Irish rail webchat - 7th December

[Thomas J Stamp]

Originally Posted by markh

If possible can someone grab a summary of this webchat, I have to give a lecture now

I'll get the summary in the chatroom tonight.

I'm saving it all on the office pc.

Riviting stuff so far.

[Thomas J Stamp]

Amazingly they've just said the entire transcript will be on the site for a month.

Shiela obviusly thought this was an actual chatroom where you can put these guys on the spot. Note the evasive reply to Navan Commuter already, they didnt reply to his question at all.

[Thomas J Stamp]

Services to the Doclands station dont justify its cost, IMHO.

[Mark Gleeson]

You will notice that most questions are due to IE not providing clear information to the public on matters of timetables and programed works

[Thomas J Stamp]

Get this:

Dick: Damien, thank you for taking such an interest in the service. Initially when the Docklands Station opens, using our existing fleet a bit more intensively, and we’ll start with four-car trains on the extra services. Then, as demand increases, we will be in a position to expand the size of these trains, and other four-car services on the Maynooth and Drogheda lines, when the Intercity railcar fleet is delivered through 2007 and 2008. We can do this because the Intercity railcars will free up commuter railcars currently in use on the Sligo and Rosslare lines.

That dosnt answer the question either.

[Thomas J Stamp]

You've gotta laugh as the sligo railcar question.... demand is way up... yep, demand for a seat for one thing as theres less of them.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

It doesn't look good at this end

Not what I would call interactive

Chatroom it aint, all the questions are pre-answered.

[Thomas J Stamp]

Gone very quiet over there.

If they do my questions we sure wont get "thanks for that Thomas" rubbish.

Ohh, bikes.

[Thomas J Stamp]

Those trains are a figment of Craig Doyles imagaination as the ones on the ads dont have a 14 year old loco at the end, just two nice pointy ends Dick, and you know it.

Ah, power cars..... you dont need then for 200kph, you could use them now you know.

Dick, the initial pre-servfice period took a year. Then you ran them, then we all gave out, now you're getting them fixed. Or is this a case of "Pre-service" being the period up to the introduction of the hourly clockface service?

himmmmmmmmmm.........

[colmoc]

Its a complete joke they arent answering half of the questions and everything is very rigged
I smell the Barry Kenny roadshow!!!

[Thomas J Stamp]

DART refurbishment:

The pace of the refurbishment is geared to maintaining the current service capacity.

[portarlington_user]

It isn't a webchat it's one big promotional effort from IE

[Thomas J Stamp]

Originally Posted by portarlington_user

It isn't a webchat it's one big promotional effort from IE

Well it is brought to you by Corporate Communications, isnt it?

[Thomas J Stamp]

Half time.

Anyone from here had a question yet?

[Thomas J Stamp]

AERdart.

Ok, can anyone get the link to when they closed where they stated that because of IE closing the stations for the summer they had to close?

Thats your commerical reasons right there.

Winner gets a badger.

You couldnt make this up.

[Mark Gleeson]

Thats too easy, google knows

And closures was the reason given

[Thomas J Stamp]

Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann Dick Fearn and Transport 21 Manager for Iarnród Éireann Tom Finn, are ready and waiting so lets kick off.

Is there anyone around Heuston who can photograph Dick having his tea of something just so we can show how live this is?

[Mark Gleeson]

Well I could get on a DART and wave as I pass Connolly

This is a fake setup gig, the truth is not coming out, all massaged

Siemens screwed up the DART contract, we have the hard evidence that they are as of Monday next is breech of contract impossible deadline

[Thomas J Stamp]

Same old misinformation there on the PPT I see.

[markpb]

What’s often overlooked as well is that even if we did have the capacity to bring the trains over, we’d be adding 20 minutes to the journey each way – meaning more trains required to deliver the same service, and an additional journey for customers as well.

An additional journey for customers? I'm lost... does he think people want to go to Heuston and would be inconvenienced by bringing them to Connolly? And I would have thought a train bringing people to the city centre would be a better service, not the same service.