Shorter trains!

Alan G · 24-10-2006, 03:50

I had a thoroughly unpleasant trip on Sunday due to short trains and to make it worse I could have avoided it if only I had known the secret IE timetable.

I went to Portlaoise to catch the 17.39 to Heuston (16.15 from Limerick).

I got to the station about 20mns early and was surprised to see a large number waiting on the platform already. A minute or two later I was in the toilet when a train arrived, I got to the platform to see a CDE set had stopped but by then it was too late to get across the bridge to catch it.

It must have been the 15.30 from Cork which is not listed as stopping in Portlaoise in the printed timetable or on the journey planner. The fact that so many people were there waiting suggests that it is a regular stop.

I wasn't terribly bothered as I had planned on catching the later train anyway and from past experience (pre-2006 timetable) the afternoon train from Limerick always had enough seating.

The platform quickly filled up again with about40-50 people and when the train arrived however it was immediately obvious there was a serious problem, it was an 071 and 3 mk2 coaches plus generating van. It took over 5 minutes for all the people there to push on to the already overcrowded train.

By the time we got to Portarlington I decided to get off, the overcrowding was bad enough but the drunken agressive scumbags that are now a regular feature of rail travel just made an uncomfortable trip not worth it.

I had checked the timetable and the up Galway was only a few minutes later and surely that couldn't be as bad???

What a fool I am, the 16.15 ex-Galway was formed by a 4car 2900 set which unsurprisingly was also overcrowded and of course therere is the added bonus of trying to stay upright with the dreadful ride of those heaps at full speed.

My lesson is well and truly learned, I will stick to Bus Eireann, they amazingly anticipate high traffic on Sundays and put on several extra buses for each departure.

I appreciate that IE do not have a surplus of stock in general but that doesn't wash as far as Sundays go. 3 mk2 coaches is a complete joke for the Limerick service and there is no way that there are not spare 2900 sets on Sundays to make 8 car (or at least 6 car 27/800) for all the IC services that they neet to run with commuter railcars.

The 16.05 Heuston-Limerick (presumably the 20.15 return working) was also a 4 car 2900.

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24-10-2006, 03:50	#1
Alan G New to the board Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 12	I had a thoroughly unpleasant trip on Sunday due to short trains and to make it worse I could have avoided it if only I had known the secret IE timetable. I went to Portlaoise to catch the 17.39 to Heuston (16.15 from Limerick). I got to the station about 20mns early and was surprised to see a large number waiting on the platform already. A minute or two later I was in the toilet when a train arrived, I got to the platform to see a CDE set had stopped but by then it was too late to get across the bridge to catch it. It must have been the 15.30 from Cork which is not listed as stopping in Portlaoise in the printed timetable or on the journey planner. The fact that so many people were there waiting suggests that it is a regular stop. I wasn't terribly bothered as I had planned on catching the later train anyway and from past experience (pre-2006 timetable) the afternoon train from Limerick always had enough seating. The platform quickly filled up again with about40-50 people and when the train arrived however it was immediately obvious there was a serious problem, it was an 071 and 3 mk2 coaches plus generating van. It took over 5 minutes for all the people there to push on to the already overcrowded train. By the time we got to Portarlington I decided to get off, the overcrowding was bad enough but the drunken agressive scumbags that are now a regular feature of rail travel just made an uncomfortable trip not worth it. I had checked the timetable and the up Galway was only a few minutes later and surely that couldn't be as bad??? What a fool I am, the 16.15 ex-Galway was formed by a 4car 2900 set which unsurprisingly was also overcrowded and of course therere is the added bonus of trying to stay upright with the dreadful ride of those heaps at full speed. My lesson is well and truly learned, I will stick to Bus Eireann, they amazingly anticipate high traffic on Sundays and put on several extra buses for each departure. I appreciate that IE do not have a surplus of stock in general but that doesn't wash as far as Sundays go. 3 mk2 coaches is a complete joke for the Limerick service and there is no way that there are not spare 2900 sets on Sundays to make 8 car (or at least 6 car 27/800) for all the IC services that they neet to run with commuter railcars. The 16.05 Heuston-Limerick (presumably the 20.15 return working) was also a 4 car 2900.