Irish Rail September Timetable Changes

loyatemu · 10-09-2018 11:31am

6 car train every 10 minutes is actually slightly more capacity than an 8 car every 15 mins. But certain trains will always be busier, particularly if they hit the CC around 9.

realised this morning that there's now a 40 minute gap after the morning rush in Greystones (0924 - 1004) so there isn't even a clock-face timetable anymore, with trains at xx24 and xx54 during the rush hour and then changing to xx04/xx34 for the rest of the day. Great.

Decuc500 · 10-09-2018 11:34am

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

Wait, there are LESS trains running from howth with the new timetable? Should there not be more trains with the increase in frequency?

The problem is that previously there were darts leaving Howth at frequencies of 17, 15, 11 minutes between 8am and 9am. The frequency has been reduced to every 20 minutes now. And it seems all these darts after 8 are all half sized as well.

By any account it's a shocking reduction in service.

ohnonotgmail · 10-09-2018 11:37am

Decuc500 wrote: »

The problem is that previously there were darts leaving Howth at frequencies of 17, 15, 11 minutes between 8am and 9am. The frequency has been reduced to every 20 minutes now. And it seems all these darts after 8 are all half sized as well.

By any account it's a shocking reduction in service.

I suppose i should not be surprised that Irish Rail have managed to cock this up so badly. I've been using the dart for the last 2 weeks because my car was off the road. I was considering using the dart on a semi-regular basis going forward but now i'm not so sure.

thomasj · 10-09-2018 11:40am

There was a howthbound DART as well that terminated in howth junction this morning due to it being 17 minutes

Decuc500 · 10-09-2018 11:44am

murpho999 wrote: »

But in truth you have no idea if she was ill beforehand.

People who are likely to get weak in a packed train should not travel in rush hour in any major city.
You can’t blame Irish Rail for everything.

Well that's exactly what I'm doing. Last week this train wasn't packed. Now it's jammed to standing capacity. So IR caused this crush-like condition by reducing their rush hour service causing (and I am assuming here) this woman to sit on the floor with her head between her knees.

Reality is people faint on darts when there are sardine like conditions. I've seen it a few times.

LEIN · 10-09-2018 11:49am

loyatemu wrote: »

6 car train every 10 minutes is actually slightly more capacity than an 8 car every 15 mins. But certain trains will always be busier, particularly if they hit the CC around 9.

realised this morning that there's now a 40 minute gap after the morning rush in Greystones (0924 - 1004) so there isn't even a clock-face timetable anymore, with trains at xx24 and xx54 during the rush hour and then changing to xx04/xx34 for the rest of the day. Great.

The problem is, they can't run a 6 car DART every 10 due to compatibility of original v newer.

loyatemu · 10-09-2018 11:53am

LEIN wrote: »

The problem is, they can't run a 6 car DART every 10 due to compatibility of original v newer.

yes you're right. The train I got this morning was a 6-car LHB set, so I guess they can run the old ones as 6 car and the newer ones as 4 and 8.

XPS_Zero · 10-09-2018 2:06pm

murpho999 wrote: »

But in truth you have no idea if she was ill beforehand.

People who are likely to get weak in a packed train should not travel in rush hour in any major city.
You can’t blame Irish Rail for everything.

I have to say I'm greatly amused and mildly irritated at the naivety of this notion, and that people think it's common sense. You've maybe not been seriously ill and had to go to hospital appointments early in the day. This is why I roll my eyes at the whole "void the FT passes during rush hour again" argument, because, as I pointed out many a time before, when you are seriously ill or have an ongoing disability you have lots of hospital appointments to go to, and the consultant appointments and blood banks tend to be bunched in the early morning 'get in by 8am and your theoretical appointment is 8:15 but it's really 10' kinda thing.
I often wonder how those of us on social welfare simultainiously fake our disabilities and lay in bed until 1pm then watch Gerry Springer until 5 before going down to get a few cans manage to simultaneously clog up rush hour PT

maybe peoples stereotypes are contradicting each other?

I get that if you are already feeling faint getting onto a crushed DART is a bad idea, but lets face it most people don't really have a choice. Tune into daytime radio and you'll hear endless whinging and moaning about people abusing their sick days and sick pay schemes and how they should just "pull the finger out" and get back into work. Plus imagine telling your boss "i felt faint so I waited for the next DART, that's why I'm late". I imagine even a sympathetic boss would start your HR countdown clock (the whole written warning, verbal warning dance before you eventually get canned).

As to the overall scheme, I was mildly cynical when I saw that nothing, not even a new timetable, will stop the Rosslare train making my DART late

it's almost reassuring! I am willing to wait until it's ironed out though, I think the introduction to this information wise was VERY poor, it was heavily advertised as coming in AGES ago but people in Ireland tend to treat such announcements as "oh yeh sure...and after I get my 10 minute dart I'll change to DART underground at the Stephens Green underground station then hop on a Metro before finally getting my BRT home....". The public has become VERY cynical about such announcements, rightly so. So lets see what happens as people become more aware, as the information rollout in the last few weeks on this was terrible.

