Major service cuts??

[Mickey H]

Is there any truth to the reports on another forum of massive service cuts in the new timetable including the storage of half the mk4 trains and withdrawal of some or all Dublin-Limerick services?

[Mark Hennessy]

Some off peak Cork services are rumoured to be switching to 3 car railcars of the new kind that have arrived.

No idea where that leaves the new Dublin Cork carriages which are only about 3-4 years old I believe.

[Mark Gleeson]

There is a thread in the members area concerning this

As it stands there are not enough Mk4 sets to operate the service, 3 car ICR sets may be used on some mid week off peak services. The hourly service remains

[KSW]

Originally Posted by Mark Hennessy

Some off peak Cork services are rumoured to be switching to 3 car railcars of the new kind that have arrived.

No idea where that leaves the new Dublin Cork carriages which are only about 3-4 years old I believe.

give some to the Rosslare line the line could do with nice trains

[sublimity]

i wonder are Irish Rail regretting their decision to withdraw the mk3s. They should be.

The original plan was Mk4s for Dublin Cork, 22ks all other Intercity routes. That plan appears to have changed now. I wonder will we see Mk4s going to Limerick or Tralee in the future.

As regards Rosslare...

[Mark Gleeson]

Since the Mk3's went there isn't any cover for the Mk4's on the Dublin Cork route, many trains mid week are carriying less than 100 people so a 3 car ICR is the best solution. The Mk4 couldn't hack the Dublin Limerick run, too many stops.

There is no mention of any reduction in services between Dublin and Cork other than the 20:30 Cork Dublin service being at risk though it can't be cancelled unless a Dublin Cork service is cancelled. The hourly service will be maintained.

[ThomasJ]

Originally Posted by KSW

give some to the Rosslare line the line could do with nice trains

Surely that given the issue of 22ks needing SDO because some of the platforms on the Rosslare line are too short, if MK3/MK4s are on the line it will make matters worse because the locomotive has to be on the platform as well as the carriages?

Aren't the MK3/MK4 carriages bigger than the 22k carriages?

So whats the point of that, given that the MK3/MK4s will be less capacity for passengers than the 22ks?

[jscales1]

Any update as to whether the Sligo services will be reduced

[Mark Gleeson]

Lets be clear here there should be more scheduled services in 2010 than 2009

Sligo if anything need more services to meet demand, its the busiest route after Dublin Cork!

[sublimity]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

Lets be clear here there should be more scheduled services in 2010 than 2009

Sligo if anything need more services to meet demand, its the busiest route after Dublin Cork!

Yeah and amazingly there is no restaurant/buffet car on any services and there are still commuter trains being used for that length of a journey on sundays

[Cllr Joe Ryan]

I hate to make any comparison to Ryanair but when faced with chalenges in their market place they cut prices. Given the reduction in money in the economy why can't fares be cut to stimulate traffic. Every supplier is under pressure to reduce charges or price in order to stay afloat. Irish Rail cannot ignore the reality of reduced disposable income and hope to maintain all its routes. So if fares are to be kept artificially high until whenever (if ever) the economic prosperity returns what happens to the rail service and passengers?
I haven't heard of Michael O'Leary reducing aircraft on the Dublin Cork route or putting aircraft into storage until he thinks can fill them.

[Mark Gleeson]

But the facts tell a different story

The enhanced timetable and investment program was predicated on quite moderate passenger growth of 3-5% per annum, when in fact the numbers climbed 5-10% per annum for the last few years

In that case the passenger numbers are above target for the proposed service levels, revenue is up as well.

The real problems, are customer service, reliability and journey times, all fully within the control of Irish Rail