Rail Users Ireland Forum - View Single Post - [13-03-2007] 6pm - no northbound DART/Commuter services until ???

Rashers · 13-03-2007, 21:53

The earlier delays really caught IE offguard.
CTC made a complete balls-up with the information, and even after standing in Lansdowne Road station for 1 hour, they were still announcing, they would come back with more information.
I rang up Connolly information and later their booking office who advised, that CTC were not giving out any information. I was trying to get the 16.50 Bray to Drogheda service, which around 18.15 'disappeared' off the displays. Connolly information thought it had been cancelled mid route, but they told me that really they had no idea where it had vanished to.
So the last DART through Lansdowne was at 17.15 approx. The next DART afterwards was the one that failed. At 18.10, CTC decided to route one of the northbound DARTs stuck behind the 17.15 one, onto the southbound platform in Lansdowne. They then routed this back onto the northbound line to just before Grand Canal dock. However, after 15 mins waiting just north of there, the service was then routed onto the southbound platform at Pearse street. By now confusion rained.
The DART driver decided not to bother telling anyone what was happening.
I rang Connolly to find out should I head for the 18.40 Connolly-Drogheda service, but they advised the earlier 18.15 Pearse - Drogheda was waiting in Pearse street (In fact they did not even know this service had failed, and was now blocking the northbound line/platform). They did kindly advise the 18.40 would leave without any of the connecting passengers stuck on this DART.
I got off there, and got on the delayed 18.15 service, which left around 18.50. A 4 car Maynooth service pulled in on the southbound platform, and looked like it was mopped. It left ahead of the Drogheda service, but was then held in Connolly, with what looked liked issues to do with the crowds trying to get on.

Interestingly, when I checked the IE website @ 17.15, it showed the next service northbound as my Drogheda service. But when I got to the station at 17.20 it showed the previous DART was delayed. Great new website, same incorrect and false 'live' feeds.

It really was a disasterous evening for IE. Complete service breakdown. Terrible information flows. No one seemed to know what was happening. When things go wrong they sometimes seem to abandon the passengers, which is what seems to have happened tonight.
I would expect notices in the stations tomorrow morning, given the serious nature of the impact, but we'll wait and see what Barry + Corporate Communications can do.

13-03-2007, 21:53	#5
Rashers Really Regular Poster Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 431	Nightmare The earlier delays really caught IE offguard. CTC made a complete balls-up with the information, and even after standing in Lansdowne Road station for 1 hour, they were still announcing, they would come back with more information. I rang up Connolly information and later their booking office who advised, that CTC were not giving out any information. I was trying to get the 16.50 Bray to Drogheda service, which around 18.15 'disappeared' off the displays. Connolly information thought it had been cancelled mid route, but they told me that really they had no idea where it had vanished to. So the last DART through Lansdowne was at 17.15 approx. The next DART afterwards was the one that failed. At 18.10, CTC decided to route one of the northbound DARTs stuck behind the 17.15 one, onto the southbound platform in Lansdowne. They then routed this back onto the northbound line to just before Grand Canal dock. However, after 15 mins waiting just north of there, the service was then routed onto the southbound platform at Pearse street. By now confusion rained. The DART driver decided not to bother telling anyone what was happening. I rang Connolly to find out should I head for the 18.40 Connolly-Drogheda service, but they advised the earlier 18.15 Pearse - Drogheda was waiting in Pearse street (In fact they did not even know this service had failed, and was now blocking the northbound line/platform). They did kindly advise the 18.40 would leave without any of the connecting passengers stuck on this DART. I got off there, and got on the delayed 18.15 service, which left around 18.50. A 4 car Maynooth service pulled in on the southbound platform, and looked like it was mopped. It left ahead of the Drogheda service, but was then held in Connolly, with what looked liked issues to do with the crowds trying to get on. Interestingly, when I checked the IE website @ 17.15, it showed the next service northbound as my Drogheda service. But when I got to the station at 17.20 it showed the previous DART was delayed. Great new website, same incorrect and false 'live' feeds. It really was a disasterous evening for IE. Complete service breakdown. Terrible information flows. No one seemed to know what was happening. When things go wrong they sometimes seem to abandon the passengers, which is what seems to have happened tonight. I would expect notices in the stations tomorrow morning, given the serious nature of the impact, but we'll wait and see what Barry + Corporate Communications can do.