KRP performance

[Inniskeen]

Had occasion recently to travel on the 1940 Heuston to Kildare. 3-car ICR, about 60 passengers on departure.

Parkwest, 2 boarded, no exits.
Clondalkin/Fonthill, no boardings or exits.
Adamstown, 4 exits
Hazelhatch, 2 exits
Sallins, 22 exits
Newbridge 16/18 exits
Kildare 12/14 exits

Maybe some scope for economy in respect of the KRP stations ?

Another noticeable feature of the trip was the struggle the driver faced in checking his speed so as not to have to idle unduly at the KRP stations. Despite barely hitting 40 mph before Hazelhatch, it was still necessary to stop at these stations for almost a minute to avoid early departures. This nonsense represents a gratuitous delay of around 7 minutes.

The schedule from Hazelhatch to Newbridge is much tighter and requires rapid acceleration to line speed and efficient braking to keep the 16 minute schedule for the 15½ miles.

Twelve minutes is allowed for the final portion of the trip, the 4½ miles from Newbridge to Kildare, an average speed of 22.5 mph ! Needless to say, a slighly late departure from Newbridge was turnred into a magically early arrival in kildare.

Amazing how such a short trip reveals so much about Irish Rail's continued failure to exploit its assets, in this instance a 110 mph capable train plodding around way below its capabilities. What should be a 38 minute trip is thus transformed into a 50 minute schedule.

Roll this up nationwide and you get a waste of resources in terms of track, capacity, crews and equipment as well as unecessarily uncompetitive schedules.