Tralee train was still there. When the Dublin train left, the Tralee train was still there. In fact, on checking the timetable, it seems that the Tralee train stops in Mallow for a whole 17 minutes - a bafflingly long time considering it's not facilitating a connection. It would actually be perfectly possible to catch the 06:30 Dublin train and connect onto the Tralee train. The online timetable even presents this as the possibility instead of showing the direct train.

Given that 40+ passengers leave Cork by bus for Kerry every hour and that some of the fastest trains beat the bus by 10 minutes, I can't help but feel that Irish Rail are missing a trick here if they could actually get the timetable together.

[Colm Moore]

Its slightly more complicated than that as the Tralee-bound train needs to pass the Mallow/Cork-bound train at a passing loop (Millstreet only?)

In the early morning, most of the traffic is in the opposite direction - to Cork and Dublin.

[sean]

3 pax isn't really shocking - a similar pattern occurs out of Dublin, i.e. leaving the city in the early morning (toward a regional/commuter destination) the train will be rather quiet.

It was most likely a train that was running from Cork railyards to Kerry for the purposes of facilitating a early-mid morning train from Tralee to Cork, and I.E. lets it go as a passenger train for the convenience of the few might use it.

IIRC in the very old days, Platform 11 had a "end the ghost trains" campaign, to turn non-revenue workings into 'serve the few passengers who could use it' passenger workings.

[Mark Gleeson]

All empty movements should be made available to passengers.

Note the Portlaoise Heuston services this year

[comcor]

I might need some education on this, but wouldn't a passenger service require a guard (and possibly other staff?). Surely, it would only make sense to open a service to passengers if there was enough revenue to pay the guards wages.

Regarding the service on Monday morning, it might get a few more patrons if it actually appeared in the online timetable (it is on the printed ones). While it is faster to take the 06:30 to Dublin and change, some people may be put off by the change.

Also, if it only needs to leave Mallow at 07:00, why not schedule it out at 06:35 and bring down the journey time?

[plant43]

Originally Posted by comcor

I might need some education on this, but wouldn't a passenger service require a guard (and possibly other staff?). Surely, it would only make sense to open a service to passengers if there was enough revenue to pay the guards wages.

Regarding the service on Monday morning, it might get a few more patrons if it actually appeared in the online timetable (it is on the printed ones). While it is faster to take the 06:30 to Dublin and change, some people may be put off by the change.

Also, if it only needs to leave Mallow at 07:00, why not schedule it out at 06:35 and bring down the journey time?

A passenger service only requires a driver.

[Colm Moore]

Originally Posted by comcor

I might need some education on this, but wouldn't a passenger service require a guard (and possibly other staff?). Surely, it would only make sense to open a service to passengers if there was enough revenue to pay the guards wages.

Tickets could be checked by the platform staff in Cork, who will be there anyway.

Not having to change train gives the ability to snooze - assuming the destination is Tralee.