Could IE's service get any worse?

[Jamie2k9]

Today I took the 10.15 to Waterford, the train that operated the service arrived from Limerick at 09.55. So a 20 minute turnaround time when there is loads of other train in Heuston. Boarding started just after 10.05, train was very heavily booked. LED displays said out of service before they were changed. No names for booked seats up but only stickers on seats. Passengers didn't know where to sit or anything even with the names as many had boarded before the coach letters were updated on the outside.

No air con working or turned on, when we left Heuston there was only about 25 passengers on coach B but the rest was packed by the time we arrived in Waterford there was 60+ a few hen parties joined us en route. As when begin to pick up speed to 100mph on the KRP section the train or just my carriage started to shaking from side to side a lot as well as up and down. Once he slowed to 90 on the older track at Hazelhatch it was worse again. Along the way driver did break a lot and slow down a number of times once speed dropped below 90 no real problem. By no I was boiling, didn't want to press the emergency button to ask for the air con to be turn on, as the train filled by Athy the ticker man came around and I asked him as did others get it turned on. Well it didn't get turned or it wasn't working. So passengers were boiling with sweat pouring off them unable to get a drink as the trolley finished within 45 minutes after departure and didn't bother opening the dinning cart. Passengers were almost passing out and one practically did just before we arrived.

I didn't go see if it was working in other carriages as TBH I didn't have the energy as I felt very tired and weak and could of easily fainted. There was the odd bit of cold are into the carriage.

When we arrived in Waterford many of the engines cooling systems had being activated, would imagine that its automatic, not something that happens a lot.

The point of the above is:
1 - Why do they use a train that arrives in 20 minutes before when they have plenty of others shutdown on the platforms.
2 - I assume the ICR faults are logged either by the driver or automatically there was an air con problem it would of being noted.
3 - If there is higher levels of shacking in a carriages is there a way that a message is sent to the drivers cab, after all these ICR's have all the mod cons these days.
4 - Is it so much to ask for reservations to be switched on, I think its time that a check list is put up in the cabs in very big writing saying reservation system must be switched on. The driver had nothing else to be doing only looking at use walking down the platform.

Service levels would be better in India! This train should of being remove from service when it arrived from Limerick.

[justintime]

Maybe you should avail of some other mode of Transport...?

[Thomas J Stamp]

Originally Posted by justintime

Maybe you should avail of some other mode of Transport...?

maybe you should find another forum. bye bye.

[Thomas J Stamp]

Originally Posted by Jamie2k9

The point of the above is:
1 - Why do they use a train that arrives in 20 minutes before when they have plenty of others shutdown on the platforms.
2 - I assume the ICR faults are logged either by the driver or automatically there was an air con problem it would of being noted.
3 - If there is higher levels of shacking in a carriages is there a way that a message is sent to the drivers cab, after all these ICR's have all the mod cons these days.
4 - Is it so much to ask for reservations to be switched on, I think its time that a check list is put up in the cabs in very big writing saying reservation system must be switched on. The driver had nothing else to be doing only looking at use walking down the platform.

Service levels would be better in India! This train should of being remove from service when it arrived from Limerick.

1. - This often happens, I have mentioned this before. Whilst I have been told that it is down to the fact that your train may have been a 3-car and there are only usually 6-cars hanging about this is patently untrue as many 3-cars do hang about near the rotem facility and thereabouts.

2. - Given that the ticket checker was told of this it certainly should have been logged. Maybe it was caused by the shutdown in Heuston, of which see 4.

3. - I have noticed shaking on some 22k carraiges as well.

4. - What seems to happen in my experiance this year - certainly not before anyway - is that passengers are bing allowed onto the train at Heuston early enough. I think the only way to clear the system from the Limerick - Heuston departures to Hueston to Waterford one is to literally turn the entire train off. This cannot be normal operating proceedure and there must be a software glitch going on. In fact I have been on trains in Heuston where they have had to turn the train off and on again several times before the software copped itself on, loaded where it was going to, what train it was and all of the reservations.

The fact that there were stickers/notes suggests that at least soemone in Limerick recognised that this train wasnt on the ball and that meant it shoud have been taken out altogether.

This is clearly unacceptable, and it was one of the reasons why IE justified the replacment of the old loco hauled stock with the 22k fleet. The fact that they are being worked to the bone cant be helping either.

There are other issues with the 22k of which we know of, we have been told that there is a team of lads from Korea in long term residence and will be for another couple of years. Maybe this is one of the things they will be looking at.

[Jamie2k9]

1. - This often happens, I have mentioned this before. Whilst I have been told that it is down to the fact that your train may have been a 3-car and there are only usually 6-cars hanging about this is patently untrue as many 3-cars do hang about near the rotem facility and thereabouts.

It was a 6 car set and even if it was a 3 car set there should be at least 30 minutes for turnarounds, I know the 13.05 from Waterford that arrives at 15.15 and forms the 15.30 to Portlaoise and when I was last on it people were getting off when they started boarding for the Portlaoise.

2. - Given that the ticket checker was told of this it certainly should have been logged. Maybe it was caused by the shutdown in Heuston, of which see 4.

Was no shutdown in Heuston.

The fact that there were stickers/notes suggests that at least soemone in Limerick recognised that this train wasnt on the ball and that meant it shoud have been taken out altogether.

The stickers seem only to be done by Waterford staff so I do wonder if the ticket checker put them out. Can't see staff in Limerick doing it.

3. - I have noticed shaking on some 22k carraiges as well.

I expect a lot of this isn't down to the trains but the tracks and bends. Track alignment problems don't do them any favours as they leave them a long time before they are fixed.

4. - What seems to happen in my experiance this year - certainly not before anyway - is that passengers are bing allowed onto the train at Heuston early enough. I think the only way to clear the system from the Limerick - Heuston departures to Hueston to Waterford one is to literally turn the entire train off. This cannot be normal operating proceedure and there must be a software glitch going on. In fact I have been on trains in Heuston where they have had to turn the train off and on again several times before the software copped itself on, loaded where it was going to, what train it was and all of the reservations.

I going to say that the reservations can be cleared and the train does not need to be shut down. Reason I believe this is because I have being on a number of trains that have short turnarounds and have not being shut down and the correct reservations were on. The 13.30 from Galway forms the 16.40 to Waterford on Fridays and its never shut down when it arrives as its always 20-30 minutes late and once passengers are off the 16.40 boards. Reservations are up no problems. Even if they had to shut down and restart it would only take a minute to do it. Clearly it could be required in some cases but it wouldn't be the norm if you ask me.

This is clearly unacceptable, and it was one of the reasons why IE justified the replacment of the old loco hauled stock with the 22k fleet. The fact that they are being worked to the bone cant be helping either.

There are other issues with the 22k of which we know of, we have been told that there is a team of lads from Korea in long term residence and will be for another couple of years. Maybe this is one of the things they will be looking at.

Once IE are not paying for this team to live here...

Are the other problems software related or more operational elements.

[dowlingm]

I'm guessing that the Korean lads are counted as consultants and thus don't count as "headcount" on the IE books, so they can boast to their political masters about how "lean" they are now?