Passenger experiences over christmas

[ThomasJ]

Hey guys, just thought i'd create a thread to ask about/share passenger experiences over christmas, Travelling on the maynooth line myself a few observations on that line and other lines

- The saturday issue: Hourly services during AM/PM peak hour and trains were half the normal length meaning crushloads, long waits people left behind etc.

- Poor notices: One station was saying a saturday service in operation until the 5th january. This sign was displaying on new years day when a sunday service was in operation and no mention that the last train that night was cancelled and also no mention of the normal weekday services on the 2nd etc. Other stations not saying anything

- Confusion with timetables eg Dundalk on new years day also some maynooth/longford services over christmas.

- DART services only running a sunday service on saturday the 27th and saturday service on friday the 2nd.

- Rosslare operating a saturday service on christmas eve, 29th/30th/31st meaning the next train after the 13:05 was the 18:30ish.

Okay fair enough passenger numbers aren't great over christmas, but these sort of things don't help matters

- Because my train left 1 minute early I (alongwith 7 others) had to take taxis my fair to portmarnock for a christmas party cost €40

Does anyone have any experiences?

[wobbles]

Regarding services on the Rosslare line.

The 16.40 to Gorey and the 17.25 to Enniscorthy did not operate from the
24th Dec untill the 2nd Jan. The 06.00 ex Gorey did not operate from the 28th Dec untill the 2nd Jan.

No Christmas or New Years timetables seemed to be available in any of the stations on the route except Connolly. The staff when asked were on unsure as to which services were actually operating. The Christmas/New Year services posters on the trains made no mention of the Rosslare line at all.

[Thomas Ralph]

I travelled on the DART and Dublin-Cork lines a few times each with very few issues.

I heard that there will no longer be special Christmas/bank holiday timetables printed; you'll have to look online.

[Mark Gleeson]

Originally Posted by Thomas Ralph

I heard that there will no longer be special Christmas/bank holiday timetables printed; you'll have to look online.

And the online one is accurate, we have seen over Christmas it was far from accurate

Took a trip to Thurles, usual mess

1. Seat reservation system not on
2. All the curtains have vanished
3. No catering trolley, but buffet open
4. Train host in the wrong uniform, looked really rough could do with a hair cut (anyone who travels Dub-Cork will know which host it is)
5. Cleaners missed a heap of stuff on the floor around the coach

And of course we arrived Thurles 5 minutes early

[Derek Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

And the online one is accurate, we have seen over Christmas it was far from accurate

Took a trip to Thurles, usual mess

1. Seat reservation system not on
2. All the curtains have vanished
3. No catering trolley, but buffet open
4. Train host in the wrong uniform, looked really rough could do with a hair cut (anyone who travels Dub-Cork will know which host it is)
5. Cleaners missed a heap of stuff on the floor around the coach

And of course we arrived Thurles 5 minutes early

Was it not predicted by many over 2 years ago, that the new and all swanked up Cork service would eventually succumb to the usual IE slash and burn approach? It most certainly was.

[Mark Hennessy]

Originally Posted by Derek Wheeler

Was it not predicted by many over 2 years ago, that the new and all swanked up Cork service would eventually succumb to the usual IE slash and burn approach? It most certainly was.

I'm sure the shiny new trains that arrived in the early 1970s were the bees knees for the first year or two also.

As always with Irish Rail, the big and shiny stuff loses its lustre when the management are not under threat of losing their job for just getting the very very basics right.

Shiny new trains : over €100m.
Shiny new online booking system : a few million €€€
Showing up to find someone sitting in your reserved seat : Priceless

[Colm Moore]

I did Dublin-Cork-Dublin and spent New Years Day on the Luas.

Dublin-Cork was largely uneventful, busy, but not packed. As usual no respect for bookings (I didn't book myself). Pleasently surprised with staff going through the trains everal times.

Cork-Dublin was OK, but not good. Persisent rattles but inside and outside the carriage. The train host obtained some toilet tissue to rectify the worst of these. She also had to go chasing the cleaner. A few toilets out of service.

Originally Posted by Thomas Ralph

I heard that there will no longer be special Christmas/bank holiday timetables printed; you'll have to look online.

I've no particular problem with this, provided they do a consise list of changes and you don't have to search through the journey planner.

I did a tour of the Luas system on New Year's Day. I noted the platforms had been salted due to the cold weather. Some lifts, escalators, lights and TVMs out of order. Ticket checkers warned people about expired monthly and annual tickets rather than fining. Ticket checkers and security staff too lenient with drunks and ticketless teenagers messing about.

[ThomasJ]

I've no particular problem with this, provided they do a consise list of changes and you don't have to search through the journey planner.

you and i both know thats not going to happen.

Ticket checkers warned people about expired monthly and annual tickets rather than fining.

now thats customer service- with the customer in mind.

To be fair to IE, in cases where people forgot their annual passes they would issue the fine and told the passengers if they produce their annual pass they would scrap it.

what about cork and belfast? did they up the prices with it being christmas? their prices are bad enough to belfast (40 euros) vs a 24 hour coach service (22 return) and they no longer have the day return? are the online prices €40 monthly return the same as tickets bought at stations?

[Thomas Ralph]

IÉ can't increase its standard prices because it's Christmas (although of course the annual increase came in last Thursday on all non-cross-border routes).

Connolly-Belfast is €40 day return Monday-Thursday and Saturday, online or not. €55 standard return.