Intercity journey experiences

[sean]

I've noticed a linear falloff too.

Granted I'm only an occasional user so my observations may not tell the whole story.

But the first time I used the new-and-improved--all-29K Sligo service, there were people standing at Edgeworthstown on the way in and things weren't much better going back.

Then I went to the city again on the day of the P11 presentation, no trouble getting a 2 seater to myself and keeping it the whole way in, considering the seat capacity of a 29k coach this would have seemed unbelievable back in the days of the Mk2d. There had IMO been some serious possibly permanent falloff up to that point.

As for empty trains, I'm well used to this: any off-peak Longford Commuter service will almost always be ghost trains with 1 or 2 people in each car.

I always wondered why they ran those trains at all. But back in Dec/Jan the 1700 ex-Connolly always had good patronage not great but decent. If you say it's now empty, then our line is in serious trouble.

Bring back our Mk2d is all I can say.

Spent 24 hours of this week on 29000 class railcars.... commuting was always bad but since the Mk2s have gone it's unbearable.... ah well driving test must be coming up soon

And I'm afraid that's the attitude a lot of people seem to be taking.

[GavinG]

I headed to Dublin on the 29k for the first time last week reluctantly. I was seriously contemplating the bus but the extra hour journey time swayed me towards the train station.

Got on board with a relitivley small case that was designed to fit nicely in the overhead compartment of an airliner and i looked around to see where i could store it. Hmmm. Tried overhead space - no too small....whereelse can i......nowhere ! I ended up lumping it on the seat beside me. I didnt want to but there was no choice. It was either that or leave it to dance around the carriage with all the rocking of the crap suspension ! Feckin crazy ! I pitied anyone with a large case/s.

All was fine until just before Ballymote when the train kind of jerked suddenly and violently to one side and you could hear a loud screech for a second. Passengers looked at each other in fright and then in anger. Anyone with a cup of anything in their hand was a gonner i thought. And it was on a relitively straight piece of track. So i wondered if the track was the problem as we had taken many bends before that and the carriage didnt rock as violently.

Yer man came through the train with his usual fair of tea/coffee danishes etc. Twice in fact, which surprised me. I suppose one good thing about the 29k is that the staff have nowhere to hide and have to look busy

The driver intercom was very low so i didnt hear a word he said only mutterings, the PIS seemed to work perfectly though. I wondered was it the new software version Mark talked about.

The train wasnt anyway full until we got to Maynooth and then surprisingly it stopped in Leixlip Louisa Bridge. Straight to Connolly from there.

All in all it wasnt as bad as i expected but i will hold off on the train as much as i can over the next two years until IE get those new railcars, designed for the job (It will probably be 3 years - an extra 12 months to pay off the job for life brigade unions )

[sean]

Yeah, three years .. by which time the Sligo line will be dead.

The job-for-lifers will probably try to milk the railcars like they did with the Greystones extension, the DART 8-coach project and the CDEs .. and by the time they're done doing us over a barrel. But when the time comes to lift the track they won't have to worry because CIE will probably give them jobs for life driving TRUCKS AND BUSES ... and pay for it all by selling the alignment for one-off houses.

Okay I know this is worst-case scenario stuff here but then again this is CIE and anything is possible as long as it's bad and you're a pessimist. Am starting to think Thomas S. might be on to something about CIE/Irish Rail ...

[colmoc]

last saturday I rang IE customer service number to check the times of trains from Dublin to Farranfore Co Kerry. i was told there was a train at 15:00 and 17:00 so i went on my merry way and got the 17:00 heuston to cork changed at mallow got on the commuter for kerry. All going well. Next thing the train goes straight through Rathmore to the surprise of several annoyed passangers who had nobody to ask. These people got off in killarney
Again the train headed off somewhat early I was happy to say until we got to farranfore at which point it went straight on to tralee without stopping.
I was raging as I live 60 miles from farranfore and even more to tralee and there was a friend in farranfore waiting for me.
When I asked the station master in tralee why, he replied that this train never stoped in farranfore and IE had given me the wrong info (think he failed to realise he represented IE too) when I asked how I could get back to farranfore he told me to get a taxi charge it to CIE and it wasnt his problem. I asked him again saying this wasnt good enough at which point he walked away muttering a stream of words not fit for this message. I wasn't the only "CUSTOMER" stuck in Tralee but at least I had an obliging friend.
I am getting so fed up with being treated this way. I really dont know why I persist and get the train as opposed to driving myself. I am just sick and tired of IE's ignorance to their customers

