[18/02/2014] Bus transfers - Longford to Carrick-on-Shannon & Limerick to Ennis

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishrail.ie/Line%20Closu...0to%20Flooding

Line Closures: Limerick/Ennis and Longford/Carrick-on-Shannon (bus transfers).
18 February 2014

Bus transfers in operation. CANCELLED: 16.00hrs Connolly to Sligo Service, Tuesday 18th February.
Update: 15.45hrs

Due to extreme weather conditions and flooding on the lines, the following services alterations are currently in place:

* Sligo Services. Bus Transfers are operating between Longford and Carrick -on-Shannon until further notice. Delays up to 30 minutes can be expected to services.

CANCELLED: 16.00hrs Connolly to Sligo service is cancelled today, Tuesday 18th February. Customers will be accommodated on the 17.05hrs Connolly to Sligo.

It is expected that bus transfers will continue to operate tomorrow, Wednesday 19th February.

* Limerick to Ennis: Bus Transfers remain between Limerick and Ennis due to flooding. See details Limerick and Ennis Flooding

* All other services are operating.

This website will be updated as will our Twitter account as further information is made available.

Iarnród Éireann apologises for any incovenience caused.

[James Howard]

They need to stop apologising and do something about it. I didn't travel today but a colleague who commutes from Mullingar gave up. According to twitter, the 0545 was 50 minutes late at Mullingar due to the train not being ready at Longford this morning.

Are they running one bus that stops at all stations or is there a bus from each station? This happen three or four years ago and there was no messing about with bus transfers all the way from Sligo plus they moved all the trains 15 minutes earlier.

This basically isn't good enough for people who depend on the service for their livelihood. Tomorrow I am facing having to leave the house at 5:30AM and not getting home until 9PM.

[grainne whale]

Originally Posted by James Howard

They need to stop apologising and do something about it. I didn't travel today but a colleague who commutes from Mullingar gave up. According to twitter, the 0545 was 50 minutes late at Mullingar due to the train not being ready at Longford this morning.

Are they running one bus that stops at all stations or is there a bus from each station? This happen three or four years ago and there was no messing about with bus transfers all the way from Sligo plus they moved all the trains 15 minutes earlier.

This basically isn't good enough for people who depend on the service for their livelihood. Tomorrow I am facing having to leave the house at 5:30AM and not getting home until 9PM.

This is ridiculous, I think that they (IR) seem to forget that we are their customers, that we have to be at work on time and come home on time as well. They seem to think that they run the service for themselves and we can catch the train if we like or not. We have the same problem on the Kildare/ Portlaoise Route, although the service is a bit more frequent. They are obsessed with stastics - Punctuality/Reliability, actually providing a service for the commuting passenger does not come into the equation.

[James Howard]

I'll probably get the Irish Rail apologists suggesting that I am being unreasonable in thinking that is unacceptable to have the morning train that allows for a 9AM start half an hour late for a whole week.

Sure if I have a problem I can get a different train or move to Dublin. Who needs to see their kids anyway?

[James Howard]

Bus Transfers between Longford and Carrick-on-Shannon. CANCELLED: 16.00hrs Connolly to Sligo Service, Wednesday 19th to Friday 21st February.

Update: 14.45hrs

Due to extreme weather conditions and flooding on the line between Dromod and Carrick-Shannon, the following services alterations are currently in place and are expected to remain in place until at least Monday 24th February:

Sligo Services. Bus Transfers are operating between Longford and Carrick -on-Shannon until further notice. Delays up to 30 minutes can be expected to services.
CANCELLED: 16.00hrs Connolly to Sligo service is cancelled Wednesday 19th to Friday 21st February. Customers will be accommodated on the 17.05hrs Connolly to Sligo.

05.45hrs Sligo to Connolly service will operate as a bus transfer to Longford and by train onwards to Connolly on Thursday 20th and Friday 21st February.

Engineers are monitoring the situation daily and this website will be updated as will our Twitter account as further information is made available.

Iarnród Éireann apologises for any incovenience caused.

No end in sight then. They have just announced it is in place until Monday at the earliest.

[Inniskeen]

Originally Posted by James Howard

I'll probably get the Irish Rail apologists suggesting that I am being unreasonable in thinking that is unacceptable to have the morning train that allows for a 9AM start half an hour late for a whole week.

Sure if I have a problem I can get a different train or move to Dublin. Who needs to see their kids anyway?

I am guessing that the train is driven by a Sligo driver who probably travels on the substitute bus and then digs the train out of the yard ?

Apart from running two services (one from Sligo, one from Longford), the only practical option appears to be to advance the buses to depart from Sligo earlier than the advertised train time. Such an arrangement would probably inconvenience fewer people than the current mess.

[James Howard]

In a normal company, you'd give the driver 50 quid to drive his car to Longford and start the train in time for everyone to arrive. Doing the bus transfer to Edgeworthstown would also shave 5 or 10 minutes off the time as it is 30 seconds off the main road as opposed to Longford which is 5 minutes.