Had the dubious pleasure of travelling on the 10.25 Enniscorthy/Connolly ICR this morning and while I appreciate the greatly reduced engine noise and generally better layout of the carriages I was somewhat alarmed by the filth of the carpets throughout the set - both in the central gangway and under the tables. Beer stains and gum much in evidence. On the return trip I boarded in Dun Laoghaire and attempted to wash the childrens' hands (contaminated by the filth in Dun Laoghaire station) - no water - somethings never change. Incidentally, this was my first visit to a 22000 toilet and I was left wondering were they designed for dwarves? In some ways, while being a damn sight better than the 'commuter' railcars they replaced, the 22000s are a continuation of CIE/IEs ongoing quest for aesthetics over utilty. I also noted that Rathdrum (unmanned) is experiencing an attack from the village idiot grafitti artists - can anything be done?
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