First Train to Cork at 9:35!

PremierRebel · 07-11-2016, 17:11

Hi there

I'm new to the forum and I'm sure this had probably been debated before but am wondering if there is anyway of registering interest in / lobbying for an earlier service into Cork (or is it just wishful thinking)?

I'm a recent convert to the train (traffic is getting too busy that back-ups at Dunkettle roundabout in Cork are too long to manage the commute daily) so I have the annual tax saver ticket from Limerick Junction to Cork. I am not alone in that there are some familiar faces on the first service with one common complaint that could really do with getting to the office earlier

Will the improvement works that will allow increased speed on the line lead to changes in the timetable soon and the possibility of an earlier arrival in Cork?

Thanks in advance

Jamie2k9 · 07-11-2016, 20:11

Chances are very unlikely to not a chance.

IE won't touch the xx.00 departures from Heuston so it's a case of adding a 06.00. They wouldn't for example advance the 07.00 to 06.30 and compromise.

I'm sure they could be a good argument to scrap the 08.00 or even 10.00 (both low capacity and very quiet) and move it to 06.00. The problem is convincing IE could take years before they come around to seeing the advantages from a customer's point of view.

You will only likely see up to 10 minutes cut from the 07.00 so possibly an 09.25 arrival but as IE are very conservative with schedules I couldn't see it due before 09.30.

Mark Gleeson · 07-11-2016, 20:18

This has been raised numerous times with Irish Rail

It would get us all to Limerick before 9 as well and provide a Limerick-Cork option as well as getting Charliville a morning commuter service

Curiously enough there has always been a plan for a 0600 it just doesn't run, the train code for the 0700 suggests it is the second train of the day from Dublin to Cork not the first

comcor · 08-11-2016, 09:03

How about a service that started in Limerick or in Thurles and got into Cork before 9am? The 08:00 ex Mallow doesn't appear to be a return from an ex-Cork train or a train that starts in Mallow, so could that be started from further up the line?

I know that many years ago (I would think around 2003) there was a train that started in Charleville, but it was canned after a year because it wasn't very successful, but times have changed since then and there is a lot more employment and students in Cork City Centre than there was back then.

PremierRebel · 08-11-2016, 09:33

Thanks so much for the information - I think there is a lot of potential for a service to arrive in Cork earlier but unfortunately it sounds like it will take a lot to convince the powers that be on this.

As you say times have changed a lot over the past few years and with more jobs in Cork these days people are commuting from further afield. It crazy that the train doesn't arrive in earlier to give more options to commuters and also with the current schedule students can't use the service to get to college exams / lectures for a 10am start!

I've filled out those surveys on the train saying that an earlier service is badly needed but not sure how much consideration is given to that!

dowlingm · 31-08-2019, 15:03

With the new platform at the Junction, and using the 1700 express timings, an 0600 departure could serve the Junction at 0726, arrive Mallow at 0758 and assume the current Mallow commuter departure at 0800. This would put the first Dublin train in Cork at 0823 (although the timetablers would likely fudge it to 0825 at the earliest, especially if using Mark 4s).

I do think there is a case for Charleville as well given development pressure in the city, but would like to see the local authorities step up with more of a development notion near the (unfortunately remote from the current town centre) station than “a swathe of tarmac, a better access road, wait for the planning apps to roll in”, and ideally would be in conjunction with another minute or two shaved off permanent speed restrictions rather than make the 0800 Mallow departure unreliable.

James Shields · 02-09-2019, 09:22

It's hard to see how a train arriving in Cork before 9:00 wouldn't be viable. I'm sure there are a lot of people driving who would switch if there was a viable alternative.

There would presumably have to be an extra train in the opposite direction to balance, and I have to say the last train to Dublin at 20:25 is very early, and a 21:00 or 21:25 would also be popular, especially in the summer.

comcor · 02-09-2019, 15:35

The service would have to make itself pay off those going to meetings etc. in Cork and one-off journeys as the 2016 census doesn't indicate any significant commuting to Cork from Charleville, Tipperary Town (for Limerick Junction) or Thurles by any means. There is a little from Limerick. Mallow would be the largest contributor, but it already has a decent commuter service.

