28-04-2011, 13:48 | #21 | |
Technical Officer
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Quote:
The obvious inconvenience of not being able to escape the turnstiles at the other end appears then and the journey is not counted Roll on the smartcard and everyone wins no queuing for tickets The operating costs issue revolves around, demand goes up, run more trains, costs increase more than the extra revenue you end up worst off but carry more passengers. The question becomes how do we value a transport system, is it numbers carried, passenger km, subsidy per passenger or subsidy per passenger km?
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Unhappy with new timetable - let us know Last edited by Mark Gleeson : 28-04-2011 at 13:51. |
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28-04-2011, 14:02 | #22 | |
Chairman/Publicity
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Quote:
1. That is a decision that IE has made, it is a decision which is entirely up to them, and it has nothing to do with the decision of the tribunal. The tribunal simply concerned itself with the issues the of the complaint and which IE can handle in many ways, the first ones being to allow the man concerned to be able to book a ticket in the same mannner and of the same choice that I can. 2. No, the question is none of those things. They are different questions. The question here is one of accountability, it is one of good managment and it is one of using the massive investment that the state and the EU has put into out rail service in order to minimalise the need every year for the massive subsidy. None of the figures add up and it is time, with two new ministers who have no baggage to the company, to lift the veil and show us what the hell is going on in there. |
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29-04-2011, 19:25 | #23 |
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Fastrack still exists?
Going back to #9 of this thread:
Fastrack still exists and carries parcels today but don't tell anyone. What is the story that's not to be told? When I was writing for the consultation on sustainable transport in 2008, I reasoned that that once a journey is to be made, the vehicle should carry whatever else it can. Carrying bicycles at off-peak times is an obvious example; so is carrying parcels. I wrote: At one time all passenger trains could carry parcels. Then in 1978 this service was withdrawn from suburban trains. This was typical of the rationalisation of that era – it was considered to be a minor traffic, earning little revenue (see my comments the 1970s attitude). But it also cost very little to run. Possibly they were anticipating one-man trains with no van space, but it was to be six years before any such trains entered service (the DART), and some 25 years before all trains serving stations such as Dun Laoghaire or Balbriggan had neither guard nor van. It would not be difficult to set up a parcels service in these areas again. It could be operated from all staffed stations (most stations are staffed at some time of the day), and if necessary parcels could be limited to off-peak trains. Small parcels could be carried in the driver’s cab, or in the cab at the back. If traffic grows, then some trains could have a small area cordoned off with a demountable partition, put up when needed and removed for the rush hours. But this is only in the event of parcels traffic thriving in a big way. The guiding principle in all this is that if the train is operating, it may as well carry all that it can. So Fastrack lives on, does it, but is not advertised? It sounds like easy revenue that they are turning down. |
29-04-2011, 20:10 | #24 |
Technical Officer
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Irish Rail convey blood products on a limited destination basis. The frequency and size of the packages is small and can be placed in a box in the rear cab. Its time critical and the state appears willing to pay the costs of carriage. I get the feeling its being done more for political reasons than commercial
The van space on Dublin Cork and Dublin Belfast trains was offered out by tender to interested parties earlier this year. That seems a very sensible plan to generate a guaranteed revenue for zero cost.
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