[article] Train seat reservations system 'a total disaster'

[Mark Gleeson]

Well we know seat reservations are just not working


Page 7 Sunday Times
© 2007 Sunday Times

[2Funki4Wheelz]

Kenny let away with murder and the last word there

the carriages where reservations apply are clearly marked

and another waffle about the shiny new digital age of the Cork train.

'clearly marked' apparently means the purple stickers above the windows that are non-specific to individual seat reservations and are up on all trains, all the time.

The digital displays don't always work on the Cork trains - and trying to pin this on a some period three months ago is dismissive. Also, this service is still the only with hosts, try finding someone to complain to on most other services!

There is no common system in place - from my experience I've seen unmarked seats, seats with a (red & white) window sticker booking a four block of seats, tickets with 'Reserved' printed on them jammed under the head rest and scrappy bits of paper stuck to headrests.

The article should quote the fact refunds apply if people end up standing in corridors, it's lazy by the journo but it really is Kenny's responsibility to inform about the refunds.

[Mark Gleeson]

The article should quote the fact refunds apply if people end up standing in co

Fairly sure I mentioned that to the Sunday Times

Fact is Barry Kenny is just using the usual 'We are investing.....' line, fact is this is just the latest manifestation of the lack of a customer service culture in Irish Rail, we have had the dirty train, trains with no toliets, no catering etc and thats just the new Cork train (edit I wrote that last night to use but didn't get a chance)

And yes I have the name of the train host who told me to go elsewhere for my seat

My last serious seat res issue happened in Waterford in April in full view of the CEO, I ended up several coaches down the train, there have been others since but no confrontations

[MrX]

Mark, well done on Newstalk very professional!

I would just like to point out that the 'These seats are reserved" signs have been replaced with "Book Your Online at www.irishrail.ie" which means absolutely nothing. It's simply an ad for Irish rail's website.

Why would a passenger sitting there feel obliged to move / not sit in the seat when Irish Rail have made no effort to advise passengers of which seats are reserved.

It's yet another case of expecting passengers to be psychic.

[2Funki4Wheelz]

And what's this 'teething problems' anyway Mr. Kenny refers to? Teething problems indicates new techonology/new procedures - there's nothing new about reserving a seat!

[MrX]

Also, how can you be having teething problems for over a year?!

[Oisin88]

Originally Posted by 2Funki4Wheelz

And what's this 'teething problems' anyway Mr. Kenny refers to? Teething problems indicates new techonology/new procedures - there's nothing new about reserving a seat!

Teething problems usually involve "human resources" in the public service.

[Mark Gleeson]

Well the complex bit of the reservations seems to work fine, you can pick the exact seat you want and so on

Its the simple bit where it goes wrong, ok you can understand the electronic displays being troublesome but you can't explain away why the manual cards are not used on the older trains

[Oisin88]

nice to know today that they don't turn on the seat reservations on the Dublin-Cork train, if it's "not too busy." Threw the wrong person out of my seat this morning and then had to run away (it was my seat for the way back)

Also, they haven't bothered to fix the problem on the website which means that when you try to book a seat facing forward in the train, you get one facing backwards.

[Thomas Ralph]

For that one you just have to know which direction the site sets up the train as. As far as I remember the left side points towards Dublin.

[Mark Gleeson]

With the exception of the Cork train when traveling in coach C there is a reasonable possibility the coach will be backwards happened to me once

[Oisin88]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

With the exception of the Cork train when traveling in coach C there is a reasonable possibility the coach will be backwards happened to me once

Seat 1 was near coach D and Seat 68 at the Coach B end! When I booked last week it was the only seat taken.