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09-09-2012, 11:34 | #1 |
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09-09-2012, 14:36 | #2 |
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Maybe the NTA should apply the proverbial boot in the rear and force Irish Rail to devise a solution. Is selective door opening really the only answer ? As on other lines a 3 car ICR is not able to deal with the busier services while not many non commuter services will fill a full six car set. Maybe dropping two or three six-car sets down to four cars and using the surplus vehicles to create further 4-car sets might be an idea worth considering and be useful on other routes as well.
If neither 4-car ICRS or SDO can be implemented then perhaps the NTA should insist that where services are consistenly overcrowded, then either the timetable should be modified to provide additional services or additional staff should be allocated to ensure that passnegers do not have access to the rear vehicle of a six coach formation. Obviously the latter would involve the safety quango, but it is simply not acceptable that short haul suburban units are substituted on Intercity services simply to provide extra floor space for passengers to stand or indeed sit ! |
09-09-2012, 14:55 | #3 |
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This seems to be a daily occurrence. The 17:00 from Sligo was operated by an 8-car 29k on Friday. I presume this was the 13:05 down train returning. 8 cars seems a little extravagant for either of these services - are they really that busy? Certainly the 17:00 from Sligo wasn't terribly busy at Edgeworthstown.
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09-09-2012, 16:38 | #4 |
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1305 had about 270 passengers leaving Connolly.
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09-09-2012, 18:15 | #5 |
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That is incredible business for a mid-day service on the Sligo line considering that the are coming from what was about 4 or 5 daily return trips 5 years ago. But it sounds like this service is running with a 29k for capacity reasons as 270 is well beyond the capacity of a 3 car 22k and the 6 car set is busy doing runs out to Maynooth.
I'm surprised that Irish Rail haven't just said they would all be grand standing to Mullingar. |
09-09-2012, 19:46 | #6 |
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Iniskeen has suggested paring down a some 6 car 22k sets to 4 car and presumably using the displaced intermediate vechicles to increase 3 car sets to 4 car.
The problem with this is that 6-car sets are too few in number and there are loads of 3-car sets, with the result that lots of trains routinely run as two 3-car formations with resulting problems for catering and ticket inspection. A better solution might be to remove the intermediate vehicles from (say) six 3-car sets and re-form them into six two car sets plus six 4- car sets. The 2-car sets woiuld be fine for the WRC, some Kerry line services and Limerick Junction shuttles, as well as for occasional strengthening of 3-car trains. The 4-cars would ease the problems on the DSE. You might even manage 5-car trains on the DSE (3+2). It would in principle be possible to have 22k trains with 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 cars (subject to platform constraints). |
10-09-2012, 07:30 | #7 |
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That sounds like a sensible way to go forward but I guess that Irish Rail would resist this because of the loss of flexibility.
Another possibility might be to run a service as far as either Mullingar or Longford at 12:05 or 14:05 that would spread the load a bit given that most of it only going that far. A 12:05 in particular would get back early enough to do an evening rush run. |
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