Intercity journey experiences

Mark Gleeson · 10-01-2006, 11:17

What should be a stress free experience intercity train travel is far from enjoyable in Ireland. The absolute basics are rarely handled correctly

The platform the train will depart from is clearly shown in advance of the trains arrival, i.e. no random platform changes
All intercity services either the driver, guard or ticket checker will announce the next station unless an automated system is in place and working. This will be done in good time
Before the train leaves its starting point a clear announcement should be made listing all stops and all possible changes, as well as a brief safety message concerning proper stowage of luggage and the no smoking policy.
The presence of catering services and there location to be announced when they open
All working inter carriage doors will be enabled
If the train stops in the countryside for no good reason you should be told why

So if you are on a intercity service,

Where the announcement is made in the language known as train which you can't understand
Where the announcement volume is so low as to be inaudible
Where the catering doesn't show up despite being in the timetable
A train fitted with an electronic display (inside or outside) which isn't working
The computer driven announcement tells you the wrong or out of date information such as the wrong station or doesn't announce the station.
You can't hear the announcement or the electronic display is full of funny characters
Where you can't find a full route map
Where the inter carriage doors won't close
Where the heating system is defective
Where the seat you booked doesn't exist
Where you have a first class ticket but there is no first class despite it being shown in the timetable
Where the train is dangerously overcrowded

Post it here, we need the date, time and the service operated, one of the coach numbers would be handy (but is not essential) as then we could prove that its not just one specifc train but a fleet wide problem.

Mark Gleeson · 10-01-2006, 11:37

Friday 6-1-2005

15:00 Dublin Cork

No pa made before departure, pa inaudible when annocuments made, no reference to catering which didn't reach the 2nd last coach till Thurles and the train was quiet by standards

Significant number of intercarriage doors where left open

Donal Quinn · 11-01-2006, 12:24

this is a fantastic idea - i know there is a thread for suburban already but having a specific one for intercity is great as each have a specific set of issues

i might suggest that this thread form the basis of a leaflet campaign outside heuston and connolly
"Had a bad train journey? IE not listening to you? Tell us!" - with instructions on how to get to the site and give details (basically the first post on this thread)

irish people are increasingly learning to complain and IE give no satisfaction
it should be easy to get them to tell their stories here - might generate alot of traffic as well because it offers a specific reason to come to the site rather than a generic "come and visit us"

i know the committee has plenty of scheme's and plans - just thought i'd add this to the list

GavinG · 12-01-2006, 17:38

This is going to be a fairly busy thread ! Im going to print Marks original post and keep it as a check list for my next Sligo-Dublin journey on the 2900s. Im sure i'll get them on some cock-up !

What about the leaflets don mentioned Mark ? Is it a runner ? Shame IE into doing something....

MrX · 14-01-2006, 15:10

9:00pm Dublin - Cork - Friday 13th.

1) Announcement before train departed completely ridiculous.
"Passengers who are not travelling please leave the train immediately as doors are about to close - doors are now closing please stand clear of the doors"
(didn't really give much chance if you weren't travelling and did actually have to get off!)

2) Large section of missing seats in one MK3 coach (just after the dining car)

3) Several seats in our coach had badly damaged arm rests. It looked like the front of the arm rest assembly had been knocked right off.

4) While the internal doors were checked by a guy in an IE uniform. One at the end of our coach (standard class 2 away from dining car) didn't work and remained open.

There were 2 problems, both of which I thought were handled very well however:

1) The train borded slightly late due. While the platform announcements didn't explain why, they did keep explaining that bording was slightly delayed and apologised. The ticket checker speeded things along by pre-checking all of the tickets in the queue. When the train did pull up, he simply opened the barriers and people rapidly boarded without any delay.

2) The dining car had a "technical problem with the boiler" ... however, the dining car person came on the intercom and she announced that she would be unable to serve tea/coffe/hot drinks due to a fault with the water boiler. I thought that this was quite reasonable as it saved people who wanted tea/coffee a long trip up the train.

philip · 14-01-2006, 18:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrX

1) The train borded slightly late due. While the platform announcements didn't explain why, they did keep explaining that bording was slightly delayed and apologised. The ticket checker speeded things along by pre-checking all of the tickets in the queue. When the train did pull up, he simply opened the barriers and people rapidly boarded without any delay.

2) The dining car had a "technical problem with the boiler" ... however, the dining car person came on the intercom and she announced that she would be unable to serve tea/coffe/hot drinks due to a fault with the water boiler. I thought that this was quite reasonable as it saved people who wanted tea/coffee a long trip up the train.

Wow, that sounds like a railway company with an actual ethos of customer service was running that train. I'm surprised and gladdened to hear that.