My own Malahide bound dart had to dodge onto the loopline to let the Enterprise overtake us and let a freight train come through, but it was a very breif pause, the kind of minor hiccup you'd expect with a new timetable.

I think maybe we should avoid lighting our hair on fire and give it a chance to work.

Many of us don't have cars, and really have no choice but to use PT.

end of the road · 10-09-2018 2:11pm

gimli2112 wrote: »

Got down to the station at the normal time, next Dart 17 minutes away. It's a first world problem but a two track rail system isn't rocket science, is it?

when there is effectively no redundantsy or flexibility (few passing loops etc) then unfortunately it is a bit of a struggle to manage. in saying that irish rail can do better then they are.

end of the road · 10-09-2018 2:18pm

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

Wait, there are LESS trains running from howth with the new timetable?

yes

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

Should there not be more trains with the increase in frequency?

no as the 10 minute frequency is in the cor only (bray to howth junction) . the trains are divided between howth and mallahide on a 20 minute frequency.

Franz Von Peppercorn · 10-09-2018 2:26pm

Decuc500 wrote: »

The problem is that previously there were darts leaving Howth at frequencies of 17, 15, 11 minutes between 8am and 9am. The frequency has been reduced to every 20 minutes now. And it seems all these darts after 8 are all half sized as well.

By any account it's a shocking reduction in service.

8am 8 30 845 but then 9:15 was as I recall the old timetable from howth. Now it’s 8, 8:20, 8:41, 9.

However if they are smaller could be a problem.

end of the road · 10-09-2018 2:26pm

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

I suppose i should not be surprised that Irish Rail have managed to cock this up so badly. I've been using the dart for the last 2 weeks because my car was off the road. I was considering using the dart on a semi-regular basis going forward but now i'm not so sure.

to be fair it's the NTA this time. irish rail apparently did not want this new timetable because they knew that it would ultimately lead to where we are now. NTA went ahead anyway and told them to implement it.

thomasj · 10-09-2018 2:36pm

end of the road wrote:

to be fair it's the NTA this time. irish rail apparently did not want this new timetable because they knew that it would ultimately lead to where we are now. NTA went ahead anyway and told them to implement it.

According to Irish rail on twitter this morning, their operations department planned it and the NTA agreed it.

The J Stands for Jay · 10-09-2018 2:41pm

XPS_Zero wrote: »

I have to say I'm greatly amused and mildly irritated at the naivety of this notion, and that people think it's common sense. You've maybe not been seriously ill and had to go to hospital appointments early in the day. This is why I roll my eyes at the whole "void the FT passes during rush hour again" argument, because, as I pointed out many a time before, when you are seriously ill or have an ongoing disability you have lots of hospital appointments to go to, and the consultant appointments and blood banks tend to be bunched in the early morning 'get in by 8am and your theoretical appointment is 8:15 but it's really 10' kinda thing.
I often wonder how those of us on social welfare simultainiously fake our disabilities and lay in bed until 1pm then watch Gerry Springer until 5 before going down to get a few cans manage to simultaneously clog up rush hour PT maybe peoples stereotypes are contradicting each other?

I get that if you are already feeling faint getting onto a crushed DART is a bad idea, but lets face it most people don't really have a choice. Tune into daytime radio and you'll hear endless whinging and moaning about people abusing their sick days and sick pay schemes and how they should just "pull the finger out" and get back into work. Plus imagine telling your boss "i felt faint so I waited for the next DART, that's why I'm late". I imagine even a sympathetic boss would start your HR countdown clock (the whole written warning, verbal warning dance before you eventually get canned).

As to the overall scheme, I was mildly cynical when I saw that nothing, not even a new timetable, will stop the Rosslare train making my DART late it's almost reassuring! I am willing to wait until it's ironed out though, I think the introduction to this information wise was VERY poor, it was heavily advertised as coming in AGES ago but people in Ireland tend to treat such announcements as "oh yeh sure...and after I get my 10 minute dart I'll change to DART underground at the Stephens Green underground station then hop on a Metro before finally getting my BRT home....". The public has become VERY cynical about such announcements, rightly so. So lets see what happens as people become more aware, as the information rollout in the last few weeks on this was terrible.

My own Malahide bound dart had to dodge onto the loopline to let the Enterprise overtake us and let a freight train come through, but it was a very breif pause, the kind of minor hiccup you'd expect with a new timetable.

I think maybe we should avoid lighting our hair on fire and give it a chance to work.

Many of us don't have cars, and really have no choice but to use PT.

And the DART is still delaying the rosslare service...

thomasj · 10-09-2018 2:45pm

It's just as bad on the Maynooth line. The morning service from Maynooth to bray (according to last year's census the busiest commuter service on the network) now runs after the early bird from Sligo .

