Travel Information - Shh, it's Sunday!

[Ronald Binge]

Travelling from Derry by train back to Dublin yesterday, I decided to ring 01-8366222 for information about times of trains to Maynooth and from Heuston to Hazelhatch.

While welcoming the slightly more professional sounding recording, I note that there is now no information available at all on a Sunday. Instead, callers are directed to the Irish Rail website. Now, my Nokia 6300 while a good enough phone, cannot read the timetable or journey planner section of the website.

I hazard a guess that most people looking for information don't have a laptop with them on the go as well, so the website option is useless.

Compare with Translink, where at least on a Sunday you can get travel information from a human being between 8am and 6pm.

I got the information I needed at the travel desk at Connolly, however it turned out to be wrong, as the 1815 to Kildare was delayed to 1830. Needless to say the girl at the counter, in common with many other CIE/IR people down through the years, actively discouraged me from spending €3 on the printed timetable.

Why is Irish Rail travel information such a secret? Perhaps Translink should take over all travel information across the island as their system actually works, and there is plenty of printed information available at Derry and Belfast.