James Shields · 12-07-2006, 08:22

The 8:20 Drogheda-Connolly was a 4-car 2600/2800 combination. Given that it wasn't terribly crowded, I presume it had originated in Dundalk, and that there's an Enterprise set stranded somewhere north of the border.

KennyG · 13-07-2006, 11:51

The Enterprise followed on about five minutes later....

James Shields · 14-07-2006, 09:30

The Enterprise this morning was a 4-car 2900 set. Judging by the crowding levels, I'd guess it came from somewhere north of the border. The Friday morning train is usually lightly loaded on a Friday (though this time of year you get more people coming down for the weekend), but when you pack an 8-car train into 4 coaches, some overcrowding is to be expected.

Oisin88 · 18-07-2006, 19:57

The famous "Cú na Mara" heap of a train had a door problem in Athlone which delayed it 45 minutes. In the words of the train announcer the problem "proceeded" to Clara where maintenance was performed.

Nobody told anyone in Tullamore. Even station gaurd was sitting out on the platform with the Fasttrack and didn't know anything until the "down" Galway train left (15 minutes late) having run out of patience (it's a single line track)

No proper news and the train was always being promised until it actually rolled in 45 minutes late. Then there was no sandwiches left (on a lunch-time train) I bought the last can of softdrink, though it looked like there was plenty of bud.

Only person happy with the day was the taxi-man that got paid by me as I was too late to get where I was going by Luas.

The announcement also entertained the punters. The quicker they dump the 6202 series carriages the better. They are a heap of junk and worse than the slam door deathtraps, which at least don't have electrics so can't break down!

Oisin88 · 18-07-2006, 20:02

Ps does anyone know if you have to get a taxi to get to an appointment can you claim from IÉ? I have seen the info on the home page.

James Shields · 06-10-2006, 00:33

5 Oct 2006, 7:00 Enterprise from Connolly had no lights working in coach B.

Actually, it might not be a bad idea to have some semi-dark coaches in the evenings, but there ought to be at least enough light that people can make their way through the coach without risk of tripping over unseen obsticles.

turnapin · 13-10-2006, 06:45

12th Oct 09:40 Galway-Heuston

Halted Dublin side of Athlone for best part of an hour due signal power failure. Arrived Heuston 13:25, 65 minutes late.

John J · 12-11-2006, 17:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by lostcarpark

Actually, it might not be a bad idea to have some semi-dark coaches in the evenings, but there ought to be at least enough light that people can make their way through the coach without risk of tripping over unseen obsticles.

That's a good idea now that you mention it. The dazzling interior lights of a 29000 class aren't particularly welcoming at six in the morning. Especially when you spend most of your working day under similar lighting.
In fact on 29000s I reckon IE could get away with fitting every second flourescent tube only (think they did this on the Mk2s?)

Donal Quinn · 08-01-2007, 11:37

can't find the thread on reserved seating but had another great experience with reserved seating this weekend

sat 6 Jan 07 14:30 Dublin -> Athenry - seats not labelled
sun 7 Jan 07 18:18 Athenry -> Dublin - seats not labelled

what was really clever though was that the first class carraige (6202) (where my standard class seats were to be located) was absolutely freezing! like most others we quickly deserted it for the warmer confines of the normal carraiges

so not only have IE managed to make first class no better than standard, they now make it worse

i have booked seats about 10 times now and have yet to sit in my alloted seat.

also the irritating yet indicative (and probably influential) whats-hot-and-whats-not column in the weekend indo listed IE reserved seats as 'not' because you can reserve seats and yet have to queue with all the other punters... of course you could just sit in the pub and wait until the others had boarded and then go and fight for your unlabelled seat!!

ryanair have shown that priority queueing is a cheap and effective way to make people book ahead (online checkin) - could IE ever reach these heady heights of marketing competence?

Mark Gleeson · 08-01-2007, 11:49

Appearently there isn't meant to be a notice above the seats with your name on it

We have complained about it and a before unseen notice with no name but clearly stating the seat had been reserved appeared in the last 2 weeks

I really really want to let loose and cause a scene but so far I haven't had the chance but god help the staff member the day it happens. I've been lucky recently but then again every time I board a train in Heuston in the last month or so the head of intercity business development has been standing on the platform

davidth88 · 09-01-2007, 15:13

Travelled from Killarney to Dublin on the 7th Jan , I was on the 12:30 Cork-Dublin which was one of the new trains.

Nice enough trip , however the seat reservations LED displays were not working , I have never ever seen these working , is the software working/available I wonder ?

