[Article] Non-stop train takes hurling fans the long way to Tipperary

[comcor]

Non-stop train takes hurling fans the long way to Tipperary

By Dan Collins and Sean O’Riordan
EIGHTY furious GAA fans staged a mutiny on a train which failed to stop at Thurles for yesterday’s Cork v Clare hurling clash.

The hurling fans had been travelling to Thurles, or so they thought, on the 1.30pm service out of Dublin’s Heuston Station.

Normally, this service travels straight through to Limerick and, as nobody had bothered to tell the driver of Irish Rail’s change of plan, yesterday it did just that.

On arrival at Limerick Junction, 35 minutes down the line from Thurles, 80 disbelieving supporters were more ga-ga than GAA. They descended on the driver of the train and in no uncertain terms demanded to know what the poc fada was going on.

The dismayed driver tried to explain that the train always ran from Dublin direct to Limerick and nobody had told him otherwise.

When the hurling supporters made it clear that they had purchased their tickets on the clear understanding that the 1.30pm train would, in fact, be stopping at Thurles, the driver fast-tracked their complaints to Irish Rail’s head office.

Realising there had been a communications derailment, head office instructed the driver to carry the sports fans back to Thurles station, which they had earlier sped through.

Quicker than you could say “all aboard”, the passengers were off-loaded to join another train which would take them the final leg to Limerick.

The GAA fans were told to stay on the train as the driver switched from the engine which had been driving to the one which had been bringing up the rear, so that he could go back over his tracks as far as Thurles. The supporters arrived at Thurles at 3.40pm and made it with just seconds to spare for the 4pm throw-in.

Last night, a spokesman for Irish Rail apologised to any passengers who were inconvenienced.

There had been a communications breakdown and Irish Rail were taking full responsibility for the mix-up. “This was not the train driver’s fault,” he stressed. He said he was glad it had worked out and the sports fans had made it to the match on time.

Source: http://www.examiner.ie/irishexaminer...594-qqqx=1.asp

[Mark Gleeson]

Timetable fairly clearly shows non stop to Limerick and it runs only in university term, how it ended up stopped Limerick Junction is interesting

[Thomas J Stamp]

I think the word mutiny may have helped the brakes being applied!!!

This is a much better type of atricle with a touch of humour that the one we all got worked up about last week.

[Mark Gleeson]

Said train has a communication alarm system which doesn't stop the train, if it was a 29000 which I think it is, the driver has CCTV and can instantly see where the handle is pulled.

Normal policy is not to stop between stations unless absolutely necessary

Still that train is mean't to take the direct curve at Limerick Junction so how it ended up in the platforms implies someone in authority intervened before the train reached Limerick Junction

If only the Indo could write decent stuff, the Times and Examiner can manage just fine it seems

[Mark]

Barry Kenny was on RTE radio 1 clearing things up today. It was a breakdown in communications.. ie they forgot to tell the driver.

[Mark Gleeson]

Well if you think that is strange Lansdowne Rd is a source of real fun

Southbound train skips Lansdowne and Sandymount, everyone pours out at Sydney Parade, northbound train is sitting ready to leave someone shouts to the driver "you stopping in Lansdowne?" positive answer 300 people leg it over the bridge

Someone goofed up, I find it hard to believe the alteration wasn't listed on the weekly circular the driver has to sign for, would be kind of hard to miss the men of peoples republic pouring onto the train and not put two and two together

Once again Irish Rail prove themselves unable to handle a simple timetable change, doesn't it sound like an incident reported here on the Tralee line a few weeks back ?

[Thomas J Stamp]

would be kind of hard to miss the men of peoples republic pouring onto the train and not put two and two together

Well, they did, didnt they? Bloody hell.

[craigybagel]

Not to mention the announcements at Heuston "calling at Thurles and Limerick" theyre usually loud enough to wake the dead.Unless IE staff have that tuned out by now.....

[IHIR]

gentlemen one and all, I take great merriment from reading your posts, I am a long time sufferer with Irish Rail and cannot believe in this day and age we have to put up with such utter tripe. I would be ashamed to work there. I am a regular traveller to Berlin where I firmly believe all Iarnrod Eireann employees should serve for a year before being employed at home so they can see what a transport system really looks like.

Forgetting to drop off poor fellas travelling to a match is simply the last straw in fairness, people need to be sacked for that sort of thing. Imagine punters in England getting the train to a match in Old Trafford and the driver not stopping coz nobody told him? A hahah ha ha ha ha ha ahah hahah

[TomB]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

if it was a 29000 which I think it is

Although that service used to be run by a DMU set way back when they were painted orange, it has been a push/pull Mk3 set for at least the past two years, whenever I've taken it on its return journey (1720 out of Limerick)

PS a warm welcome to the board IHIR, hope you'll stick around and contribute. Can I ask what your username stands for?

[Thomas J Stamp]

I think it was a 29000 last sunday, saw an eight carraige 29000 heading back to Dubland that evening.