Heuston-Millstreet 2Dec06 - a traveller's diary

TomB · 04-12-2006, 20:52

On Saturday I took the train from Dublin to Millstreet. Like most trains to stations on the Tralee line, there’s a 15-20 minute wait in Mallow, which is really horrible in winter (the island platform is very unsheltered). Things didn’t quite go to plan however. Here’s what happened.

3:00: Leave Heuston. It’s an orange train with six carriages and a drivers cab at each end. Six carriages on a normally very busy service (it services both Limerick and Tralee) is not on, and there are people standing (and I think, but am not sure, that there were people turned away). Also, these trains can only do 75 mph so we’re going to be delayed. What’s worse is Irish Rail knew that they were going to put on this train as the online journey planner last night said there wouldn’t be first class.

5:00: Arrive Limerick Junction, 20 minutes’ late.

5:35: arrive in Mallow. No Tralee train in sight, and no announcement to give us any sign as to when it might arrive. Stand on cold, wet and windy platform, looking at Cobh train opposite waiting to depart. Everybody has that sort of “queuing for bread in a communist country” expression: this is as miserable as hell, but it’s pointless getting frustrated, as this is just the way it always is.

5:40: Hooray, here’s the Tralee train. Get out of the cold, anyway, even if we’re not going anywhere.

5:45: Cobh train pulls away

5:50: Driver and his buddy walk through the train

5:52: Dublin train passes through

5:53: Muffled announcement: “apologies for the late departure of this train, this is due to a technical fault”. Well that’s all right then. Another example of IE lying to their passengers. Because they don’t matter, do they?

5:55: We’re off at last, (only) 17 minutes late

Some time later, arrive in Millstreet. There’s no power in the station, so disembark into complete darkness.

Obviously part of the feck up in Mallow was the way the tracks are laid out, and that’s not for discussion here.

But I’m really annoyed that IE put on a train that they knew was going to be delayed. And there was no apology on the Cork train. And the apology on the Mallow train was a lie, as they planned for the train to be late. And they put on a train too small for the number of passengers. And they laid on a (probably full-sized) extra train from Heuston at 4:00, without putting it in the online journey planner. And it was a miserable day. And we passed at least three sets of shiny new trains parked in Heuston and Inchicore.

I don’t care about the technical specifications of the train, or the track layout at Mallow. What I care about is that Irish rail planned in advance to (a) make us delayed and (b) make some of us stand and nobody told us anything. And this is not in any way an unusual story.

On the plus side, I was on the way down to Cork to collect my car, which was having some work done to it. So I don’t have to endure the “queuing for bread in a communist country” experience that is inter city rail travel in this country for a while yet. Thank feck.

Derek Wheeler · 04-12-2006, 21:24

Ah Thomas, you're telling porkies. That couldn't happen on our railway. Surely not?

and

again.

Sorry for your trouble, but I bet you're not surprised. I don't bother posting any of my experiences anymore. The Kildare route has too much wrong to remember everything. I go into "braindead" mode the minute I step onto the platform in Sallins. You should try it some time. It actually makes it bearable.

04-12-2006, 20:52	#1
TomB Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Limerick Posts: 207	Heuston-Millstreet 2Dec06 - a traveller's diary On Saturday I took the train from Dublin to Millstreet. Like most trains to stations on the Tralee line, there’s a 15-20 minute wait in Mallow, which is really horrible in winter (the island platform is very unsheltered). Things didn’t quite go to plan however. Here’s what happened. 3:00: Leave Heuston. It’s an orange train with six carriages and a drivers cab at each end. Six carriages on a normally very busy service (it services both Limerick and Tralee) is not on, and there are people standing (and I think, but am not sure, that there were people turned away). Also, these trains can only do 75 mph so we’re going to be delayed. What’s worse is Irish Rail knew that they were going to put on this train as the online journey planner last night said there wouldn’t be first class. 5:00: Arrive Limerick Junction, 20 minutes’ late. 5:35: arrive in Mallow. No Tralee train in sight, and no announcement to give us any sign as to when it might arrive. Stand on cold, wet and windy platform, looking at Cobh train opposite waiting to depart. Everybody has that sort of “queuing for bread in a communist country” expression: this is as miserable as hell, but it’s pointless getting frustrated, as this is just the way it always is. 5:40: Hooray, here’s the Tralee train. Get out of the cold, anyway, even if we’re not going anywhere. 5:45: Cobh train pulls away 5:50: Driver and his buddy walk through the train 5:52: Dublin train passes through 5:53: Muffled announcement: “apologies for the late departure of this train, this is due to a technical fault”. Well that’s all right then. Another example of IE lying to their passengers. Because they don’t matter, do they? 5:55: We’re off at last, (only) 17 minutes late Some time later, arrive in Millstreet. There’s no power in the station, so disembark into complete darkness. Obviously part of the feck up in Mallow was the way the tracks are laid out, and that’s not for discussion here. But I’m really annoyed that IE put on a train that they knew was going to be delayed. And there was no apology on the Cork train. And the apology on the Mallow train was a lie, as they planned for the train to be late. And they put on a train too small for the number of passengers. And they laid on a (probably full-sized) extra train from Heuston at 4:00, without putting it in the online journey planner. And it was a miserable day. And we passed at least three sets of shiny new trains parked in Heuston and Inchicore. I don’t care about the technical specifications of the train, or the track layout at Mallow. What I care about is that Irish rail planned in advance to (a) make us delayed and (b) make some of us stand and nobody told us anything. And this is not in any way an unusual story. On the plus side, I was on the way down to Cork to collect my car, which was having some work done to it. So I don’t have to endure the “queuing for bread in a communist country” experience that is inter city rail travel in this country for a while yet. Thank feck.

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04-12-2006, 21:24	#2
Derek Wheeler Registered user Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Kildare Posts: 1,555	Ah Thomas, you're telling porkies. That couldn't happen on our railway. Surely not? and again. Sorry for your trouble, but I bet you're not surprised. I don't bother posting any of my experiences anymore. The Kildare route has too much wrong to remember everything. I go into "braindead" mode the minute I step onto the platform in Sallins. You should try it some time. It actually makes it bearable.