The Cork Dublin Express Train has entered service

[Mark Gleeson]

Everything built post 1995 is retention, that means there is a tank which needs to be emptied, which frequently isn't done or the process of empting delays trains, eg the platform 5 gig in Heuston with the new train

Some genius put the tank level indicator on a Mk4 inside, you can see it yourself on the wall to the left above the computer screen. That means more hassle since a full tank can't be spotted on a external inspection.

[Oisin88]

I took this train this morning from Heuston to Portlaoise.

It was fairly rocky at times, including just going under the bridge at the South Circular Road. When I got out at Portlaoise I was slightly naseous, but then I didn't have any breakfast.

I skipped carriage C so that I wouldn't be sitting on anyone's pre-booked seat. D was relatively full but E had "Reserved for Railtours" on all the seats. Can the railtours people not work the computer booking (or do they just like wasting paper/spreading litter?)

The carriage I was sitting in was F on the outside but it had the big white "Carriage C" stickers all over the inside. It was coach 4102, so could IÉ already be doing a mix n' match?

Carriage E had "V 1.0.2" (or something like that) on one of the outer displays and "Heuston" on the other, despite the fact that all the other carriages had Corcaigh/Cork on them. I have seen carriages sitting in the sidings in Heuston with this message before.

There was also a minor incident where they did a full Jimi Hendrix with the PA (that means that there was a lot of feedback) but the dude later apologised for the "excessive volume."

[Mark Gleeson]

Originally Posted by Oisin88

I took this train this morning from Heuston to Portlaoise.

It was fairly rocky at times, including just going under the bridge at the South Circular Road. When I got out at Portlaoise I was slightly naseous, but then I didn't have any breakfast.

Yes the ride is dodgy in that set lots of swinging around

Originally Posted by Oisin88

The carriage I was sitting in was F on the outside but it had the big white "Carriage C" stickers all over the inside. It was coach 4102, so could IÉ already be doing a mix n' match?

Spotted that before Christmas

Originally Posted by Oisin88

Carriage E had "V 1.0.2" (or something like that) on one of the outer displays and "Heuston" on the other, despite the fact that all the other carriages had Corcaigh/Cork on them. I have seen carriages sitting in the sidings in Heuston with this message before.

That be V1.3bis 9 0 9600 n,8,1 seen same thing same train Old school IT people will understand exactly what that means

Originally Posted by Oisin88

There was also a minor incident where they did a full Jimi Hendrix with the PA (that means that there was a lot of feedback) but the dude later apologised for the "excessive volume."

Again same train same fault

Any chance it tell you to bail out since the train had a mechanical fault, man its a fun PA message

[MrX]

Applying permanent stickers to those coaches kind of defeats the purpose of the displays.

i.e. when you put a train together, it can figure out which coach is which and give you A,B,C,D,E... on the exterior displays.

The whole point of this is that a train can be reconfigured and the seating plan works itself out. According to CAF's product brochure, the coaches basically identify eachother and the system ought to be able to figure itself out.

If they do insist on applying stickers, the very least they could do is put them on the correct coaches when they recofigure things!

Feedback on the PA is possibly down to train managers not understanding that you shouldn't make a PA announcement whilst standing directly under/beside a speaker.

Those displays were displaying a default message which would indicate that the comms system between coaches isn't connected / has failed (less likely). It seems like someone's messed up the configuration of the train !

It's a bit of a joke not to get these little things right.

[ooleary]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

That be V1.3bis 9 0 9600 n,8,1 seen same thing same train Old school IT people will understand exactly what that means

I can't explain the V1.3bis 9 0 part, probably relates to the software for the display itself.The rest of this refers to serial port settings.
9600 - data connection speed 9,600 bits per second (roughly 1.2Kb per second)
n,8,1 - no parity check, 8 bits data, 1 stop bit.

[Mark Gleeson]

In simple terms the computer is not plugged in and is telling us how to talk to it

Explains the behaviour seen on board

We have mentioned the issue of inconsistency of service levels on the Dublin Cork service, its very hit and miss, sometimes its brilliant other times its crap

Irish Rail seem to have gotten a little pissed off with our constant stream of reports and have deployed undercover staff on board to monitor. How 'undercover' they will be remains to be seen

[MrX]

Irish Rail's entire network is inconsistant. It's not just the CDE.
E.g. random availability of catering services on trains is patchy at best.
You've no idea if you'll have a MK3 or a totally unsuitable short-distance rail car on long distance trips (other than Cork-Dublin)
The enterprise self-distructs on a regular basis and passengers end up on railcars and MK2s..

The list is endless. I just hope they pull their socks up on the CDE service though, there's no longer any excuse for inconsistancy. They have the fleet! It's just a matter of getting the customer service consistantly right.

[2Funki4Wheelz]

21:00 Dub Cork - the last chance saloon to get home for the weary commuters of Portarlington & Portlaoise, and Cork people.

It never boards until about 20:50, despite the fact it sits there from at least 20:15. And it's freezing in Heuston at night.

But a big wave to the entertaining guy practising his juggling in the station tonight, it made the wait more bearable.

Also, I had to explain to a poor guy that the purple 'Reserved Seats - Do Not Occupy' stickers above all the seats doesn't actually mean anything unless there's a glowing orange name above them or a scrap of paper.

