IE planning more express services?

[dowlingm]

There is a rumour posted on boards that a Mk4 did a timing run from Heuston-Cork and an ICR the same from Heuston-Galway. Any whispers around here of IE rejigging the timetable to put on more limited stop/non stop services?

[Mark Gleeson]

The test run had very little to do with setting a non stop best time, the 1984 2 hours 7 minutes record still stands, there was a need to baseline point to point times following some upgrades

The upgrade program started as the final act of Steve Murphy the former General Manager of Heuston side services, that was 5 years ago and it is slowly starting to deliver.

We will have to wait until the major works are complete as they more or less absorb the time benefit from the finished sections. It should be 100mph all the way to Limerick Junction with only limits at Curragh (85mph) and Portarlington (80mph) which are geometry limited

Expect 2:35 or better for most services

[2200DMU]

There is a rumour posted on boards that a Mk4 did a timing run from Heuston-Cork and an ICR the same from Heuston-Galway. Any whispers around here of IE rejigging the timetable to put on more limited stop/non stop services?

Its needed particular Galway and by the way there are plans to have a service like the 07.10 from Waterford in the mornings in the evenings from Dublin. Not sure if it will be an extra service or the current 17.35 be changed. The 07.10 is also expected to be reduced to 1hr 50 min mark lather this year and the 16.35 is being looked very closely recently every passenger boarding and getting off is being counted and recorded in a bid to stop the major over crowing problems, non stop to Athy is being considered. This and the fact that Irish Rail can't guarantee the High Capacity sets (22041-22045) on a daily basis but they do try very hard to have them available. Before it was one passenger count in Dublin.

[Mark Gleeson]

There is a tender out currently for passenger attitudes study

Some ICR sets have passenger counters installed

[2200DMU]

Some ICR sets have passenger counters installed

How do that work and its the ticket checker who counts the passengers on 16.35.

[KSW]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

the 1984 2 hours 7 minutes record still stands

By which locomotive & coaches if I can ask. The period with the introduction of the Mk3s (July 1984)? msn-bufferstop wrote on Apr 25, '02

What was the fastest speed that the 071's were cranked up to on trials, I was told by a driver about 10 years ago, that he topped 112 mph when they were on test in 1976. I know that they can do the ton no problem, but anyone have a max speed?


Doesn't seem to be any record on google. 071 - top speed 75mph and 201 - 100mph , how in 1984 did this speed be reached!!...

[Inniskeen]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

The test run had very little to do with setting a non stop best time, the 1984 2 hours 7 minutes record still stands, there was a need to baseline point to point times following some upgrades

The upgrade program started as the final act of Steve Murphy the former General Manager of Heuston side services, that was 5 years ago and it is slowly starting to deliver.

We will have to wait until the major works are complete as they more or less absorb the time benefit from the finished sections. It should be 100mph all the way to Limerick Junction with only limits at Curragh (85mph) and Portarlington (80mph) which are geometry limited

Expect 2:35 or better for most services

I am glad to see the penny may have finally dropped. Mind you if IR want to stay in the game they really need to get Dublin/Cork/Dublin business services trains down to 2hr-15 minutes or less.

If the railway is to remain relevant it needs to produce radically faster journey times and improved frequencies across the board. This will be a mighty challenge in the current climate but it is not insurmountable should Irish Rail choose to leverage the massive investment in infrastructure and rolling stock that has taken place over the last two decades. The best foundation for further investment is effective use of that which has already taken place.

[kieran4003]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

The test run had very little to do with setting a non stop best time, the 1984 2 hours 7 minutes record still stands, there was a need to baseline point to point times following some upgrades

The upgrade program started as the final act of Steve Murphy the former General Manager of Heuston side services, that was 5 years ago and it is slowly starting to deliver.

We will have to wait until the major works are complete as they more or less absorb the time benefit from the finished sections. It should be 100mph all the way to Limerick Junction with only limits at Curragh (85mph) and Portarlington (80mph) which are geometry limited

Expect 2:35 or better for most services

What kind of timescale are we looking at for this? I thought there could not be higher speeds in the likes of Ballybrophy owing to signals?