With that in mind, possibly a Monday morning only service for students and workers heading back for the week is the place to start, with that giving some idea of demand.

What the census suggested was that getting the 05:55 ex Tralee to run on a Monday and to stop in Banteer on other days would be the most effective thing in terms of North Cork commuting. Numbers commuting from Killarney are decent, while Banteer, Lyre, and Kanturk and Cork add up to something significant.

dowlingm · 02-09-2019, 16:30

Big changes in the housing market since the prior Charleville trial (and that trial was only commuter not intercity from Dublin) but it’s hard to shake the “nope we tried it once and it failed end of” in some quarters.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breaki...nt-947705.html

Quote:

A working couple who are first-time buyers would need to earn between €100,000 and €125,000 to afford a new two-bed apartment in an Irish city, with the affordability gap, and housing shortage, threatening economic and employment growth.

That’s according to a report released today by economic consultants EY-DKM, which found the current cost to build a two-bed apartment in locations like Cork City, docklands, or suburbs is between €389,000 and €486,000.

To purchase, a couple would also need to have saved a cash deposit of between €39,000 and €49,000.

The current high apartment build costs mean that build-to-rent apartments would need to be rented at €2,500 a month for a two-bed, or €3,000 a month for a three-bed, to make their construction financially viable.

Even as a Monday only service an 0600 ex Dublin would allow people to defer travelling on Sunday evening services to stretch their weekend an extra evening rather than head back to Cork on the 2100 and be home at midnight.

comcor · 04-09-2019, 16:24

Figures for how many people got on trains towards Cork on 15th November from last year's heavy rail survey

Thurles: 288
Limerick Junction: 274
Charleville: 9
Mallow: 657

It may have a rubbish service towards Cork (you can't actually get to Cork til 11:40am), but Charleville certainly wouldn't be driving demand on an early service.

Having said that, the figures for Thurles and Limerick Junction aren't bad.

07-11-2016, 17:11	#1
PremierRebel New to the board Join Date: Nov 2016 Posts: 2	First Train to Cork at 9:35! Hi there I'm new to the forum and I'm sure this had probably been debated before but am wondering if there is anyway of registering interest in / lobbying for an earlier service into Cork (or is it just wishful thinking)? I'm a recent convert to the train (traffic is getting too busy that back-ups at Dunkettle roundabout in Cork are too long to manage the commute daily) so I have the annual tax saver ticket from Limerick Junction to Cork. I am not alone in that there are some familiar faces on the first service with one common complaint that could really do with getting to the office earlier Will the improvement works that will allow increased speed on the line lead to changes in the timetable soon and the possibility of an earlier arrival in Cork? Thanks in advance

07-11-2016, 20:18	#3
Mark Gleeson Technical Officer Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Coach C, Seat 33 Posts: 12,669	This has been raised numerous times with Irish Rail It would get us all to Limerick before 9 as well and provide a Limerick-Cork option as well as getting Charliville a morning commuter service Curiously enough there has always been a plan for a 0600 it just doesn't run, the train code for the 0700 suggests it is the second train of the day from Dublin to Cork not the first __________________ Unhappy with new timetable - let us know

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07-11-2016, 20:11	#2
Jamie2k9 Really Really Regluar Poster Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 2,146	Chances are very unlikely to not a chance. IE won't touch the xx.00 departures from Heuston so it's a case of adding a 06.00. They wouldn't for example advance the 07.00 to 06.30 and compromise. I'm sure they could be a good argument to scrap the 08.00 or even 10.00 (both low capacity and very quiet) and move it to 06.00. The problem is convincing IE could take years before they come around to seeing the advantages from a customer's point of view. You will only likely see up to 10 minutes cut from the 07.00 so possibly an 09.25 arrival but as IE are very conservative with schedules I couldn't see it due before 09.30.