It was nice too to see some really scruffy orange jackets lounging around in the seats in 1st class as we boarded, I'm sure it made the 3 people glad they'd forked out extra.

[Thomas J Stamp]

Originally Posted by 2Funki4Wheelz

It was nice too to see some really scruffy orange jackets lounging around in the seats in 1st class as we boarded, I'm sure it made the 3 people glad they'd forked out extra.

Those are the CAF guys. Their job is to talk sweetly in Spanish to the train when it breaks down in an effort to coax it into running on our rubbish track which hurts its feet.

It's sort of like Christiano Ronaldo, who is Portugese, not Spanish.

So be nice to them in First Class. Unless they're just lazy IE feckers who, therfore, should not only be sacked, but tied to a horse and run our of town, the swines!!!

[2Funki4Wheelz]

Originally Posted by Thomas J Stamp

Those are the CAF guys. Their job is to talk sweetly in Spanish to the train when it breaks down in an effort to coax it into running on our rubbish track which hurts its feet.

They didn't have a Spanish look to them but the blue tinted windows could've washed out their tans to make them appear that special Irish shade of Daz white.

I can't believe you couldn't think of a Spanish footballer. Mammy's boy Reyes comes to mind instantly as a burned gunner.

[Mark Gleeson]

Tom has been running a undercover spy operation in Heuston. There are 2 to 3 guys from CAF in Heuston watching the new train, they have like senior IE staff first class passes. There may or may not be a senior engineer on board as well if you breakdown you will hear a PA for the CME representative to come forward.

Reliability is still rubbish, the delays in boarding are due to the pile of tests required to bring the train into service, it seems as if no one has sat down and worked out the fastest way to do them, you seem to get the doors opening and closing numerous times during the tests, in reality the entire door test can be done in four moves, unlock left, lock left, unlock right, lock right and repeat from other end

[Thomas J Stamp]

Originally Posted by 2Funki4Wheelz

I can't believe you couldn't think of a Spanish footballer. Mammy's boy Reyes comes to mind instantly as a burned gunner.

I was more thining of the super-nancy category. Robben would fit well there as well. Deco as well. There are so many to choose from.

I'm very sorry to hear that you support the Arse. You poor thing.

[2Funki4Wheelz]

Originally Posted by Thomas J Stamp

I was more thining of the super-nancy category. Robben would fit well there as well. Deco as well. There are so many to choose from.

I'm very sorry to hear that you support the Arse. You poor thing.

He's totally in the super-nancy category, he left Arsenal because he was homesick.

We're just having a rough patch, we're still beautiful.

P11 needs a football thread, I work with girls, and 2 guys who have no interest in football (one's a Man U supporter)

[Thomas J Stamp]

Originally Posted by 2Funki4Wheelz

P11 needs a football thread, I work with girls, and 2 guys who have no interest in football (one's a Man U supporter)

Off you go and start one.

You can start with how your seasons in tatters and your manager is a tatical failure.

[2Funki4Wheelz]

PIS not working this morning but the host did welcome everyone on board, thanked them for using IE and announced the destination.

[2Funki4Wheelz]

Audio on board this morning must've been the old recording, said it was the 5:30 hours service.

Also they've replaced some of the tables on the 4set seat nearest the doors with skinny 'tables' - for accessability?

[ccos]

Was on the CDE last Friday and Saturday and found it to be one of the nicest trains I've travelled on for a long time (ICE excepted of course) The Interior, seating layout with tables and dining car with (ice for the bulmers) were all very good, I was able to slag my dutch missus that it puts their trains to shame. The ride quality was good (I travelled in coaches C & G)
One thing I'd like to point out is everybody in Hueston Boards towards coach C and again at Thurles everybody got into coach C and the dining car. The next day I got into coach G in Limerick Junction which had loads of space as I'd expected and a trip to the dining car confirmed what I'd seen the day before coach C was jammers.
A poster on platforms indicating coach positions relitive to the station, normal in the rest of Europe, would help alleviate this problem or do people hate travelling alone.

[MrX]

Yes, I have also noticed that Coach C seems to get an unusual number of people trying to board it at any station. Perhaps, the best solution would be for train staff to stand at the doors of coach C and try and encourage people to move down the train before they get in.

It seems people get into coach C and then walk into coach B and discover they're at a dead end and unless moved down the train, some sit on the floor despite the fact that there are loads of seats in E and F

Also regarding the accessible seats at the end of the coach, these should be marked as such in the online booking system. It's very annoying to arrive and discover 1) you're in a seat with a notice to give it up to disabled/elderly customers and 2) it has no usable table!

[Mark Gleeson]

Cork train is backwards compared to the rest of fleet which means by default everyone stands at the wrong end, particularly bad in Thurles

The wheelchair space is shown in the booking system

[MrX]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

The wheelchair space is shown in the booking system

These are not the original wheelchair seats. These seats are at the end of the coach where the sockets are. It's a normal 4-seater set.
IE have removed the table and replaced it with a narrow ledge on the original table mounts. Clearly it's for greater accessibility, but these seats are sold as normal on the booking system. I booked them recently - had to move seats as a result as i couldn't use my laptop.