[Mark Gleeson]

The timetable shows the 19:15 Mallow Tralee as being Millstreet, Killarney and Tralee only, runs every Monday to Saturday from 13 February until 9 December

Thus timetable correct, person who gave you information wrong. Station master Tralee correct on the service details. Oh yeah want his name http://www.iarnrodeireann.ie/your_jo...atio n_id=126

IE liable yes as you made a inquiry where given wrong information, normal protocol is to stick you into a taxi, now the station master should have agreed a price and paid the taxi in advance and handled charging HQ

Now if I have a printed copy of the timetable which stated train calling at the station and the train failed to stop, communication cord baby There is even a rule in the rule book allowing this if you form an opinion that the train is running away, ok the communication cord on a 2700 doesn't actually do anything but still

[colmoc]

I checked the online timetable the minute I got home to find the truth
but it was the station masters response more than anything that got me annoyed and the fact that somebody in IE customer service just looked up all the trains going to kerry for more than one customer inquiry and nevere bothered to give the full details
I know I am not going to get satisfaction from this
Thanks for the info Mark

[Mark Gleeson]

Put it down in writting send it in to customer complaints (you might get a suprise)

State clearly that you will take it further unless
A) Full refund of your ticket
B) Written apology

Wait 2 weeks, send it to

Steve Murphy
Manager Southern and Western
Iarnród Éireann
Heuston Station
Dublin 8

To be fair Steve is one of the few IE managers who will accept and admit the fallings in the system

[sandraoh]

We had a very funny train driver today.

When the train was approaching Portarlington he announced that passengers move up from the rear of the train so that they don't fall out and hurt themselves.

The funniest part was the following announcement made when we were approaching Heuston (not a precise quote but you get the idea):
"We are due to arrive at Hesuton Station DUblin in five minutes time. There are bus links from the station and the Luas too. We are keeping up with the times. The number 90 bus will take you into town and there is also an airlink service. On behalf of myself and all the crew I'd like to thank you for travelling with Irish Rail. We hope you arrive safely at your final destination. Thank you. I LOVE YOU ALL!"

Then as we pulled into the platform he just announced "DUBLIN" really loudly and cheerfully.

It left everyone in a good mood heading off to work.

[Mark Gleeson]

We do know some of the train staff on the Heuston links and some are seriously sound, so big thumbs up for the guy with the cheerful PA, chances are they read the board.

End of the day we want more of that, it costs nothing but makes such a difference to the experience. It costs nothing to smile

[James Shields]

You just reminded me. I was on the 20:45 Enterprise last Thursday. It stopped in Killester. It was there about two minutes when an announcement was made along the lines of, "We're really sorry for the delay. This is due to a signalling fault at Howth Junction. We'll be here for at least ten minutes, and we'll let you know as soon as we have more information."

This was followed by an announcement that they hadn't received any more information, but the doors had been released in case anyone wants to step out for a smoke.

It was still annoying to be delayed, but it made it a lot less unpleasent to be kept informed. I hope we can expect this to become the norm, but I doubt it.

[Mark Gleeson]

20.45 is staffed by NIR who have a vastly better customer focus, probably has to do with the fact they can't run a decent rail service so they are well experienced in dealing with disruption

[Mark Gleeson]

9:00 Dublin Cork (A202)

PIS working fine, apart from a bug which suggested it was the 9:30 Dublin Cork train when it was trying to tell us that it was the 9:30 departure from Kildare to Cork.

