More mis-use of railcar sets

[dowlingm]

Are the paths available to make them truly limited stop though?

[Colm Moore]

The trick is to run a semi-fast in the shadow of a slow and vice versa. So:

1. At XX00 a semi-fast would leave the outer terminus, serve the main stops and arrive at its destination just behind a stopping service

2. At XX05 a stopping service would leave the outer terminus, serving all stops.

3. At XX30 a semi-fast would leave the outer terminus, serve the main stops and arrive at its destination just behind the stopping service at 2 above.

A slight variant of this is the 0756 from Whitehead which serves all stops and arrives in Belfast Central at 0835 while the 0756 from Larne only serves three stops en-route and arrives at 0837.

Another manifestation is northbound on the northern line. The 0600 leaves Greystones (Connolly 0654) and arrives at Pearse at 0649 and Malahide at 0718. The 0630 from Bray arrives at Pearse at 0659. The 0709 leaves Pearse (Connolly 0715, Malahide 0730) and arrives in Drogheda at 0804. Enterprise leaves Connolly at 0735 and arrives Drogheda at 0808. This means that every station from Greystones to Newry, except Gormanston gets 'served' by that Enterprise.

Potentially, a fast service would leave Dundalk, serve Drogheda, Balbriggan, one other stop, Malahide (to feed the DART), possibly Howth Junction and then run express to Clontarf Road / Connolly. A few minutes after this service passes Drogheda, a stopping service would depart Drogheda, stopping at all stops to Malahide (possibly serving Portmarnock / Clongriffin / Howth Junction) and then run express to Clontarf Road / Connolly.