08-11-2016, 09:03	#4
comcor Really Regular Poster Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Cork-Dublin, Cork Commuter and occasionally DART and Dublin-Wexford Posts: 855	How about a service that started in Limerick or in Thurles and got into Cork before 9am? The 08:00 ex Mallow doesn't appear to be a return from an ex-Cork train or a train that starts in Mallow, so could that be started from further up the line? I know that many years ago (I would think around 2003) there was a train that started in Charleville, but it was canned after a year because it wasn't very successful, but times have changed since then and there is a lot more employment and students in Cork City Centre than there was back then.

08-11-2016, 09:33	#5
PremierRebel New to the board Join Date: Nov 2016 Posts: 2	Thanks so much for the information - I think there is a lot of potential for a service to arrive in Cork earlier but unfortunately it sounds like it will take a lot to convince the powers that be on this. As you say times have changed a lot over the past few years and with more jobs in Cork these days people are commuting from further afield. It crazy that the train doesn't arrive in earlier to give more options to commuters and also with the current schedule students can't use the service to get to college exams / lectures for a 10am start! I've filled out those surveys on the train saying that an earlier service is badly needed but not sure how much consideration is given to that!

31-08-2019, 15:03	#6
dowlingm Really Really Regluar Poster Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,371	With the new platform at the Junction, and using the 1700 express timings, an 0600 departure could serve the Junction at 0726, arrive Mallow at 0758 and assume the current Mallow commuter departure at 0800. This would put the first Dublin train in Cork at 0823 (although the timetablers would likely fudge it to 0825 at the earliest, especially if using Mark 4s). I do think there is a case for Charleville as well given development pressure in the city, but would like to see the local authorities step up with more of a development notion near the (unfortunately remote from the current town centre) station than “a swathe of tarmac, a better access road, wait for the planning apps to roll in”, and ideally would be in conjunction with another minute or two shaved off permanent speed restrictions rather than make the 0800 Mallow departure unreliable.

02-09-2019, 09:22	#7
James Shields Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Drogheda, Ireland Posts: 1,275	It's hard to see how a train arriving in Cork before 9:00 wouldn't be viable. I'm sure there are a lot of people driving who would switch if there was a viable alternative. There would presumably have to be an extra train in the opposite direction to balance, and I have to say the last train to Dublin at 20:25 is very early, and a 21:00 or 21:25 would also be popular, especially in the summer.

02-09-2019, 15:35	#8
comcor Really Regular Poster Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Cork-Dublin, Cork Commuter and occasionally DART and Dublin-Wexford Posts: 855	The service would have to make itself pay off those going to meetings etc. in Cork and one-off journeys as the 2016 census doesn't indicate any significant commuting to Cork from Charleville, Tipperary Town (for Limerick Junction) or Thurles by any means. There is a little from Limerick. Mallow would be the largest contributor, but it already has a decent commuter service. With that in mind, possibly a Monday morning only service for students and workers heading back for the week is the place to start, with that giving some idea of demand. What the census suggested was that getting the 05:55 ex Tralee to run on a Monday and to stop in Banteer on other days would be the most effective thing in terms of North Cork commuting. Numbers commuting from Killarney are decent, while Banteer, Lyre, and Kanturk and Cork add up to something significant.

04-09-2019, 16:24	#10
comcor Really Regular Poster Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Cork-Dublin, Cork Commuter and occasionally DART and Dublin-Wexford Posts: 855	Figures for how many people got on trains towards Cork on 15th November from last year's heavy rail survey Thurles: 288 Limerick Junction: 274 Charleville: 9 Mallow: 657 It may have a rubbish service towards Cork (you can't actually get to Cork til 11:40am), but Charleville certainly wouldn't be driving demand on an early service. Having said that, the figures for Thurles and Limerick Junction aren't bad.