DART Closure post Christmas
 

Nice of Irish Rail to tell us about this (I presume it means no Rosslare services either), this is from the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Web site:

http://www.dlharbour.ie/content/ms/d...ews&locid= 62

Notice re DART services post Christmas

Notice re DART services post Christmas

Civil engineering track works will take place in the vicinity of Dun Laoghaire DART Station from midnight on St. Stephens Day until approximately 04:00 hours on Tuesday 04 January. The purpose of these works is to replace a stretch of rail ‘slab-track’ between Dun Laoghaire Station and Sandycove / Glasthule Station. This will involve
around the clock working for these seven days. DART services will continue between Dun Laoghaire and the City Centre, BUT WILL BE SUSPENDED BETWEEN DUN LAOGHAIRE AND BRAY
Irish Rail will be issuing an Information Brochure and a contact number
Web page:
Category: News
Published: December 27, 2010

Ciara

I certainly agree with the work being done - I've been over that section a few times last couple of months and it's a shambles. You're right though, the website of the Dun Laogharie harbour company is not the place to find out about the ensuing disruption.

No notice on irishrail.ie

The slab track is being dug out and replaced.

It is the best time of year to do this no question. That said the lack of notice is unacceptable for something so serious and disruptive

Rosslare services likely to terminate at Bray or Greystones and guess what they will have to shift a train between Waterford and Rosslare to keep it going

Surely providing a shuttle for Dun Laoghaire-Glenargeary would be much better than Dun Laoghaire-Sandycove/Gleanageary/Dalkey/Killiney/Shankill/Bray and all the permutations between intermediate stations. That is unless they are scheduling work for that section also. I realise that there might be crowding issues at Glenageary, but its a matter of planning things properly (add some temporary stairs).

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...,+glenag eary

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...,0.287704&z=11

Do we take it that the DART will run from Bray-Greystones?

Maybe a shuttle from Bray/Greystones to Dalkey would be doable as there are crossovers at Dalkey. But going to Glenageary would involve some very awkward single-line and wrong-linne running (and maybe electrical issues as well given that power would be off between Dunlaoire and Sandycove?).

Also, would there be a problem having rolling stock away from Fairview depot for such a period?

Dalkey is out due to the fact the electrical isolation prevents use of the points at Dalkey. But you could operate a limited diesel powered service

The signaling arrangements favour always city bound trains in these cases.

Dragging the shuttle buses through Dalkey would be a bit crazy.

Whatever about the occasional number 8 bus years ago, you'd have to have a small fleet of (bigger) buses ready for each DART arrival.

This reads like there are no shuttle buses and passengers are expected to use existing bus services.

http://irishrail.ie/news_centre/news.asp?action=view&news_id=977

Does this mean they are replacing it with another slab section, or reverting to sleepers? If another slab section, won't the problem just reoccur? Slab might be alright for trams, but is it hardy enough for weightier trains?

In either case, will trains be able to go more than the current 10mph limit?

Going back to wooden sleepers

Slab track is fine but this was installed on the cheap in a hurry. The lack of any damping between the rail and the foundation meant it cracked easily. Channel Tunnel, German High Speed lines and others have damping in place and it works perfectly

Yes, presumably with normal spec. track they will be able to run trains at DART speeds.

Probably belongs in the infrastructure section, but why does this part of the line (currently between the end of the slab section and the southern end of Dalkey station) use wooden sleepers?

i wouldn't be suprised if the weather becomes a factor if these works do or don't go ahead over the christmas period

While, sure if its a blizzard or a hurricane there may be problems, but that could happen almost anytime. I imagine there is very little wet work (concrete) involved and that if it is very cold, they can manage the rails (handling freezing metal can take the skin off you and getting the tension just right may be an issue for continuous rail).

but i mean if there are problems with buses, surely they'll pull the rail works?

Ah, sorry. Yes, that would need to be kept under review.

Will this mean that that the Dublin Area south of Dun Laoghaire will actually get some Rapid Transport in the New Year rather than the usual trundle through the cutting? If so it might just be worth it.

Not immediately - they will need things to bed in properly and be monitored, but hopefully after a few weeks.

As there are tight curves and a narrow cutting, there will still be some speed limit, but hopefully not as low as the current one.

The 1984 limit was 30 mph so hopefully we are going back to that

It was 20 mph for the last 10 years or so and has been 10 mph for 3 months

Why do Irish Rail continue to refer to their speed limits in miles instead of kilometers? Is it that they just couldn't be bothered to replace the signage?

Does it make a difference to the passenger experience? No it doesn't

For the record the DART has been metric, meters and kph since it opened. Strictly speaking DART trains don't need speed limit boards and colour light signals as its all displayed on a screen to the driver.

Why fix it when its not broken and all that. When Irish road speed limits changed from miles to kilometers it had null effect on rail.

Imperial measurements generally are a completely out-dated format in this country, not just in terms of road signage but in any line of business. IR will eventually come round and change it, as within a generation people will simply not know what a mile is.

I certainly hope so, but I wouldn't hold my breath. I despise the imperial system.

But that is somewhat off-topic for this thread.

