[05/03/2012] Nenagh, Limerick and Commuter service improvements

[Thomas J Stamp]

Originally Posted by Thomas J Stamp

late again today.... this is goign to be some kind of record, untill IE just moves the arrival time so it cant be late....

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

The fun and games have begun. Major timetable change this morning without any notice or warning

05:15 Limerick Nenagh Dublin will leave Limerick 5 minutes earlier at 05:10 and will then become the 07:25 Portlaoise Heuston arriving Heuston 08:33

07:16 Portlaoise Heuston arrives 08:25

ZING!

[dowlingm]

Originally Posted by Inniskeen

Most time is lost between Limerick and Birdhill due to the condition of the yard in Limerick (walking pace to Ennis Junction) and the litany of speed restrictions between Killonan Junction and Birdhill.

Thanks for that info - is the yard condition at least something that might get some work done some time soon? Presumably this would accelerate every service into/out of Limerick 1-2mins rather than just being something that benefited Nenagh. Does IE not want to touch the yard unless they have a goahead to disconnect Mungret/Foynes as part of it maybe?

@ Thomas J Stamp I am totally taking credit (post 24)

[Inniskeen]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

The costs are considerably more

The train needs a guard, all the signalmen and gate keepers need to be paid for an hour more and someone once a week has to lug the signaling staffs from Ballybrophy to Roscrea. Someone extra in Ballybrophy to work the branch release

If you took 600 and multiplied by the number of trains a day on the Nenagh line you only get 1.4 or so million, but the line is losing over 2 million pa

Why would somebody extra be required to work the branch release ? Surely this could be done by either the guard (not required after Ballybrophy) or the depotman at Ballybrophy.

The point about the ETS staff is interesting - traditionally these instruments would have been re-balanced by the "PO linesman". Not sure who would carry out this task nowadays, could this be an Eircom function ?

[Inniskeen]

Originally Posted by dowlingm

TBH I find the lateness more infuriating than the cost. Someone should have to answer for how this service was slapped together. Funny that AK is talking to the papers but if asked a Dail question I suspect the "operational matter for IE" line would make an appearance.

Week one, the 0515 from Limerick arrived into Heuston 5, 1, 30, 13 and 6 minutes late respectively. The 30 minutes late arrival was, it would appear, nothing to do with the branch.

Week 2, the 0515 from Limerick arrived into Heuston 17, 20, 20 and 12 minutes late respectively based on the published 0825 arrival time.

[comcor]

Originally Posted by dowlingm

TBH I find the lateness more infuriating than the cost. Someone should have to answer for how this service was slapped together. Funny that AK is talking to the papers but if asked a Dail question I suspect the "operational matter for IE" line would make an appearance.

It wasn't so much the lateness of the Nenagh service as the effect it was having on other services. The 06:15 from Cork and 06:35 from Galway managed to get regularly delayed by it. Yet these were two of the highest yielding trains in the Irish Rail network. If passengers had begun to desert those services, it would have substantially raised the costs associated with the Nenagh service.

[Thomas J Stamp]

Originally Posted by Inniskeen

Week one, the 0515 from Limerick arrived into Heuston 5, 1, 30, 13 and 6 minutes late respectively. The 30 minutes late arrival was, it would appear, nothing to do with the branch.

Week 2, the 0515 from Limerick arrived into Heuston 17, 20, 20 and 12 minutes late respectively based on the published 0825 arrival time.

it was late again today - it missed the new arrival time by 5 mins

[dowlingm]

Originally Posted by comcor

It wasn't so much the lateness of the Nenagh service as the effect it was having on other services

Bingo - that an amount of Heuston side padding allowed the train to make up time is of little help when the total delays are mounting. If this service is supposed to get people into Dublin for work by 0900 then delays of even 5 minutes are significant.

[Kilocharlie]

'Updated' 0505 ex Limerick, which now takes over the 0725 ex running from Portlaoise including all the stops, 20 mins late at Portlaoise, 10 mins late in Heuston.

The 0716 Portlaoise - Heuston, which does the PL-HN part of the original 0515, was also late.

Changes to provide a service for the branch are now impacting on previously reliable commuter services - in particular the 0725 from Portlaoise

[Mark Gleeson]

It was 05:10 yesterday now is 05:05

[dowlingm]

But according to the trace it didn't leave until 0518 - another track crew running late?

[Charlie Hungerford]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

It was 05:10 yesterday now is 05:05

Surely all these unadvertised timetable changes are prohibited by the NTA?

[Thomas J Stamp]

Originally Posted by Kilocharlie

'Updated' 0505 ex Limerick, which now takes over the 0725 ex running from Portlaoise including all the stops, 20 mins late at Portlaoise, 10 mins late in Heuston.

not today it didn't, today it did something new altogether and was still late.

can we think of a movie title for it? Von Kellys Express? the unalterable lateness of branch?? best one wins a return day economy 2 ticket from roscrea.

[Thomas J Stamp]

loneliness of the long distance ticket checker?

[Mark Gleeson]

It's changed again to 05:05 now. I get the feeling the whole timetable was back of beer mat stuff and Irish Rail had to accept it as a done deal

Had the NTA followed protocol public consultation would have forced a change

Still not a word from Irish Rail to confirm the change

Don't think it really matters as the 05 something arrived Heuston this morning with exactly 1 passenger onboard no joking 1 passenger disembarked at Heuston

[Destructix]

This issue has to be raised in the national press and on Rte. One single passenger, that's even worst than the Limerick commuter service and the WRC.

[dowlingm]

Pre NTA you could understand some shenanigans. Now someone has to explain who bypassed the safeguards, and why the NTA didn't want to or were unable to say "oh no you're not" when IE told them about it this change. I really do think someone deserves a career-limiting consequence to this.

[James Howard]

I wouldn't expect much traffic when the train can't even vaguely keep time and they change the timetable twice in one week but this is a disgrace.

In a proper democracy this minister would be forced to resign after forcing an organisation under his responsibility to earn him some constituency brownie points. This country is going to remain mired in its present economic situation forever unless this sort of thing stops.

[Destructix]

Originally Posted by James Howard

I wouldn't expect much traffic when the train can't even vaguely keep time and they change the timetable twice in one week but this is a disgrace.

In a proper democracy this minister would be forced to resign after forcing an organisation under his responsibility to earn him some constituency brownie points. This country is going to remain mired in its present economic situation forever unless this sort of thing stops.

Couldn't agree with you more James. They actually ended up with even less passengers and poorer times. More people from Nenagh actually work in Limerick city and they have lost these few loyal customers they had now. Alan Kelly has just killed this line and in 6 months it will be back in the spotlight with even less passengers. He should resign.

[doherty jack]

advertising the line will begin next week , as aproved by Dick ferne , who insiseted that advertising be done! timetable is being more reliable .a central pre-booking system where as you ring a number in Nenagh and can pre-book , relaying is going on between Nenagh_Roscrea! posters are printed and will be stuck up around towns and villages along the line!

[Kilocharlie]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

Don't think it really matters as the 05 something arrived Heuston this morning with exactly 1 passenger onboard no joking 1 passenger disembarked at Heuston

After stopping at Portlaoise, Portarlington, Monasterevin, Kildare, Newbridge, Sallins, Hazelhatch and Adamstown??