Both on the line between Belfast and Coleraine. I don't know what caused this morning's failure

The biggest single source of disruption on today's railways are signalling failures. Some of these are minor but any event that requires the suspension of services is major and disturbing. There are occasions when a partial suspension is the appropriate response as a degraded signalling system can such such delays as to make suspension the lesser of two evils.

This, like so many other handicaps of modern railway operations, is something which was virtually unknown on the traditional railway where signal box failures were generally confined to a fire or structural collapse.

Irish Rail from the same phenomenum with Heuston, Kildare, Portarlington, Clonsilla, Maynooth and DART locations featuring on a reasonably regular basis.

The other problem especially in Dublin is the fact that we have two line two platform stations everywhere so when something breaks down it blocks pretty much everything and everything gets stuck. The infrastructure for turn back and refugee / recovery sidings is woefully underdeveloped, it's a joke that in a capital city one train breaking down can take down the entire network.

If you remember following culture night in 2014 there were MANY signal failures at a regular basis at exactly the same time of the day for several weeks before they eventually called some external experts in to look at it and apparently they found the problem very quickly.

Only logical reason is they are not been maintained enough however there has been a big improvement in DART, Howth J was almost a weekly problem last winter especially after they just replaced the points and that seems't to be gone. DART seem's to be having a good run lately generally.

I wouldn't say Heuston side features very often, granted Portarlington went down on Wednesday (late night) but there has been no major disruption since the ESB failure at Kildare a few weeks ago and prior to that I can't recall another recent one.

I thought Sallins was in trouble in the last few weeks, Blakestown last Monday and DART at least once last week (not Merrion).

Think that was a train fault a few weeks ago, even if a signal issue I wouldn't put Heuston into the same box as the disasters which happens through Connolly week in week out whether it be signal/bridge/LC been hit/medical issues etc.

Signal failure at Raheny caused delays this morning

There are delays on the Heuston route each week ie signalling issues, technical issues, we get the same 'old apologies' the 07.52am train from Hazelhatch to Heuston hasn't run on time for about 2 weeks - it showed up this morning about 15mins late. Perhaps when the new timetable is published it should have printed of the front "The Fairy Tales of Ireland" - turn up on the hour and on the half hour you might catch a train.

more signal failures
 

Two for the price of one it seems:

Delays of up to 25mins to DART services due to signal fault in Bray, services currently suspended between Bray/Greystones. [1 hour ago]

Update: Services have resumed between Bray & Greystones following earlier signal fault, delays of up to 25mins to DART services as a result. [ 37 min ago ]

Update: Delays of up to 30mins to DART services due to signal fault in Bray, services currently suspended between Bray/Greystones. [ 3 min ago ]

as of 1331 Dublin time 22.12.2015

Last time I posted something positive about IE there was a spate of signal faults again. Maybe next time I will say nothing.

Lets hope it doesn't turn into a repeat of what happened in late Autumn / early Winter last year when faults at the same place appeared over and over again

The issue last year was a very specific issue, GE Signalling had to fix an issue with the code. That issue will never happen again, the signalling system was fully functional at all times, just that running it without a computer isn't fun

Water and track circuits don't mix and that generally is the problem

They have been known to fail between Belfast and Antrim when there is very heavy rain.

Anyway back to the refurbished enterprise. 1405 left Belfast 26 late due to mechanical problem on set and is currently showing 29 late at Newry

It missed out Lisburn as well.

32 late ex Drogheda. Problem this time was failure of locomotive 206 at Belfast Central, 208 was brought from the depot to replace it

37 late now meaning ETA 1654. 1650 Belfast will be at least 10 late

Just gone through Malahide at 1640 directly behind a local from Drogheda which in turn is directly behind a DART. Return 1650 will probably be at least 20 minutes late and maybe double that by the time it gets to Drogheda. Yet again the lack of overtaking facilities compound the original delay.

1520 to Belfast delayed by DART failure at Killester.

IE Real time shows 1650 23 late passing Clontarf Road

I actually got to Clongriffin tonight and on getting off heard the sound of a loco before the doors even opened on the DART.

At first when I heard the sound before I saw anything, I fully expected to see the enterprise carriages attached but it was just on it's own and appears to be waiting for something in the loop platform.

The failure of a DART explains the odd sighting of a 4 car DART going southbound out of service at Raheny, I guess it turned back at Clongriffin. thank god for the loop there, even if it's only one way.

Just noticed 0800 ex Belfast was 27 late today but no idea why