I seem to recall some years ago, having read that concrete sleepers require a deeper ballast bed than older wood sleepers. Given the array of low bridges on that stretch, it doesn't seem practical to use concrete sleepers on ballast. So I just answered my own earlier question.

I would also wonder why the speed limit will be (probably) no higher than 30Mph? It will certainly be a welcome improvement over the crawling pace movement over the section at present, but still, you'd think with new rails etc it would be better. Any curves etc can't be that bad!

One last question. When it said that the works were "to" the 3rd of January, do they mean exclusive or inclusive.

i.e. will services restart on the 3rd or the 4th?

The first planned services are for the morning of the 4 January. Even if they finish early, its unlikely that there will be enough time to organise drivers and station staff. There would be a limited number of trains run before the in-service trains to ensure things have bedded down properly and tolerances checked.

The curve is tight enough - only a few hundred metres radius. Much tighter than Dalkey Tunnel or most of the curves in the city centre, save maybe Newcomen Curve.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...,0.016544&z=16

The kph/mph situation is irrelevant and has no bearing on passenger experiences. If anyone has a problem with Irish Rail's use of imperial measurements they can take it up with the European Rail Agency. There will be no further discussion on this topic

The line is tightly curved hence the speed limit

Given the recent spate of appalling weather, Irish Rail are very lucky to have timed these works perfectly during a period of respite. There could have been delays for weeks if work had started but couldn't be completed on time due to poor weather.

If the track had been installed and maintained properly in the first place there would be no need for a closure in the first place.

Engaging in pure speculation here, but I don't know how they're going to reopen the line on the 4th.

Was down that way today and most of the deck track on the City bound line is still in-situ: they had only started trying to lift it this (Thursday) afternoon, and even then only at the very top of it at Dun Laoghaire's Southern turnout points.
From what I could see the Southbound line had been lifted totally, but the replacement wooden sleepered line was only built for a short section below Dun Laoghaire, and for another very short section, laid but not yet welded. But the yellow road-rail vehicles were busy ferrying track panels from Glenageary to Dun Laoghaire, using the City bound line to lay new track on the Southbound line.

They aren't doing the Dublin bound track at this stage, thats going to be held off until next Easter or Christmas. The plan was for only 1 track.

A short section of the Dublin bound approaching Dun Laoghaire is being done due to a set of points at that spot

At at 1am all I can hear is the sound of drilling, deafening

Track due to reopen tomorrow morning info on Irish Rail website, looked over the low wall in Dun Laoghaire it looks good in fairness from up there!

Credit where credit is due: the PW people in IE generally finish projects on time and major posessions do not over-run. These are the people who also were at work at all hours in atrocious conditions keeping points clear of snow and in the recent big freeze. Well done.

I wouldn't be patting anyone on the back

The works were disorganized and the line could have been complete and open today. The rail safety commission will be interested in a set of photos we received which raise questions concerning safe work practice and standards

The pace of work was amazingly slow, the southbound track was complete since effectively Saturday morning, but by Sunday evening not a single fishplate electrical bond had been bolted in

Also, most of this work is done by contractor, not PW staff who would have been clearing points.

Took the train to South Dublin today, my first thoughts on the work done:

1. A section of the cement deck track seems to be left on the Southbound line at S&G station
2. The Southern points at Dun Laoghaire are gone - I think these were only ever a leftover from the days of boat/mail trains at Carlisle Pier.
3. Coming back to the City Centre, our DART went faster on the Northbound (still cement deck) track. I was very surprised that such a speed, about 30MPH I would guess, would be allowed on this!

Mark works were undertaken on the southbound on the sunday saw a yellow tamper machine on there doing work on the track looked to be lifting it. Doubt that it could have been back any earlier they were also working on the northbound on the sunday in various spots -- not as extensive as the southbound but a similar effort. Can you post pictures you are on about on here or are they for public viewing?

There was a series of logistical screw ups which delayed track laying during the week. The track panels were not built based on a survey of the line so some had to be cut to size on site, fishplate holes drilled and in one case an insulated block joint had to be spliced in.

Track was laid from the Dun Laoghaire end instead of from Glasthule end. Ballasting was done manually instead of using hopper waggons

An 8 series tamper can easily handle 1000m in an hour

No work was done on Christmas day or St Stephen's day

The gardai were called out several times to shutdown drilling at very early hours of the morning. Strangely drilling was silent for hours on end during the day.

An investigation has been launched by the RSC into an alleged serious breech of the Rail Safety Act.

I was talking to an engineer mate of mine and he said;
Your first Comment about panels being cut-- what about it? The plate holes woould have to be drilled on site for accuracy if they knew before hand they'd be cutting steel.
From Myself
What difference what end they started putting track in?
Who says an 8 series tamper can handle 1000m in an hour? Is it the manufacturer? thet usually exaggerate what anything can do from a toaster to a Tamper!
Agreed. No work done Xmas day or Stephens day-- Mayb to give the locals a quiet day or two before all the noise started or maybe they couldnt get contractors?
Don't know about your last two comments Im sure the RSC will investigate thoroughly.
Any hints as to what the alledged breech was?? Just a hint!!!

I believe there was talk that the closure would require one or more movements over the South Wexford -did that happen?