[26/11/13] Delays on Cobh - Cork services
 

8.30 ex cobh was 17 mins late and all earlier trains late as well

No excuses given - can't blame leaves on line as Midleton services which share the line are all running to time

Passengers missing lectures and bus connections

Dublin train connections also missed and IR staff insisting on €10 surcharge

Surely that surcharge shouldn't apply if booked as a through ticket?

Cork-Cobh can be hard to get back on schedule in rush-hour because of the tight turnaround times, but once the frequency is halved during the day it becomes less of a problem.

Unfortunately you cannot book a Cobh-Dublin ticket online as the TVMs in Cobh remain sealed apparantly because there is water coming through the roof near the TVM (I am not making this up!!)

So as a Cobh customer you must buy your online Cork-Dublin ticket and buy a seperate Cobh/Cork ticket at the Cobh booking office !

I would strongly advise appealing that decision.

If you missed the train, then it is their fault and not yours.

Surely there are procedures to allow for situations where connections are missed because of late-running trains. Surely there is someone in Cork station who can authorise acceptance of online bookings made in good faith.

What are managers for?

Customers choosing to book separate tickets are not covered in the event of a delay at where their ticket splits.

If

1) The connection is advertised on the journey planner, but Irish Rail don't offer the facility to purchase a combined ticket, requiring customers to buy tickets separately; and

2) The connection is missed because of the first train running late

Then surely to God the company should be allowing anyone with a pre-purchased ticket for the Intercity trip that has been so discommoded to travel on the next train without having to pay an additional €10.

If not, that frankly is nuts.