Colm Moore · 13-01-2007, 04:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

I've been lucky recently but then again every time I board a train in Heuston in the last month or so the head of intercity business development has been standing on the platform

Are you a marked man on the booking system? He gets a memo anytime you reserve a ticket?

James Shields · 18-01-2007, 01:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

I really really want to let loose and cause a scene but so far I haven't had the chance but god help the staff member the day it happens. I've been lucky recently but then again every time I board a train in Heuston in the last month or so the head of intercity business development has been standing on the platform

You must be too well known, Mark. Time to break out the false moustache and go incognito!

10-01-2006, 11:17	#1
Mark Gleeson Technical Officer Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Coach C, Seat 33 Posts: 12,669	Intercity journey experiences What should be a stress free experience intercity train travel is far from enjoyable in Ireland. The absolute basics are rarely handled correctly The platform the train will depart from is clearly shown in advance of the trains arrival, i.e. no random platform changes All intercity services either the driver, guard or ticket checker will announce the next station unless an automated system is in place and working. This will be done in good time Before the train leaves its starting point a clear announcement should be made listing all stops and all possible changes, as well as a brief safety message concerning proper stowage of luggage and the no smoking policy. The presence of catering services and there location to be announced when they open All working inter carriage doors will be enabled If the train stops in the countryside for no good reason you should be told why So if you are on a intercity service, Where the announcement is made in the language known as train which you can't understand Where the announcement volume is so low as to be inaudible Where the catering doesn't show up despite being in the timetable A train fitted with an electronic display (inside or outside) which isn't working The computer driven announcement tells you the wrong or out of date information such as the wrong station or doesn't announce the station. You can't hear the announcement or the electronic display is full of funny characters Where you can't find a full route map Where the inter carriage doors won't close Where the heating system is defective Where the seat you booked doesn't exist Where you have a first class ticket but there is no first class despite it being shown in the timetable Where the train is dangerously overcrowded Post it here, we need the date, time and the service operated, one of the coach numbers would be handy (but is not essential) as then we could prove that its not just one specifc train but a fleet wide problem.

12-07-2006, 08:22	#7
James Shields Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Drogheda, Ireland Posts: 1,275	12 July 2006, 8:20 Drogheda-Connolly The 8:20 Drogheda-Connolly was a 4-car 2600/2800 combination. Given that it wasn't terribly crowded, I presume it had originated in Dundalk, and that there's an Enterprise set stranded somewhere north of the border. Last edited by James Shields : 12-07-2006 at 08:24. Reason: Omitted date

14-07-2006, 09:30	#9
James Shields Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Drogheda, Ireland Posts: 1,275	14 Jul 2006 8:20 Enterprise Drogheda-Connolly The Enterprise this morning was a 4-car 2900 set. Judging by the crowding levels, I'd guess it came from somewhere north of the border. The Friday morning train is usually lightly loaded on a Friday (though this time of year you get more people coming down for the weekend), but when you pack an 8-car train into 4 coaches, some overcrowding is to be expected.

18-07-2006, 19:57	#10
Oisin88 Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Dublin Posts: 608	18 July 11:00 Galway to Dublin The famous "Cú na Mara" heap of a train had a door problem in Athlone which delayed it 45 minutes. In the words of the train announcer the problem "proceeded" to Clara where maintenance was performed. Nobody told anyone in Tullamore. Even station gaurd was sitting out on the platform with the Fasttrack and didn't know anything until the "down" Galway train left (15 minutes late) having run out of patience (it's a single line track) No proper news and the train was always being promised until it actually rolled in 45 minutes late. Then there was no sandwiches left (on a lunch-time train) I bought the last can of softdrink, though it looked like there was plenty of bud. Only person happy with the day was the taxi-man that got paid by me as I was too late to get where I was going by Luas. The announcement also entertained the punters. The quicker they dump the 6202 series carriages the better. They are a heap of junk and worse than the slam door deathtraps, which at least don't have electrics so can't break down!

18-07-2006, 20:02	#11
Oisin88 Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Dublin Posts: 608	ps Ps does anyone know if you have to get a taxi to get to an appointment can you claim from IÉ? I have seen the info on the home page.

