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Unread 17-04-2013, 14:11   #11
dowlingm
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a few points:

First and with no disrespect intended to Mark, since it's not actually him who's responsible here, I don't think Irish Rail playing the business case card will do. We saw with the Alan Kelly Express where the service train ended up in a different slot from where it was initially planned both leaving Limerick and entering the GDA. Now they are throwing 6 euro return tickets to Limerick from Nenagh around on Saturdays. Where the business case is for all that was beats me. Obviously there might be scheduling diceyness around LTC given the number of train entering service but otherwise one could operate a similar timing to one of the mid-day trains:
  • Dublin 0600
  • Thurles 0709 (connect to Limerick dep 0740 - a long wait I admit but I'm trying to do this in a low impact way)
  • Charleville 0745
  • Mallow 0800 (taking over existing service which judging by timetable appears to be deadheaded up there, or a stored 2326 arr?)
  • Cork 0830
Now, when the business case was initially drawn up doubtless there was an intent that the Mk4 equipment would be standard Dublin-Cork. We've now seen enough 22K x 3 sets on midday runs to know that's no longer Holy Writ. As for Charleville, that service as I recall was commuter stock sent from Cork? Can't remember if it deadheaded or whether there was some revenue on the northbound. In any event an 0745 departure of an inbound revenue service has got to be better economics wise and a 45min journey Charleville-Cork would compare very favourably to the competing 0715 75min bus service.

The arriving 22K could then take over a Cork diagram normally handled by based stock with a Cork 22K going the other way later or (whisper it) doing a similar late express run
  • Cork 2120 (Cobh connection arr 2054, Midleton connection arr 2108)
  • Mallow 2141
  • Limerick Junction 2216 (connection time Cork-Limerick drops from 1h18m to 18m, with a 2145 dep/2213 arr Limerick-Limerick Junction taking over 2238 dep Limerick Junction-Limerick and also providing a closer Limerick-Cork connect to the southbound 2234)
  • Portlaoise 2302
  • Heuston 2352
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