[27/05/2013] Delays 15 minutes to DART/Commuter services

[Colm Moore]

Maynooth and Drogheda services are terminating at Pearse Station.

http://www.irishrail.ie/cat_news.jsp?i=4833&p=116&n=237

Delays 15 minutes to DART/Commuter services
27 May 2013

Following a car damaging Merrion Gates level crossing, there are delays of 15 minutes approximately to DART and Commuter services.

Repair works are underway but delays are expected to continue until this afternoon.

Iarnród Éireann apologises for the inconvenience caused.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/dart-...rash-1.1407598

[Inniskeen]

Normal operations resumed about 1815.

[zag]

I think they make these numbers up just for the fun.

15 minutes, really? So when every northbound train from Blackrock to Greystones is backlogged behind the one in front which is crawling through Merrion Gates there's no additional delay building over the morning? And then when they clear Merrion Gates (or the level crossing at Landsdowne) and have a clear run through the city and further north they are still 15 minutes delayed?

Why don't the platform announcements provide a little more useful announcement like "the next northbound train will arrive at this station in approximately 7 minutes, the next southbound train will arrive in approximately 27 minutes but this may be subject to further delay"

While I'm at it - the guys working on Merrion Gates seemed quite oblivious to the traffic mayhem they caused yesterday morning. I know they were operating safely and I'm not suggesting that they endanger anyone, but they let a long stream of trains through at about 0820 - it felt like the barriers were down for at least 15 minutes. I cycled along the coast towards Sandymount & Irishtown and the traffic was still backed up to Gilford Avenue 5 or more minutes after the barriers rose. This was non-peak flows. I wouldn't like to see how far the traffic was backed up towards Blackrock. Given that they had a manual barrier in place it would have made sense to keep the traffic & trains flowing more or less as normal during the peak and then start the heavy work once the peak had dropped off.

z

[Jamie2k9]

If you had looked at there website/twitter you would of know that they updated the delays and services suspensions on the route.

Why don't the platform announcements provide a little more useful announcement like "the next northbound train will arrive at this station in approximately 7 minutes, the next southbound train will arrive in approximately 27 minutes but this may be subject to further delay"

Remind me how many stations this would need to be done at on the DART line, CTC would have enough to by doing than making all those announcements.

While I'm at it - the guys working on Merrion Gates seemed quite oblivious to the traffic mayhem they caused yesterday morning. I know they were operating safely and I'm not suggesting that they endanger anyone, but they let a long stream of trains through at about 0820 - it felt like the barriers were down for at least 15 minutes. I cycled along the coast towards Sandymount & Irishtown and the traffic was still backed up to Gilford Avenue 5 or more minutes after the barriers rose. This was non-peak flows. I wouldn't like to see how far the traffic was backed up towards Blackrock. Given that they had a manual barrier in place it would have made sense to keep the traffic & trains flowing more or less as normal during the peak and then start the heavy work once the peak had dropped off.

What's your point, is it wrong for public transport to be given priority over people in private cars. After all it was a private car that caused the problems and 3 bridge strikes yesterday as well.

[zag]

"Remind me how many stations this would need to be done at on the DART line"

I don't know the exact number, but I think it's about the same number of manned stations we have in the system. You know the one where the man sits in the ticket office, beside the microphone which is attached to the speakers on the platform. And right beside the microphone is the monitor which gives the *correct* details of the running order of the trains.

"What's your point, is it wrong for public transport to be given priority over people in private cars"

My point is that *both* modes of travel should be accommodated. The delay in reaching work (for train passengers, drivers, cyclists & pedestrians) was significant. I'm suggesting they could minimise the delay by stabilising the situation for the peak and then carrying out the remedial work during the off-peak. Yes, I know people need to get places during off-peak also - but there's less of them so backlogs are less.

z

[Jamie2k9]

My point is that *both* modes of travel should be accommodated. The delay in reaching work (for train passengers, drivers, cyclists & pedestrians) was significant. I'm suggesting they could minimise the delay by stabilising the situation for the peak and then carrying out the remedial work during the off-peak. Yes, I know people need to get places during off-peak also - but there's less of them so backlogs are less.

That's what they tried to do for peak times but they would not of being allowed carry any sort of work out until the guards carried out an investigation so by the time work started it would of being peak time. They didn't suspend services during the peak hours, they left the line closure until mid afternoon to carry out full repairs and that was done with closing Northbound and Southbound services at different times.

I don't know the exact number, but I think it's about the same number of manned stations we have in the system. You know the one where the man sits in the ticket office, beside the microphone which is attached to the speakers on the platform. And right beside the microphone is the monitor which gives the *correct* details of the running order of the trains.

My main point was that CTC couldn't possible be expected up update when the next train is due at all stations. Weather its manned stations or know they don't know when its due until CTC update them in most cases.