Thurles-Clonmel via Limerick Junction

Destructix · 06-09-2011, 01:14

Thinking of ways to get to Clonmel later today only option really is i got to drive there. By rail its €33 i think and a really bad timetable.

I really don't get how it would cost me more from Thurles-Clonmel than Thurles-Limerick given the very poor service (just 3 trains there 3 trains back, a day) and less distance it is

I would imagine a commuter service direct from Thurles-Tipperary Town-Cahir-Clonmel would be very popular given the amount of people who travel by bus/car between the towns. I think 3 trains to Waterford 3 trains to Limerick Junction a day for a town the size of Clonmel is madness, a town that size should have a comprehensive train service like Thurles and Portlaoise.

Intercity trains should be used on that line too connecting Thurles Templemore etc to Plunkett Waterford. Seems crazy they aint implemented a service like this. A number of people in Thurles get on buses to Clonmel and then on to Waterford too so they wont exactly be stuck for customers. Apart from Dublin-Cork it seems every other line which has potential to make money in this country the service is a joke.

comcor · 06-09-2011, 10:10

I don't know if a direct service could be justified, when more connections at Limerick Junction could deliver a much enhanced service more easily. The layout of Limerick Junction also makes running from the Dublin line to the Waterford line a time-wasting pain in the butt.

But that fare is utterly insane. It can only be 50km maximum between the two towns.

James Howard · 06-09-2011, 12:36

Sounds about right. I sometimes take Longford to Edgeworthstown as my pass only gets me to Edgeworthstown and this costs €7.70 for about 14 km.

There are several people who occasionally take the train from Edgeworthstown to Mullingar where there is never a ticket collector present who I have never seen buying a ticket. On the other hand, I am stupid enough to actually pay the €6.70 (I get a euro off for my annual pass) when travelling from Longford.

They really should look at some of the fares between rural towns on Intercity lines. In most cases, once you are going more than 20km, it is cheaper to buy a day return to Dublin if you aren't going early in the morning. There is a chance that I might take the kids on a spin to Mullingar or Boyle on a weekend but not if it is going to cost 50 quid for a journey that costs 20 in a car.

Colm Moore · 06-09-2011, 13:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Destructix

Thinking of ways to get to Clonmel later today only option really is i got to drive there. By rail its €33 i think and a really bad timetable.

I don't know the correct fare, but I suspect that isn't correct Limerick Junction-Waterford has a special fares matrix to reflect the poor service.

It may be useful to phone the station in Limerick Junction 062-51824 or Clonmel 052-21982.

Destructix · 06-09-2011, 18:57

I called Thurles train station. It's €29.40 return. I'm pretty sure it was €33 at the machine last week, unless it went down in price which i doubt it did. probably the ticket machine hasn't got a correct price for it. I will check it tomorrow on the machine. On Irishrail.ie it's €22.20 one way regardless if you book it for 2 weeks time or tomorrow. So €44.40 + €3 booking fee cause i don't use a laser card i use Mastercard, wow i can get to Dublin €1.40 cheaper in the booking office.

That's another thing. Iarnród Éireann have to pay a merchant fee of between 1.5 and 3% of the total cost of the transaction. Say i buy a €20 ticket that's roughly about 31c at the highest percentage rate to the Bank/Visa/MasterCard yet where does this €1 charge come in?

Thomas Ralph · 06-09-2011, 20:09

Same place the Ryanair €12 return fee comes from, I imagine.

Mark Gleeson · 07-09-2011, 08:51

The actual distance is 76km and that is why the fare is as high as it is

The fare if you start from Clonmel is considerably less

The current service pattern is about getting to and from Dublin which it does quite well for the limited service and it beats the first bus to Dublin by an hour. Equally you can get from Dublin to Clonmel and back and have a near full day there.

A new fare structure is coming which will balance things up.

Given the nature of the route the best option is to provide a train every two hours from Waterford to Limerick/Galway with connections at Waterford and Limerick Junction

Tipperary operates as two counties so there isn't a serious flow north/south. It is possible to leave Clonmel at 7:30 and be in Thurles for 8:48

comcor · 07-09-2011, 09:23

76km by rail. So in effect you are double punishing people by adding both time and money when the railway line isn't direct.

I'm actually surprised there isn't a special fare between the two towns as a legacy of when there was a direct railway line between them. It can only have closed in the 60s.

In hindsight, it may have been more desirable to have kept the Thurles-Clonmel link rather than Limerick Junction-Clonmel one. It would have provided the possibility of Dublin direct or at least with a better connection than at present. Clonmel-Dublin is actually poorly served by all forms of public transport.

peterh · 07-09-2011, 14:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Destructix

Thinking of ways to get to Clonmel later today only option really is i got to drive there. By rail its €33 i think and a really bad timetable.

I really don't get how it would cost me more from Thurles-Clonmel than Thurles-Limerick given the very poor service (just 3 trains there 3 trains back, a day) and less distance it is

I would imagine a commuter service direct from Thurles-Tipperary Town-Cahir-Clonmel would be very popular given the amount of people who travel by bus/car between the towns. I think 3 trains to Waterford 3 trains to Limerick Junction a day for a town the size of Clonmel is madness, a town that size should have a comprehensive train service like Thurles and Portlaoise.

