17:05 Dublin - Sligo 04.10.13 - Page 2

joey · 06-10-2013, 10:21

Longford evening service needs to be reinstated

Maynooth isn't an intercity station and the Sligo train will stop there, it's a case of reserved seats being enforced correctly the points outlined above.

Longford 29k used in 9 out of 10 services. So I regarded this as a commuter station as is Drogheda and Dundalk.

berneyarms · 06-10-2013, 10:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by joey

Longford evening service needs to be reinstated

Maynooth isn't an intercity station and the Sligo train will stop there, it's a case of reserved seats being enforced correctly the points outlined above.

Longford 29k used in 9 out of 10 services. So I regarded this as a commuter station as is Drogheda and Dundalk.

What are you talking about?

What Longford evening service needs to be reinstated?

But, Maynooth IS an Intercity station for people travelling from there to points west.

As for Longford, looking at the total number of services each day, you have:
7 Intercity services to/from Sligo
2 Commuter services

Out of those 9 trains, one is 29k operated.

I think that sort of shoots your "commuter" theory out the window.

Inniskeen · 06-10-2013, 12:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by joey

Longford evening service needs to be reinstated

Maynooth isn't an intercity station and the Sligo train will stop there, it's a case of reserved seats being enforced correctly the points outlined above.

Longford 29k used in 9 out of 10 services. So I regarded this as a commuter station as is Drogheda and Dundalk.

Arguably ever station on the system is a "commuter" station to a greater or lesser extent - indeed Irish Rail is largely a commuter railway with most of the rest of the traffic made up of social welfare pass holders and students.

As regards what stations are intercity, the generally accepted definition is that those stations within the Dublin short-hop ticket zone are "Dublin Suburban" with the rest of Irish Rail's stations being in the "Intercity" category with the exception of Cobh and Midleton line stations.

Most, if not all, of the suburban stations handle traffic which is primarily short-haul and destined to locations within the suburban zone.

While stations like Dundalk and Drogheda (but not Longford, I suspect) may well be primarily patronised by commuters, the fares are Intercity even if many of the services are way below the standard enjoyed by other "Intercity" stations. In addition at Drogheda and Dundalk, despite substantial commuter business, the majority of traffic is cross-border, i.e. passing through to Newry or beyond.

ThomasJ · 06-10-2013, 15:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inniskeen

There should be sufficient accommodation on other services to accommodate displaced patrons.

There wouldn't be.

The 17:15 is one of the busiest trains on the evening rush hour and alot of passengers from the intermediate stations between connolly and maynooth take this train. The gap between this train and the 16:40 in the pm rush hour is a major reason for this being so busy, pushing them back to the 17:28 would be a disastrous move to make given the 17:28 is a 4-coach and often packed in the eve

James Howard · 06-10-2013, 18:46

As a Edgeworthstown commuter, I tend to try to avoid this service given that it is always extremely busy - it is the by far the busiest service of the week but it is a nightmare for the first college term. But if I do fancy leaving early on a Friday, I make sure that I am at Connolly by 4:40 at the latest if I am fussed about getting a seat. This is kind of the norm on the Sligo line and people who use the service regularly know that this is how it works.

It is also well worth avoiding the 5:05 for the months of October and November because it is a complete nightmare getting the car out of station because of all the mammys picking up little Johnny and his washing who have to park right opposite the platform exit blocking the car park gate in Edgeworthstown.

I fail to see that just because I travel to Dublin 4 or 5 times a week (and contribute the sum of €3,490 per annum to Irish Rail), I should somehow be treated as a second-class citizen when it comes to getting the seat I paid for and turned up for in plenty of time.

The problems with Irish Rail's booking system are well documented by now and I think that they need to be forced to change the booking rules such that if the names are not displayed 20 minutes before boarding, then you should be entitled to a refund of the booking fee. It is unfair to a passenger who has booked a seat an then has to stand. However, it is equally unfair to a passenger who has turned up in plenty of time to get a seat and then has to stand because they have sat in a booked seat with nothing to indicate that is booked. The booking fee should also be refundable if you find somebody sitting in your seat and decide to sit elsewhere to avoid a confrontation.

Knowing the way a significant part of the Irish public behave in dispute situations, it is only a matter of time before somebody ends up getting themselves stabbed over confronting some drunken idiot who has sat in their booked seat.

Jamie2k9 · 06-10-2013, 20:17

Cleary some issues this evening on the route, 2 comments on IE twitter feed says 100-150 people standing. If those are anyway near correct they will have to put a relief service on until fleet changes happen. Journey planner suggests all Sligo services are only 3 coaches on Sundays besides the 29 services.

It's good to see services very busy but if they want to keep it that way swift action will have to be taken.

Colm Moore · 06-10-2013, 20:36

With Irish Rail, while yes there are fare differences, it tends to be services / vehicles that are designated intercity or not, not the stations.

Quote:

Originally Posted by berneyarms

The problem with that is that there would presumably be students travelling west from Maynooth unnecessarily inconvenienced, and what about someone who wishes to travel from Mullingar west?

Potentially one has an arrangement where one can board westbound at Maynooth, but not alight westbound - boarding eastbound would be less of a problem as the intercity passengers would have a seat before any new boarders.

berneyarms · 07-10-2013, 08:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamie2k9

Cleary some issues this evening on the route, 2 comments on IE twitter feed says 100-150 people standing. If those are anyway near correct they will have to put a relief service on until fleet changes happen. Journey planner suggests all Sligo services are only 3 coaches on Sundays besides the 29 services.

It's good to see services very busy but if they want to keep it that way swift action will have to be taken.

The trains from Sligo on Sundays are not all 3pce - far from it. In fact none of them are.

