Ive started getting the 1713 on a regular basis again on my short days, but from connolly and not tara when i was in lectures. And ive now discovered that the back carraiges on this service are really undercrowded. All previous trains i used to get like the 1645 where packed everywhere, this one isnt. Kind of a god send cause now i know i can sit with my back too the door, i dont care if theres no seats. Hopefully there wont be a platform change like today when i get back to getting it from tara.

Stupid p7, its northbound but yet the doors open southbound, talkabout stupid!:rolleyes:

Has an "express shortcut" ever been proposed for the northern line to cut the "Skerries curve", so Enterprise and express suburban could run along this alignment in the peak direction and overtake DART/stopping 29000s? Obviously it wouldn't be a silver bullet (3-4 tracking in Dublin, Connolly platforms etc.) but in terms of improving the express service timings it might help?

Would only work for Drogheda bound trains, its all green now but just wait.

There was a afternoon train a few years back which pulled in in Skerries and was overtaken, the 10 minute delay to the Drogheda train didn't go down well

Two of them actually the 1450 Pearse Gormanston and 1620 Pearse Drogheda. Usually ended up waiting 5-10 minutes just before the Balbriggan Viaduct for the Enterprise to go through. Of course the trains were Cravens, so no locks on the doors, so nothing to stop you jumping off early.....or into the path of the Enterprise......

remember that train well,ppl regularly would jump off.

The 20:25 from Pearse to Drogheda (I think it actually starts in Roslare, and is normally a 2600) runs on the wrong tracks through Skerries, and is overtaken by the 20:45. It often has to wait just before Balbriggan for the Enterprise to pass. Skerries would be very easy to 3-track, which could allow most are all non-stopping trains to take to the middle track and pass a stopping one.

As far as I'm aware the Skerries Balbriggan Dublin bound is reversible

Now if IE could run on time you could do this a lot more but the lack of precision in the times means it doesn't work correctly

Increasing the capacity of the Northern Line and enabling it to cope when things go a bit wrong (as they inevitably do) may run into difficulties because 3rd or 4th tracks are very expensive. However by comparison fully banalised signalling all the way to Drogheda, plus a few sets of properly located crossovers should be relatively inexpensive (no heavy civil engineering). I realise that use of the"wrong" road may not be possible in all circumstances, but it should ensure that Enterprises could overtake stopping trains on occasion. It would also make for much easier maintenance, track posession, etc.

Squeezing maximum capacity out of existing lines should be a high priority throughout much of the system.