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Unread 17-02-2013, 13:45   #5
James Howard
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Sligo Line
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Removing stops probably isn't really a possibility - certainly east of Longford there are relatively few stops and these are all quite busy anyway. The Maynooth running time is just stupid. I have been on a delayed service that has covered Connolly to Maynooth in under 15 minutes so 20 should be achievable but not with Irish Rail's somewhat casual attitude towards timing.

If you look at the 0545 up-train, this is scheduled for 37 minutes between Maynooth and Connolly - 7 minutes more than the 1100 yet it manages an overall running time of 2 minutes less - probably because it doesn't have a spare 10 minutes allocated to sit in Edgeworthstown waiting for a crossing.

A bit more flexibility with scheduling the crossings would also be a massive help. Most up trains wait to cross for 10 minutes in Edgeworthstown but surely it would make more sense to plan to cross in Longford as it is more likely that a down train is going to be delayed due to congestion around Dublin. Then you could have the up-train proceed the 11km or so to Edgeworthstown and cross there if a down-train was delayed. Something similar would work between Mullingar and Killucan but Edgeworthstown and Mullingar are too far apart. In an ideal world, adding an extra crossing somewhere like the former Inny Junction would give even more flexibility but that is never going to happen.

90mph running wouldn't help the timetable while Irish Rail still run 29Ks to Sligo which are restricted to 70mph.
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