24-25/7/2015 services after ed sheeran concert at croke park

[ThomasJ]

Services for after the ed sheeran concert at croke park are (according to journey planner)

23:00hrs Drumcondra Maynooth
23:30hrs Drumcondra Maynooth (scheduled 23:10hrs Pearse Maynooth)
23:50hrs Drumcondra Maynooth

23:45hrs Pearse Dundalk (deferred 23:30hrs ex Pearse, departs Tara street 23:48hrs departs Connolly 23:58hrs)

00:05hrs Connolly Howth

00:04hrs Connolly Greystones

[Jamie2k9]

14.50 Longford-Connolly (25 July)
23.40 Drumcondra-Longford (25 July)

[ThomasJ]

Originally Posted by Jamie2k9

14.50 Longford-Connolly (25 July)
23.40 Drumcondra-Longford (25 July)

That 23:40hrs Drumcondra Longford seems to be an all stops service

[Jamie2k9]

Originally Posted by ThomasJ

That 23:40hrs Drumcondra Longford seems to be an all stops service

It is however I can't tell if it's to benefit passengers or a convenience to IE. A similar service was added maybe no less than 24 hours before the Script played (at most 48 hours). I don't think there was an up service earlier that day. Anyway the service either got good usage despite the short notice and lead to this service or this is just IE running it at this hour to save running an additional out and back empty to Maynooth service or it could be a driver thing either. Note they have not bothered to advertise like they do with Cork/Limerick/Galway etc

If they were serious about the service online bookings would be available, the 2900 excuse ship has sailed a long time ago. I also assume all auto crossings West of Maynooth to Longford?

The only positive change to night services after events is they have added Portlaoise, they use the same old chestnut on most routes. They approach late night services completely wrong which is why there is so few.

[James Howard]

They are probably using the 29K that normally sits in Longford all weekend and one of the Longford drivers. It isn't a lot more expensive to run in service out to Longford than it would be to run empty back into town after an extra late-night Maynooth service. Might even be cheaper to run to Longford given that the only remaining manned level crossings are between Maynooth and Dubin.

For some reason Irish Rail have always been very reluctant to put concert specials on the Sligo line but this is silly now that the line is automated. On the lack of advertisement and notice, maybe they're trying to prove that there is no need to run concert specials by setting this up to fail. Perhaps the NTA is putting them under pressure to run a regular later service on the line given how much money has been invested in automation and this would be a good data point showing that even when there is a concert on the service is unviable.

Not that I'm cynical about Irish Rail or anything. In reality, it's more likely they just figured out that it costs about the same to go on to Longford than to run empty to town, and a Longford driver volunteered for a nice wedge of overtime.

[Mark Gleeson]

NTA has actually made life even more difficult, any non PSO service operated with PSO funded equipment IE has to pay.