Evening peak trains
 

These services are now always packed when arriving at Pearse so why can't we have a empty train starting at Pearse rather than the Bray service packed to the rafters as this seems to be the logical solution.

To date, there hasn't been the capacity through Connolly. Hopefully that will improve over the next 6-12 months with the resignalling.

Of course there are people working in Dún Laoghaire, Blackrock and Ballsbridge heading for Maynooth/Longford.

Cannot see how at least 1 train at these times can be started empty so no need for extra capacity just common sense.

The siding in Pearse station can only hold a very small number of trains and getting a train in and out of the sidings holds trains up going in all directions.

So the solution at peak hour is to run some trains to/from Bray which provides a through service and avoids the congestion at Pearse.

There is considerable demand on the south side particularly at Blackrock, Lansdowne Rd and Grand Canal Dock

The signaling upgrade will result in the third platform at Grand Canal Dock being brought into use and Grand Canal Dock is likely to become the terminus for all Maynooth line services. As the very long term plan is to operate Bray-Maynooth as a DART service the current pattern is here to stay

Is the plan for platform 1 at Grand Canal Dock to become the main platform for up DART and commuter services, then use platform 2 mainly for trains terminating there?

Thats the plan

In addition to the commissioning of the unused third platform at Grand Canal Dock the city centre re-signalling scheme will increase the nominal capacity of the line between Pearse and Connolly from about 12 trains per hour per direction to about 20 trains per hour per direction.

Under the revised signalling it will be possible for a northbound train to leave Pearse while the plafform at Tara Street is occupied. Similarly it will be possible to leave Tara Street with a train stationary outside Connolly

Whether the new arrangements actually delivers increased capacity will critically depend on the management of platform occupancy at Pearse, Tara Street and Connolly. The present pattern of operation whereby northern and western diesel operated suburban services idle at Connolly and Tara Street "waiting for time" will clearly have to cease

Currently diesels are scheduled to take 7-8 minutes from departing Pearse to departing Connolly while DARTs are typically scheduled to take 5 minutes. In reality the performance differential trains through this section is less than 30 seconds and scheduling services to take more than five minutes merely generates unnecessary congestion and limits potential throughput.

The only answer is to bite the bullet and add two more lines from Connolly to Pearse as the existing line was only built to cater for one train every thirty minutes to a hour back in the fiftys!!

well, that isnt ever going to happen.