Enterprise fleet refurbishment

[Jamie2k9]

18.50 yesterday also non enterprise

Today looks like 2 DD out of service with the second set going after the morning return trip:
06.45 ex Belfast
09.30 ex Connolly
12.35 ex Belfast
14.05 ex Belfast
15.20 ex Connolly
16.50 ex Connolly
18.05 ex Belfast
20.50 ex Connolly

That is 50% of services today non DD!

The problems are getting worse not better.

[D335]

Right, well the reliability of the Enterprise service has gone beyond a joke now really these carriages must be cursed after a £12 million refurbishment and overhaul they desperately needed they are failing even more than the days HEP.

The Enterprise clearly needs new trains of some type. I like the DD sets but they're slow unreliable and expensive to operate even a C3K is better at working the service, often arriving up to 10 minutes earlier than DD set would.

[Mickey H]

Originally Posted by Jamie2k9

18.50 yesterday also non enterprise

Today looks like 2 DD out of service with the second set going after the morning return trip:
06.45 ex Belfast
09.30 ex Connolly
12.35 ex Belfast
14.05 ex Belfast
15.20 ex Connolly
16.50 ex Connolly
18.05 ex Belfast
20.50 ex Connolly

That is 50% of services today non DD!

The problems are getting worse not better.

All of those trains starting with 0645 C3K 6 coach today

[Jamie2k9]

All of those trains starting with 0645 C3K 6 coach today

The 14.05 and 16.50 workings would be part of set number two which would work:
08.00
11.20
14.05
16.50
20.05

[Inniskeen]

1405 & 1650 were De-Dietrich according to NIR. Loco swapped at Connolly on arrival of 0800 from Belfast.

While there are clearly issues with the De-Dietrichs, it is anything but clear what the problems are. The situation is exacerbated by the requirement for 100% availability, three sets are required every day, 7 days a week.

The worst performer appears to be the 0735 from Dublin, is this Irish Rail still re-learning ? Is it that problems are only discovered (or attended to) at the last minute ? Are there any maintenance staff available in Dublin to attend to issues overnight ? Would it be better to keep the whole DD fleet in Belfast and use an ICR for the Connolly based link ? This would potentially allow a much needed increase in frequency as well.

[Jamie2k9]

1405 & 1650 were De-Dietrich according to NIR.

My mistake however at 10.20 it wasn't planned however changed at 12.00.

[Mickey H]

I travelled on the IR operated 1605 as far as Portadown yesterday which was DD and operating properly.

Meanwhile 1105 ex Belfast today is C3K

[Jamie2k9]

Have they got it together, this week not been following but full service operated by DD since Sunday?

[Padna]

Tonight's 2050 northbound wasn't an Enterprise.

[Inniskeen]

Appears to have been an issue with 0930 from Dublin, 1235 & 1805 ex Belfast and 1520 and 2050 from Dublin were C3Ks.

Further delays affecting 1605 and 1805 due to signalling failures at GVS. 1805 was further delayed due to trespasser(s) at/near Newry.

The 1035 from Belfast, was heavily delayed by the 1232 from Malahide which departed Malahide 4 minutes ahead of it. Both trains averaged 20 mph from Malahide !

[Colm Moore]

What is the current situation with passenger bookings?

[Mickey H]

Here we go again:

1235 ex Belfast 1520 ex Dublin C3K due to another breakdown

[seamus kilcock]

Use the Bus - it's seriously more reliable.
Time difference - assuming train is on time - 10/20 minutes extra using Bus.

[James Howard]

I wonder if it would be worth somebody trying a first class bus or a first class section on the bus. I've was on something similar in Korea years ago.

My personal objection to taking buses for my commute is that there isn't enough room to work on a 15" laptop on a bus. If they had 3 seats across and a table, there would be enough room. Would it more be cost-effective than the train to run a bus at such density? I'm guessing you'd get the equivalent of 40 passengers on a tri-axle.

[Mickey H]

Two DDs failed today 1320+1605 were a 22K 1805+2050 are a C3K

[aWotW]

The Enterprise that left Newry for Dublin at 07:40 on Thurs 26 May 2016 was missing a standard class carriage.
It was announced on the train that this was due to a mechanical fault.

[MP54]

It actually happened twice last week on that same train. And again today. How wonderful to pay over €3,000 p.a. for the privilege of standing in a (crowded) gangway. It wouldn't be so bad if it was on the way home but on the way into work? Matthews' Bus from Dundalk is looking more and more inviting...

[aWotW]

On Thurs 9 June 2016 on the 07.40 from Newry
I was in a carriage where the window lights were on
but the electronic seat indicators, wifi and clock display were not working.

[Mark Gleeson]

Sounds like the MMI/computer is off, train works fine (i.e. exactly as it was before the refurbishment)

Its most likely a damaged cable as there is an industrial ethernet cable running the length of the train which hosts as the fancy stuff

[MP54]

08:00 ex-Dundalk: no coach G every day this week so far. Standing, of course, and very uncomfortable after Drogheda, with the extra people. Would have been even more so had the weather been hot. In a way, it reminded me of the "old" Enterprise back in the 70s - early 80s, particularly the 17:30 from Connolly, which was regularly packed and standing was the norm unless you got there early to join the head of the queue, which as I recall used to reach the door out to the old ramp.