The PA was either too loud or too quiet

Before departure a PA was made with a large diesel engine in the background, didn't make sense but the words doors and closing seemed to be there

Somewhere beyond Kildare the PA awoke with an announcement about the catering trolley by the train manager, had extereme difficulty making out what was said

[Graham]

A few weeks ago on the 17.13 from Pearse to Dundalk (is that considered Intercity, though perhaps not given the 2900 Commuter milk cartons), all was fine (well, as fine as a 2900 journey can be) until we got about five miles outside Dundalk when the train stopped in the middle of a field. We stood like gombeens for about 7 minutes with no announcement, until we saw some activity outside: IÉ orange jackets walking by the carriages down below. About a minute later, an IÉ man, probably the driver, came into the carriage and right up to the doors I was standing beside. He then scanned them for a few seconds - there were 'not in operation' stickers or something like that on the doors. He then said out loud that everyone was to stay away from the door in case it opened, which needless to say was followed by a mass shuffling of feet over to the other side of the car . The train got on its way again - no announcement was made for all of the other passengers.

I had noted as this motorised yoghurt pot, I mean 2900, was pulling into Pearse that the access lights over the doors on this car were red, while all others were the usual orange. How was this fault not spotted before leaving the station? And if it was, why was it let go all the way to Dundalk - what is probably the most overcrowded train in all of Ireland?

[Thomas J Stamp]

Was seriously thinking of creating a new thread called "My numb bum". If Phillip wants to do so after reading this please do.

This follows on from my LUAS tale elsewhere and it is the sort of thing that happens to me all the time cos i'm a wierdo.

Anyway, up to Dublin for work on Friday..... got the 657 from Templemore but on going onto the platform I thought krakatoa had erupted or someone had flung a bomb at me. Nope, just a 171 flying though the station w/o carriges frightening the s***e out of me. Saw another on the way up going south solo again made me wondered what had failed somewhere.

On the way home the fun began, Derek dosnt need to predict where the bumps are anymore between Dublin and Templemore: IE have a special Mrk3 carraige, 7170, to do it for him. On pulling out of Platform 2, on the 1705 to Ennis, sitting as i was right over one of the wheels, (Rear outside set) it felt just like when you're riding a bike with a flat. Even as we started getting speed up as we pulled away i knew it was going to be a bad ride.

Anyway, to take my mind off of it IE kindly provided some entertainment, as they let some Craven set out of i think platform 8 at the exact same time as us. I was wondering what was going on, as i use this train all the time and havent seen this before.

So, said Cravens dissapered behind yonder big blue building, but reappeared, more than slightly ahead of us, as i was in the top carraige and looking right over, a few feet away, at the rear carriage of the Cravens. The passangers over there were not looking too relaxed about it, I can tell you. So we raced each other under the first arch of the St. Johns road roundabout where the other train halted a bit sharpish. As we passed it out I saw two buffoons in the cab of the 171 hauling it grinning their faces off. Great fun lads!!!

Now, with that distraction out of the way we went off. Bang!!! Clondalkin. Bang Bang Bang!!! Why that was Hazlehatch. Everytime we came across one little bump the carriage seems the almost bounce off the tracks. Sallins was FUN, coffee cups flying, some lad grabing onto his laptop. Out between Kildare station and Cherryville Junction another great bit of bouncing around, then things started to relax a little. By the way, as well as this we still had the flat tyre on a bike sensation omnipresent throughout. Over one of the bangs it was so bad the waiter for the curtain classes nearly went flying with the tray of goodies for the over-privilaged.

From Portlaoise onwards there seems to be some sort of either dips or something wrong with the track because every two seconds, right on beat the carriaige reacted with more bum numbing activity. And it took bleeding forever for it to stop in Templemore.

I am not kidding, it was awful, the worst ride I've ever had. (Shouldnt have said that, god) Anyway, I know some of the Sligo lads are going to say "We have to out up with the 29ks" but as the mrk 3's are usually so good there must have been something seriously wrong with this one.

Going back to Dublin on Wednesday. What'll happen this time, will I end up on an island with Barry Kenny and thomasS where the numbers 7170 have to be typed into a bloody keypad every 29000 seconds?

