[RPI]

I am primarily a cross-border traveler so I have experience of both Irish Rail and NIR. I have to say that NIR tends to be the better operator in terms of customer service and assistance. I think there are a couple of areas of improvement in terms of what Irish Rail could offer within its passenger charter.

1. The call centre hours are quite limited. NIR manages to provide call centre service from 7am to 8pm on weekdays and 8am to 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays. I find it particularly odd that Irish Rail provide a seven-day train service but only five-day customer support.

2. The current special needs section is strange. It seems to combine three different groups under one heading: people with disabilities, people with special needs and parents with young children. They probably should split it to eliminate the risk of confusion or offence.

3. There's a lot of work which still needs to be done regarding staff on Irish Rail. The problem is that the passenger charter is too non-specific.

I have had issues with:
* Staff not being at their posts during advertised hours.
* Staff not being public-facing - train hosts etc. who hide.
* Staff not announcing connections.
* Staff not informing passengers when a problem happens.

The uniforms are quite problematic too - there are issues with Irish Rail staff wearing inappropriate uniforms on services such as the Enterprise. On that service, all NIR conductors and inspectors are neatly turned out in suits etc. while many Irish Rail ones dress like nightclub bouncers in fleeces.

4. There also needs to be some commitment about ensuring that the timetables throughout the system are clear and accurate.

I had a bizarre experience recently when I had to catch the first Enterprise to Belfast from Drogheda. The Translink timetable said that the service left Drogheda at 08.07. The notices at the station said either 08.09 or 08.10 depending on which one you looked at. Which time is correct?