[ACustomer]

You can add the former Thurles Junction curve (70mph) to the list of more-or-less immovable restrictions. Maybe they could tweak it to 80 at best.

The really long restriction to 25mph through Limerick Junction is severe enough to affect even the majority of trains which stop there. Maybe the test rain was trying to quantify how much time is being lost by this restriction.

[Mark Gleeson]

Thurles is next on the hit list, some points south of the station has been taken out recently at the old sugar factory

As most trains stop in Thurles the 70mph limit is not a significant restriction.

I'd guess 90mph could be possible if not more

[neoncircles]

Does the restriction at Limk Junction still exist? I thought the work they did would raise it to 70mph through running (after it all beds in of course)

[Inniskeen]

The restrictions through Limerick Junction are a farce. The whole place has been renewed and re-signalled yet everything still limps around at 25 mph in either direction. The speed limited through Limerick Junction in the 1980s was 60 mph on jointed track - what is the excuse foi the current nonsense ?

No changes to signalling would be required at any point on the Cork to Dublin line in order to facilitate 100mph running - all resignalling schemes on the Cork route provided more than adequate brake distance in anticipation of such speeds at some time in the future.

[Jamie2k9]

The trail service departed Heuston at 20.45 and was scheduled to complete non stop to Cork in 2h 29m.

The return trail service was scheduled to complete the non stop from Cork in 2h 26m

[ACustomer]

Can these trial runs prove anything which cannot be learned from everyday operation? The 1700 Heuston-Cork is scheduled for 2h30m with two stops and the 0615 and the 0730 are scheduled for 2h30m (2 stops) and 2h30m (3 stops) respectively. Also I have seen the 0730 arrive in Heuston 5 minutes ahead of schedule. So the trial runs only confirm what we know: the existing express schedules are doable.

[Thomas J Stamp]

Originally Posted by ACustomer

Can these trial runs prove anything which cannot be learned from everyday operation? The 1700 Heuston-Cork is scheduled for 2h30m with two stops and the 0615 and the 0730 are scheduled for 2h30m (2 stops) and 2h30m (3 stops) respectively. Also I have seen the 0730 arrive in Heuston 5 minutes ahead of schedule. So the trial runs only confirm what we know: the existing express schedules are doable.

yeah but ballybrophy works have been done, although i cannot imagine the trains flying over it so fast so soon. Looks a lot less cluttered there now.

[comcor]

In addition to the fact that they're so close to the published timetable, there are plenty of even faster timings achieved by delayed trains. I've been on a late train that has done Limerick Junction-Cork in 47 minutes, with a stop in Mallow, even though the fastest published time is 57 minutes.

[Thomas J Stamp]

we have long advocated a year zero re-start in respect of the timetables. the padding which is inbuilt is amazing. I would imagine the current justification would be down to conflicts on the single track into heuston from Portarlington into Hazelhatch, but a clean slate would prabably do away with an awful lot.

[dowlingm]

Originally Posted by Thomas J Stamp

ballybrophy works have been done, although i cannot imagine the trains flying over it so fast so soon.

That's the bit that puzzled me the most tbh.

[Mickey H]

What was the fastest speed that the 071's were cranked up to on trials, I was told by a driver about 10 years ago, that he topped 112 mph when they were on test in 1976. I know that they can do the ton no problem, but anyone have a max speed?

117 allegedly. A now retired NIR driver once told me he got 109 out of the blue version

Geared design top speed for the 071 class is actually 89mph not 75

[Thomas Ralph]

Originally Posted by comcor

In addition to the fact that they're so close to the published timetable, there are plenty of even faster timings achieved by delayed trains. I've been on a late train that has done Limerick Junction-Cork in 47 minutes, with a stop in Mallow, even though the fastest published time is 57 minutes.

And Mallow-Cork is a 22-minute journey but is regularly timed at 35.