Have IE ever done this????
 

Just before Christmas meself and d missus were stopped overnight in a Dutch border town.
Our plan was to get the first train to Germany in the morning which was due to depart at 05.10.
We arrived at the still closed station at 05.00 to find a largish crowd waiting outside the station intent on getting the same train. At 05.05 everyone was looking at watches, tapping on windows, looking for an open door etc to try and get into the station.
at 05.08 a guy (in Hi-Vis vest) appears from inside the station and to everyones relief after a bit of key fumbling opens the station door, a big rush ensued to get on the train only to find our way blocked by a shutter in the subway:eek: .
The Hi-vis guy reappears and after more key fumbling opens the shutter.
However when we got to the platform all we could see was two red lights leaving and the timetable rumbling:mad:.

A couple of times I have arrived to Monasterevin station to get the first train from there and the station hadn't been opened yet. I can only remember it happening once in Portarlington station a couple of years ago - I think up until around 2 years ago the station master used to live there at the station.

We do things differently here
 

I thought IE left platform access open preceisely so they don't have to get a hi-vis out of bed that early in the morning.

z

Vast majority of stations can be left open at night

Is that safe, i know all the big stations would be open to workers for train repair and cleaning at night, but unless its a station at a level crossing its not possible to get into a station when theres no services, or no one there.

But Thurles, Sallins, Hazelhatch, Coolmine, Blackrock, Portmarnock, Sutton, Howth, Seapoint, Sandymount, Lansdowne Rd, Sydney Parade the list is end less are all open at night

Does this include leaving the gate open to the platform?

Yes

When I lived near Lansdown Road it was common for the station master not to appear till after 11am on Sunday mornings so the platforms had to be open all night to let people board. :rolleyes:

Why do IR have so many problems keeping staff in their stations?

This wasn't a case of a train passing thru an unmanned station. The train (a german one) started from this station, indeed we saw it parked up on its departure platform the night before so unless they slept overnight in the train the driver and condutor had to be let in somehow, the Hi-Vis guy who opened the station came from inside and in one room on a platform there was no shortage of Hi-Vis guys ("nothing to do with us we work for NedTrain").
A confederacy of Dunces maybe.......?

so the train left empty?,i've seen this with bus eireann in bus aras,bus's leaving empty as they've changed the departure gate without telling people.