10-01-2006, 11:37	#2
Mark Gleeson Technical Officer Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Coach C, Seat 33 Posts: 12,669	Friday 6-1-2005 15:00 Dublin Cork No pa made before departure, pa inaudible when annocuments made, no reference to catering which didn't reach the 2nd last coach till Thurles and the train was quiet by standards Significant number of intercarriage doors where left open

11-01-2006, 12:24	#3
Donal Quinn Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 267	this is a fantastic idea - i know there is a thread for suburban already but having a specific one for intercity is great as each have a specific set of issues i might suggest that this thread form the basis of a leaflet campaign outside heuston and connolly "Had a bad train journey? IE not listening to you? Tell us!" - with instructions on how to get to the site and give details (basically the first post on this thread) irish people are increasingly learning to complain and IE give no satisfaction it should be easy to get them to tell their stories here - might generate alot of traffic as well because it offers a specific reason to come to the site rather than a generic "come and visit us" i know the committee has plenty of scheme's and plans - just thought i'd add this to the list

12-01-2006, 17:38	#4
GavinG Regular Poster Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Sligo Posts: 53	This is going to be a fairly busy thread ! Im going to print Marks original post and keep it as a check list for my next Sligo-Dublin journey on the 2900s. Im sure i'll get them on some cock-up ! What about the leaflets don mentioned Mark ? Is it a runner ? Shame IE into doing something....

14-01-2006, 15:10	#5
MrX Really Regular Poster Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 585	9:00pm Dublin - Cork - Friday 13th. 1) Announcement before train departed completely ridiculous. "Passengers who are not travelling please leave the train immediately as doors are about to close - doors are now closing please stand clear of the doors" (didn't really give much chance if you weren't travelling and did actually have to get off!) 2) Large section of missing seats in one MK3 coach (just after the dining car) 3) Several seats in our coach had badly damaged arm rests. It looked like the front of the arm rest assembly had been knocked right off. 4) While the internal doors were checked by a guy in an IE uniform. One at the end of our coach (standard class 2 away from dining car) didn't work and remained open. There were 2 problems, both of which I thought were handled very well however: 1) The train borded slightly late due. While the platform announcements didn't explain why, they did keep explaining that bording was slightly delayed and apologised. The ticket checker speeded things along by pre-checking all of the tickets in the queue. When the train did pull up, he simply opened the barriers and people rapidly boarded without any delay. 2) The dining car had a "technical problem with the boiler" ... however, the dining car person came on the intercom and she announced that she would be unable to serve tea/coffe/hot drinks due to a fault with the water boiler. I thought that this was quite reasonable as it saved people who wanted tea/coffee a long trip up the train.

13-07-2006, 11:51	#8
KennyG New to the board Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 5	The Enterprise followed on about five minutes later....

06-10-2006, 00:33	#12
James Shields Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Drogheda, Ireland Posts: 1,275	5 Oct 2006, 7:00 Enterprise from Connolly had no lights working in coach B. Actually, it might not be a bad idea to have some semi-dark coaches in the evenings, but there ought to be at least enough light that people can make their way through the coach without risk of tripping over unseen obsticles.

13-10-2006, 06:45	#13
turnapin Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 46	12th Oct 09:40 Galway-Heuston Halted Dublin side of Athlone for best part of an hour due signal power failure. Arrived Heuston 13:25, 65 minutes late.

08-01-2007, 11:37	#15
Donal Quinn Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 267	can't find the thread on reserved seating but had another great experience with reserved seating this weekend sat 6 Jan 07 14:30 Dublin -> Athenry - seats not labelled sun 7 Jan 07 18:18 Athenry -> Dublin - seats not labelled what was really clever though was that the first class carraige (6202) (where my standard class seats were to be located) was absolutely freezing! like most others we quickly deserted it for the warmer confines of the normal carraiges so not only have IE managed to make first class no better than standard, they now make it worse i have booked seats about 10 times now and have yet to sit in my alloted seat. also the irritating yet indicative (and probably influential) whats-hot-and-whats-not column in the weekend indo listed IE reserved seats as 'not' because you can reserve seats and yet have to queue with all the other punters... of course you could just sit in the pub and wait until the others had boarded and then go and fight for your unlabelled seat!! ryanair have shown that priority queueing is a cheap and effective way to make people book ahead (online checkin) - could IE ever reach these heady heights of marketing competence?

08-01-2007, 11:49	#16
Mark Gleeson Technical Officer Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Coach C, Seat 33 Posts: 12,669	Appearently there isn't meant to be a notice above the seats with your name on it We have complained about it and a before unseen notice with no name but clearly stating the seat had been reserved appeared in the last 2 weeks I really really want to let loose and cause a scene but so far I haven't had the chance but god help the staff member the day it happens. I've been lucky recently but then again every time I board a train in Heuston in the last month or so the head of intercity business development has been standing on the platform

09-01-2007, 15:13	#17
davidth88 New to the board Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 19	Travelled from Killarney to Dublin on the 7th Jan , I was on the 12:30 Cork-Dublin which was one of the new trains. Nice enough trip , however the seat reservations LED displays were not working , I have never ever seen these working , is the software working/available I wonder ?

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