There's very little to complain about with these trains. The seats are comfortable, the tables are a good size, and there's a decent amount of leg room between them. And they line up neatly with the windows. The interior is bright and airy, and well lit. There are interior doors seperating the passenger cabin from the extrior doors.
The toilets are compact, but well laid out, and everything in them works well. The catering service was a trolley service, and they were giving out free tea and coffee with mince pies.
There was a little noise in the carriage from the engine and air conditioning, but it was a fraction of that on a 29k. The suspension was pretty good, not too far off the Mk3 experience, and apart from the odd bump and one or two hairy bends the ride was smooth and comfortable.
As Mark said, the timekeeping was sloppy, but we still arived in Sligo a few minutes. It was probably politicians wanting their photo taken, but if they can't get the press train to leave on time, can we expect anything to?
After Mark's complaits in Waterford, the handrails and grab handles had changed from grey to orange, and the doors are now green. There were also safety notices, though these need to be in the carriage as well as at the doors.
They definitely feel like proper Intercity trains, and I think Sligo passengers should be well satisfied with them. given the 7% increase in passengers with the wrong stock, expect a big increase in numbers when these bad boys come online.
Hopefully they will be fully certified and running a full service in the next few weeks.
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