From Sligo:
09:00 - Full 6pce
11:00 - Full 6pce
13:00 - 4pce 29k
15:00 - Full 6pce
16:30 - 2 x 3pce
18:00 - 2 x 3pce

Jamie2k9 · 07-10-2013, 12:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by berneyarms

The trains from Sligo on Sundays are not all 3pce - far from it. In fact none of them are.

From Sligo:
09:00 - Full 6pce
11:00 - Full 6pce
13:00 - 4pce 29k
15:00 - Full 6pce
16:30 - 2 x 3pce
18:00 - 2 x 3pce

That's a strange one as every other intercity route train size can be identified with the journey planner except Sligo on Sundays.

joey · 07-10-2013, 15:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by berneyarms

The trains from Sligo on Sundays are not all 3pce - far from it. In fact none of them are.

From Sligo:
09:00 - Full 6pce
11:00 - Full 6pce
13:00 - 4pce 29k
15:00 - Full 6pce
16:30 - 2 x 3pce
18:00 - 2 x 3pce

Ah, your wrong there, the 1300 is an 8 car set of 29K on a Sunday.
Strangely the 1800 on a Friday is a 4 car set of 29K

The mind boggles

berneyarms · 07-10-2013, 15:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by joey

Ah, your wrong there, the 1300 is an 8 car set of 29K on a Sunday.
Strangely the 1800 on a Friday is a 4 car set of 29K

The mind boggles

Sorry - yes the 1300 is an 8pce. A 4pce would be too short.

Why would you expect the Friday train to be an 8pce - a 4pce should carry the load.

joey · 07-10-2013, 18:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by berneyarms

Sorry - yes the 1300 is an 8pce. A 4pce would be too short.

Why would you expect the Friday train to be an 8pce - a 4pce should carry the load.

last train to dublin, folks going home, or away for weekend.. granted they might travel earlier but a 4 car 29K is inadequate.

berneyarms · 07-10-2013, 20:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by joey

last train to dublin, folks going home, or away for weekend.. granted they might travel earlier but a 4 car 29K is inadequate.

You have to be joking me.

The main flow is in the opposite direction - if you are seriously trying to suggest that there is insufficient space on a 4 car 29k for that trip, then you are taking the p**s.

Have you any actual evidence that it is insufficient, other than another opinion, such as your "belief" that Longford is a commuter station, that it is?

JohnnyBoy · 23-10-2013, 12:40

Curious why the OP didn't notify someone in any of the stations that they passed through. There's always somebody on the platform. He could have easily gotten their attention.
There again, the OP seems to think that Longford commuters should have to pay more to use the service blissfully oblivious to the fact that he is already being subsidised (I am making an assumption that the OP is a student) by them and also overlooking the fact that without Longford and Mullingar patrons, there would likely be a single train up and down in the morning and a single train up and down in the evening with nothing in between.

06-10-2013, 20:17	#26
Jamie2k9 Really Really Regluar Poster Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 2,146	Cleary some issues this evening on the route, 2 comments on IE twitter feed says 100-150 people standing. If those are anyway near correct they will have to put a relief service on until fleet changes happen. Journey planner suggests all Sligo services are only 3 coaches on Sundays besides the 29 services. It's good to see services very busy but if they want to keep it that way swift action will have to be taken. Last edited by Jamie2k9 : 06-10-2013 at 20:23.

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06-10-2013, 10:21	#21
joey Regular Poster Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Coach A Posts: 188	Longford evening service needs to be reinstated Maynooth isn't an intercity station and the Sligo train will stop there, it's a case of reserved seats being enforced correctly the points outlined above. Longford 29k used in 9 out of 10 services. So I regarded this as a commuter station as is Drogheda and Dundalk.

06-10-2013, 18:46	#25
James Howard Really Really Regluar Poster Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Sligo Line Posts: 1,115	As a Edgeworthstown commuter, I tend to try to avoid this service given that it is always extremely busy - it is the by far the busiest service of the week but it is a nightmare for the first college term. But if I do fancy leaving early on a Friday, I make sure that I am at Connolly by 4:40 at the latest if I am fussed about getting a seat. This is kind of the norm on the Sligo line and people who use the service regularly know that this is how it works. It is also well worth avoiding the 5:05 for the months of October and November because it is a complete nightmare getting the car out of station because of all the mammys picking up little Johnny and his washing who have to park right opposite the platform exit blocking the car park gate in Edgeworthstown. I fail to see that just because I travel to Dublin 4 or 5 times a week (and contribute the sum of €3,490 per annum to Irish Rail), I should somehow be treated as a second-class citizen when it comes to getting the seat I paid for and turned up for in plenty of time. The problems with Irish Rail's booking system are well documented by now and I think that they need to be forced to change the booking rules such that if the names are not displayed 20 minutes before boarding, then you should be entitled to a refund of the booking fee. It is unfair to a passenger who has booked a seat an then has to stand. However, it is equally unfair to a passenger who has turned up in plenty of time to get a seat and then has to stand because they have sat in a booked seat with nothing to indicate that is booked. The booking fee should also be refundable if you find somebody sitting in your seat and decide to sit elsewhere to avoid a confrontation. Knowing the way a significant part of the Irish public behave in dispute situations, it is only a matter of time before somebody ends up getting themselves stabbed over confronting some drunken idiot who has sat in their booked seat.

23-10-2013, 12:40	#34
JohnnyBoy New to the board Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 27	Curious why the OP didn't notify someone in any of the stations that they passed through. There's always somebody on the platform. He could have easily gotten their attention. There again, the OP seems to think that Longford commuters should have to pay more to use the service blissfully oblivious to the fact that he is already being subsidised (I am making an assumption that the OP is a student) by them and also overlooking the fact that without Longford and Mullingar patrons, there would likely be a single train up and down in the morning and a single train up and down in the evening with nothing in between.