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Unread 05-08-2010, 19:57   #10
Alan French
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 89
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I wasn't at the Aviva yesterday (4th) - I was trying to get home just as everyone else was going to the match. At Pearse Station, I had to let three trains pass because they were stuffed full. I eventually got home on the Rosslare train (fortunately, I live in Dun Laoghaire).

Things have always been bad when a match starts just at the end of the evening rush hour. But I've never known it to be so bad that I couldn't get on to three consecutive trains. Or have I just been lucky?

What should be done about this? Is it enough to say the commuters will have to endure the occasional day like that? I don't think so. An hour's delay is a lot for a commuter. It reminds me of the problem with the Rosslare train on the recent bank holiday (mentioned elsewhere). The attitude seems to be "We know there will be more crowds today, but we'll just provide the same capacity as usual and hope that it works out". Not a very clever attitude!

We are already looking for an improved peak-hour service every day (see timetable consultation), and that would give some improvement on match days. Extra trains for match days would obviously help - if there is anything to spare at that time. How about running selected trains non-stop from Pearse to Sydney Parade (thus missing the three stations used by match passengers)? This would separate match goers from commuters, and give the latter some chance.

On a lighter note, when one of the DART trains came into Pearse yesterday, as I queued to get on, I signalled to people inside to move along and fill the empty standing space in the middle of the coach. Nothing happened. When I reached a point where the open door blocked my view of these passengers, I shouted into the coach in my most authoritative voice, "Could you move along and fill the empty space in the middle, please?" It worked! Then I said at normal volume to the people around me, "They can't see that I'm not wearing an orange vest!" As a result, a few more got on to the train, though I wasn't one of them.
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