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Unread 02-09-2016, 17:58   #16
James Howard
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Sligo Line
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I'd say the main reason is the quality of the infrastructure. The stretch of four-tracking keeps the intercity trains out of conflict with local trains. The DART is the main reason why Belfast and Rosslare are so slow.

On the single Sligo there is a very long stretch between crossings at Maynooth and Killucan which means that they need to leave a huge amount of padding since they can't easily change the crossing point if a train is running late. Enfield has a crossing but it's not a lot of use since there is only one platform. Adding a usable crossing between Maynooth and Killucan would make a huge difference in terms of knock-on delays from crossing and would allow for tighter timings. Of course this isn't cheap but they could probably eliminate the Enfield crossing or achieve the same effect by fixing up the second platform at Enfield.
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