[Mark Gleeson]

You can have great fun leaving Heuston, I've gone the wrong track the whole way beyond Inchicore at 60mph before regaining to right track, not unusual its well safe, it keeps things moving. It has gone so far on the DART as to have trains going the wrong way on both tracks, work that out!

You got a flat wheel, yes rail vehicles have tires.

Track between Ballybrophy and Lisduff is exciting I almost lost my footing on the CDE last week around that point

[sean]

What a bummer - literally

Originally Posted by thomasjstamp

I am not kidding, it was awful, the worst ride I've ever had. (Shouldnt have said that, god) Anyway, I know some of the Sligo lads are going to say "We have to out up with the 29ks" but as the mrk 3's are usually so good there must have been something seriously wrong with this one.

Are we/me that predictable? Lol, I guess so. But you're right to make an issue of this. That coach sounds like it needs some serious TLC, ASAP.

Going back to Dublin on Wednesday. What'll happen this time, will I end up on an island with Barry Kenny and thomasS where the numbers 7170 have to be typed into a bloody keypad every 29000 seconds?

Hey, this is Irish Rail, and CIEs head office is about as far removed from modern Ireland as that island Lost is filmed on ... so it could happen.

[craigybagel]

Never could work out what was wrong with the Irish Mark IIIs as from my own experience most journeys on them down the cork line are fairly bumpy, especially when seated near the wheels. Spend every summer travelling extensively through Britain and ive never experienced the same problems. I know the Cork lines due for renewal fairly soon so is that the reason or are the carriages themselves just *******ed?

[seamus kilcock]

Travelled from Dublin to Westport Saturday 26 May. Due to late arrival of Galway up train at Tullamore, Westport train left (T'more) 15 minutes late at 0922. Arrived Claremorris 1057 1/2 - on time. On leaving Manulla an announcement was made requesting Castlebar pax to move forward as we will be arriving in 5 minutes; public timetable allows 12 minutes for this section. We arrived into Westport at 1137 - 8 minutes ahead of schedule. The cumulative station to station journey time was done in 37 minutes less than what is allowed on the public timetable.
I have no problem with a certain amount of padding to allow for the likes of the Galway train late at the Tullamore crossing point, or whatever else may happen, but 37 minutes of padding!!
I put it to an IR official travelling with me, they should tighten up the timetables to make it more attractive for pax to use trains instead of private cars. His response was it had a lot to do with the Public Charter on timekeeping. What is the solution?
Picked up the 0900 Heuston/Cork train recently at Kildare. Left Kildare at 0932 - already 4 minutes late.
Left Mallow at 1133 - 12 minutes late according to public timetable - arrived in Cork at 1154 - one minute early. Timetable allows 34 minutes; the train I was on did it in 21 minutes.
Just doesn't make sense - or does it?

[Thomas J Stamp]

After the bum incident on a mrk3 on Friday have to report that yesterday the 1100 Templemore Hesuton was perfecto, including lots of announcements and aplogies for getting held up outside Ballybrophy for engineering works. You'd be insterested to know, Seamus, that although we were told we'd be 20 mins late by the Guard on the train we were only 10 mins late on arrival.

On the way back got the 1835 Commuter to Thurles and have to say it was fairly packed to Kildare, light enough afterwards but very very plesent, all the windows were open (twas the mark3 push-pull) and very comfy on a fine sunny evening, the only drawback being the wait for the 1900 Cork train in Ballrybrophy which turns it into a two hour trip home, not bad on a night like last night, fairly crappy during the Winter.

[James Shields]

I was on the 8:20 Enterprise from Drogheda this morning. It was about 10 minutes late leaving Drogheda, but I've often seen it leave up to 15 mins late and still be on time arriving in Connolly (normally a couple of minutes after 9). This morning's train didn't reach Howth Junction until after 9:00. It stopped in Harmonstown for several minutes, and again at Kilester, and didn't reach Connolly until nearly 9:30.

I think I deserve a refund of 1/730th of my yearly ticket.