The Sligo earlybird has a reputation of being late constantly and this morning was no different , it was delayed by 20-30 minutes. Still they kept the Maynooth bray train in Maynooth until the Sligo earlybird had left.

XPS_Zero · 10-09-2018 2:48pm

McGaggs wrote: »

And the DART is still delaying the rosslare service...

So were mutually screwing each other? Lovely....

Maybe it really is time to halt it and do the interchange at Greystones or BRay (braces for punchs...)

Decuc500 · 10-09-2018 3:07pm

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

8am 8 30 845 but then 9:15 was as I recall the old timetable from howth. Now it’s 8, 8:20, 8:41, 9.

However if they are smaller could be a problem.

From my own experience this morning and reading twitter I think all trains from Howth after 8 o'clock were 4 carriages long. I presume it will be the same this evening as well.

end of the road · 10-09-2018 3:32pm

thomasj wrote: »

According to Irish rail on twitter this morning, their operations department planned it and the NTA agreed it.

the 10 minute dart was the NTA's idea in the first place though. or at least that is what i understand.

XPS_Zero wrote: »

So were mutually screwing each other? Lovely....
Maybe it really is time to halt it and do the interchange at Greystones or BRay (braces for punchs...)

no, you aren't being screwed at all. the second part of your post suggests that you want to hugely screw others for nothing though. even though you can leave a tad earlier and get a train a few minutes earlier.

XPS_Zero · 10-09-2018 3:41pm

end of the road wrote: »

the 10 minute dart was the NTA's idea in the first place though. or at least that is what i understand.

no, you aren't being screwed at all. the second part of your post suggests that you want to hugely screw others for nothing though. even though you can leave a tad earlier and get a train a few minutes earlier.

I don't want to screw others, there is a problem, where two services interfere with each other, it's simply my opinion that if the two were seperated this problem would be eliminated and it would allow for more services south of Bray in return for a delay for Rosslare customers of less than 10 minutes (which is the time difference between getting the train from Connoly to Bray v the DART I've tried it several dozen times now and each time with only one exception, by the time I get to Bray to do my turn around back to Killiney the DART i would have gotten behind it arrives in Bray first).

marieholmfan · 10-09-2018 3:45pm

thomasj wrote: »

It's just as bad on the Maynooth line. The morning service from Maynooth to bray (according to last year's census the busiest commuter service on the network) now runs after the early bird from Sligo .

The Sligo earlybird has a reputation of being late constantly and this morning was no different , it was delayed by 20-30 minutes. Still they kept the Maynooth bray train in Maynooth until the Sligo earlybird had left.

Not an accurate statement. It was delayed by no more than ten minutes.

thomasj · 10-09-2018 4:03pm

marieholmfan wrote:

Not an accurate statement. It was delayed by no more than ten minutes.

My sister told me 20 minutes and there were twitter reports that with 12 minutes gone the train still hadn't left

L1011 · 10-09-2018 4:03pm

marieholmfan wrote: »

Not an accurate statement. It was delayed by no more than ten minutes.

It was 3 minutes late on arrival to Connolly. However, it has ridiculous amounts of recovery time built in (45 mins for a service that can be done in 30) and was significantly more than 10 minutes late arriving at Maynooth.

thomasj · 10-09-2018 4:08pm

https://twitter.com/IrishRail/status/1039168031124086784?s=09

devnull · 10-09-2018 4:13pm

There was talk of some kind of industrial action if the timetable went ahead a few pages back, I suspect that may well be the cause of it.

Infini · 10-09-2018 4:18pm

devnull wrote: »

There was talk of some kind of industrial action if the timetable went ahead a few pages back, I suspect that may well be the cause of it.

Or they just either don't have drivers / Trains arent available as well. Too early to say what it is.

end of the road · 10-09-2018 4:21pm

Infini wrote: »

Or they just either don't have drivers / Trains arent available as well. Too early to say what it is.

that's the most likely reason tbh. if it was any kind of industrial action then more would be effected surely?

marieholmfan · 10-09-2018 4:23pm

thomasj wrote: »

My sister told me 20 minutes and there were twitter reports that with 12 minutes gone the train still hadn't left

12<>20

20-12=8

I was on the train.

PCros · 10-09-2018 4:23pm

They are all over the shop - this is embarrassing for a national rail service.

CatInABox · 10-09-2018 4:24pm

end of the road wrote: »

that's the most likely reason tbh. if it was any kind of industrial action then more would be effected surely?

Not if it's an unofficial action.

devnull · 10-09-2018 4:25pm

CatInABox wrote: »

Not if it's an unofficial action.

There's been talk about some staff having a few issues the last few days, don't take my word for it, GM228 has been saying pretty much the same thing and said it's possible that it will happen.

Irish Rail September Timetable Changes

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