[article]Must we still be kept in dark over rail works?

[neoncircles]

In today's indo....

Despite repeated attempts, no one in Irish Rail can provide me with any answer to the following question: when will the never-ending engineering works on the Dublin/Kildare rail line be finished so the 11.10pm train service can return to normal?

Every Irish Rail staff member that I've asked has told me they genuinely don't know the answer. They tell me it's "indefinite". These engineering works have been ongoing since the end of July 2009. The bus service is habitually a half-an-hour late into my destination -- Newbridge (around 12.20am).

To compound this, Irish Rail has now decided to turn off the lights on the platforms of Newbridge railway station late at night. As a result, at 12.20am on Tuesday, June 14, I had to cross the railway footbridge in the dark to get into my car on the Sarsfields side of the car park.

I would now strongly urge Irish Rail to turn the lights back on in the early hours of the morning. How long more can we be kept in the dark?

Shane Scanlon
Newbridge, Co Kildare

Is it not the case that there is no train to operate that service? (as opposed to works?)

[Mark Gleeson]

The line is dug up at night to do repairs. The lights being switched off is part of the energy saving program. The hourly Dublin Cork service has really eaten the track up badly so it needs almost nightly attention

The train does run Fri/Sat

23.10 Heuston to Kildare (Mondays to Thursdays) will be substituted by buses - up to Thursday 7th July

[Jamie2k9]

The hourly Dublin Cork service has really eaten the track up badly so it needs almost nightly attention

Well that explains all the 25mile speed limit between Heuston and Kildare. At lest 4 spots along the line.

Have the Cork trains being doing this damage all the time as it seems a lot more of a recent problem.

[Kilocharlie]

Originally Posted by Jamie2k9

Well that explains all the 25mile speed limit between Heuston and Kildare. At lest 4 spots along the line.

Have the Cork trains being doing this damage all the time as it seems a lot more of a recent problem.

There also re-laying track. Some new track is being installed between Sallins and Hazelhatch and Kildare Station got some on the down line recently.