Why no trains after 7?

[Colm Moore]

Originally Posted by Derek Wheeler

4. If all goes according to plan in 2015, you can get off a Mick O'Leary transatlantic flight in Dublin airport at 7pm. Take a Metro to Stephens Green and then a DART to Heuston, only to discover that the last train to Waterford is long gone.

Thats what? A 3am boarding time?

[Colm Donoghue]

Originally Posted by Victor

Thats what? A 3am boarding time?

The flight's shorter from New York (Gander) though..

[Derek Wheeler]

Looks like theres more than one "P. DANT" here.

If (and I repeat if for all the P.DANTs out there) you were to arrive off a New York flight at 7pm in Dublin, your boarding time in New York would've been approx. 6.30am New York time.

As for my original post, replace the transatlantic reference, with "Flight from any fecking place" and get on with it.

Get back on topic or I'll ban you all.

[StephenM]

I dont think they can operate flights against the NAT Tracks, so they have to "go with the flow" as such!

[James Shields]

But 9pm is the latest Intercity train in the country (and 8:45 for the Enterprise). Do you think people in the UK would be impressed if they were told the last train from London to Manchester was at 9pm? I should think that "flagship" routes should run until at least 10pm, preferably 11pm, with second-tier routes running until 9pm.

If that means "basket jobs" in the short term until drivers can be trained, that's what we should have.

I know people from Belfast who travel to Dublin regularly and would love to take the train, but they can't because (a) it can't get them to Dublin in time for a 9am meeting, (b) it can't get them reliably in time for any meeting, and (c) if they want to stay for a drink in the evening they have to leave by about 8:15 (yes I know they can't drink and drive when travelling by car, but that's part of the point).

[paddyb180285]

There is a huge factor (certainly for Gorey/Rosslare, Longford/Sligo and Galway bound commuters) which affects the journey time and hence the desire to travel later than the given time.That is that the majority of these routes run along a single track and not twin track like the DART and Much of the other routes.

However, Gorey/Rosslare bound commuters are worst affected by this.This is because they share the same stretch of track with the DART as far as Bray. As well as that many of these DARTs go as far as Greystones which would get in the way of otherwise more frequent Gorey/Rosslare bound trains.This leads me to beleive that electrification of the DART to Greystones was a bad idea as the priority south of Bray should be getting Wicklow AND Wexford bound commuters home from Dublin.Some DARTs would also get in three minutes ahead of Gorey bound trains following a 20 minute gap especially alocated for these trains thereby holding them up.Also Rosslare Europort being a Europort (high priority) is subject to the worst of frequencies with only three trains each way, each day.I know that there are passing loops along this line in a select few stations which requires good signalling and timing.However,I personaly think it is time to double the track along this route and breath life into Wicklow and Wexford especially when towns like Arklow and Gorey are expanding at quite a fast rate.Therefore, people from these areas(especially Kilcoole being skipped by half of these trains) wouldn't be pressurised to leave Dublin so soon.They could do some shopping,unwind or go for a drink and then head home at around 8, 9 or even 10.

I don't know much about the Longford/Sligo and Galway line personally but I have an idea from these forums of how bad their situation is aswell.I live in Dalkey on the south side of the DART route which forms part of the Dublin-Rosslare line and I can say that I feel very sorry for those who travel to Gorey/Rosslare as I can see how infrequent their trains are.

[Mark Gleeson]

There is a 16:30 Connolly Gorey in the staff timetable (not the public one) but it doesn't run, lack of trains August at the earliest before it runs. There is plenty of capacity beyond Greystones, morning service is not bad, that said its hardly what I'd call busy compared to Drogheda or Maynooth. Rosslare line is the least used in the coutry, Westport and Sligo (both of which are 3 trains a day or where) carry significantly more passengers. Difference is the bus is way faster to Rosslare and always will be. Also been a significant decline in foot passengers on the ferry thanks to Ryanair and no duty free. That said Wexford will have 5 trains to Dublin in the next few years

We have looked at the situation in detail and later trains hinge on
1) extra train mileage, extra cost - avoid
2) having the trains in the right place the following morning - no extra train sets
3) staff to drive - cant stay overnight

For 3 destinations its possible to get 1 and 2 but not 3, two more we can get 2 and 3 but at the cost of extra mileage, the others hit a problem with trains to run them. If we can devise a situation where all 3 are statisfied you win and IE are in a corner, Currently they just refuse on grounds of demand, if you can show that its cheaper to run the service compared to not running it you win.

Any improvement on the Rosslare line hinges directly on having drivers based in Gorey, thats the reality we must accept, of course this not unexpected IE should have taken steps 3 years ago to sort this issue out