Intercity trains should be used on that line too connecting Thurles Templemore etc to Plunkett Waterford. Seems crazy they aint implemented a service like this. A number of people in Thurles get on buses to Clonmel and then on to Waterford too so they wont exactly be stuck for customers. Apart from Dublin-Cork it seems every other line which has potential to make money in this country the service is a joke.

Irish Rail lack that kind of imagination

06-09-2011, 01:14	#1
Destructix Really Regular Poster Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: North Tipperary Posts: 258	Thurles-Clonmel via Limerick Junction Thinking of ways to get to Clonmel later today only option really is i got to drive there. By rail its €33 i think and a really bad timetable. I really don't get how it would cost me more from Thurles-Clonmel than Thurles-Limerick given the very poor service (just 3 trains there 3 trains back, a day) and less distance it is I would imagine a commuter service direct from Thurles-Tipperary Town-Cahir-Clonmel would be very popular given the amount of people who travel by bus/car between the towns. I think 3 trains to Waterford 3 trains to Limerick Junction a day for a town the size of Clonmel is madness, a town that size should have a comprehensive train service like Thurles and Portlaoise. Intercity trains should be used on that line too connecting Thurles Templemore etc to Plunkett Waterford. Seems crazy they aint implemented a service like this. A number of people in Thurles get on buses to Clonmel and then on to Waterford too so they wont exactly be stuck for customers. Apart from Dublin-Cork it seems every other line which has potential to make money in this country the service is a joke.

07-09-2011, 08:51	#7
Mark Gleeson Technical Officer Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Coach C, Seat 33 Posts: 12,669	The actual distance is 76km and that is why the fare is as high as it is The fare if you start from Clonmel is considerably less The current service pattern is about getting to and from Dublin which it does quite well for the limited service and it beats the first bus to Dublin by an hour. Equally you can get from Dublin to Clonmel and back and have a near full day there. A new fare structure is coming which will balance things up. Given the nature of the route the best option is to provide a train every two hours from Waterford to Limerick/Galway with connections at Waterford and Limerick Junction Tipperary operates as two counties so there isn't a serious flow north/south. It is possible to leave Clonmel at 7:30 and be in Thurles for 8:48 __________________ Unhappy with new timetable - let us know Last edited by Mark Gleeson : 07-09-2011 at 09:13.

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06-09-2011, 10:10	#2
comcor Really Regular Poster Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Cork-Dublin, Cork Commuter and occasionally DART and Dublin-Wexford Posts: 855	I don't know if a direct service could be justified, when more connections at Limerick Junction could deliver a much enhanced service more easily. The layout of Limerick Junction also makes running from the Dublin line to the Waterford line a time-wasting pain in the butt. But that fare is utterly insane. It can only be 50km maximum between the two towns.

06-09-2011, 12:36	#3
James Howard Really Really Regluar Poster Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Sligo Line Posts: 1,115	Sounds about right. I sometimes take Longford to Edgeworthstown as my pass only gets me to Edgeworthstown and this costs €7.70 for about 14 km. There are several people who occasionally take the train from Edgeworthstown to Mullingar where there is never a ticket collector present who I have never seen buying a ticket. On the other hand, I am stupid enough to actually pay the €6.70 (I get a euro off for my annual pass) when travelling from Longford. They really should look at some of the fares between rural towns on Intercity lines. In most cases, once you are going more than 20km, it is cheaper to buy a day return to Dublin if you aren't going early in the morning. There is a chance that I might take the kids on a spin to Mullingar or Boyle on a weekend but not if it is going to cost 50 quid for a journey that costs 20 in a car.

06-09-2011, 18:57	#5
Destructix Really Regular Poster Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: North Tipperary Posts: 258	I called Thurles train station. It's €29.40 return. I'm pretty sure it was €33 at the machine last week, unless it went down in price which i doubt it did. probably the ticket machine hasn't got a correct price for it. I will check it tomorrow on the machine. On Irishrail.ie it's €22.20 one way regardless if you book it for 2 weeks time or tomorrow. So €44.40 + €3 booking fee cause i don't use a laser card i use Mastercard, wow i can get to Dublin €1.40 cheaper in the booking office. That's another thing. Iarnród Éireann have to pay a merchant fee of between 1.5 and 3% of the total cost of the transaction. Say i buy a €20 ticket that's roughly about 31c at the highest percentage rate to the Bank/Visa/MasterCard yet where does this €1 charge come in?

06-09-2011, 20:09	#6
Thomas Ralph IT Officer Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Greenwich, London Posts: 1,860	Same place the Ryanair €12 return fee comes from, I imagine.

07-09-2011, 09:23	#8
comcor Really Regular Poster Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Cork-Dublin, Cork Commuter and occasionally DART and Dublin-Wexford Posts: 855	76km by rail. So in effect you are double punishing people by adding both time and money when the railway line isn't direct. I'm actually surprised there isn't a special fare between the two towns as a legacy of when there was a direct railway line between them. It can only have closed in the 60s. In hindsight, it may have been more desirable to have kept the Thurles-Clonmel link rather than Limerick Junction-Clonmel one. It would have provided the possibility of Dublin direct or at least with a better connection than at present. Clonmel-Dublin is actually poorly served by all forms of public transport.