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Slow trains in City Centre (slight rant)

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  • 03-03-2008 12:16pm
    #1
    P_1
    Registered Users Posts: 14,681 ✭✭✭✭


    Why do the trains crawl through the city centre. Today it took the best part of 15 minutes to travel between Connolly and Tara Street. :mad:

    Seriously why is this?


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    #2
    Ham'nd'egger
    Registered Users Posts: 3,025 ✭✭✭Ham'nd'egger


    pithater1 wrote: »
    Why do the trains crawl through the city centre. Today it took the best part of 15 minutes to travel between Connolly and Tara Street. :mad:

    Seriously why is this?

    1) Speeds for trains in the city centre are low at the best of times. Capacity for trains is as full as it can be; if one stops, it will hold up others behind it, same as with a traffic jam on a road.
    2) The train was probably held up with a red signal.
    3) Don't forget, it can take a bit of time on occasions for passengers to get off a train so this can slow a train ahead up a little; add it up to 10 trains ahead and you have a big delay.


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    #3
    loyatemu
    Registered Users Posts: 14,785 ✭✭✭✭loyatemu


    station dwell times on the dart line are appalling - I've seen trains pull up with a green signal ahead and they've still hung around for for up to 2 minutes. Compare this with the Luas. The Dart timetable is so ridiculously padded that there is no pressure on the drivers to make decent progress.


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    #4
    IRLConor
    Subscribers Posts: 4,075 ✭✭✭IRLConor


    pithater1 wrote: »
    Why do the trains crawl through the city centre. Today it took the best part of 15 minutes to travel between Connolly and Tara Street. :mad:

    I find that if your final destination is Tara Street you're often better off getting off at Connolly or Pearse (depending on which direction you're coming from) and walking.

    AFAIK, the rail bridge over the Liffey has been at capacity for years now. It's one major critical bottleneck in the rail network around Dublin. Anyone know if there are plans to upgrade it?


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    #5
    Ham'nd'egger
    Registered Users Posts: 3,025 ✭✭✭Ham'nd'egger


    loyatemu wrote: »
    station dwell times on the dart line are appalling - I've seen trains pull up with a green signal ahead and they've still hung around for for up to 2 minutes. Compare this with the Luas. The Dart timetable is so ridiculously padded that there is no pressure on the drivers to make decent progress.

    CAWS (Irish Rail's in train signaling system) will show advance warning of signals to be approached by a train ahead of getting there. A train may well have a red aspect ahead so it may not be able to advance if it is due to stop a few hundred yards ahead on the track.


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    #6
    Rashers72
    Registered Users Posts: 1,207 ✭✭✭Rashers72


    You probably won't have heard any of the non-announcements, but the radio, and the LED overhead displays indicated 30 minute delays to all DARTs,Drogheda and Maynooth services around 8.30am due to a points/signal failure between Connolly and Clontarf Rd. Ironically, my delays happened on the Loop line between Connolly and Tara st. Late again for work!
    Even though I actually got an earlier train, to avoid being late, I still arrived in late!:mad:

    .............AFAIK, the rail bridge over the Liffey has been at capacity for years now. It's one major critical bottleneck in the rail network around Dublin. Anyone know if there are plans to upgrade it?.............
    Called the interconnector. Should open 2015.


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    #7
    senordingdong
    Registered Users Posts: 10,673 ✭✭✭✭senordingdong


    The dart takes so long in the city centre because of traffic.
    The rails the dart use are not dedicated and the commuter trains need to use the same rails and often platforms.

    I know, it's ridiculous, but I'm blue in the face complaining.


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    #8
    Skyhater
    Closed Accounts Posts: 311 ✭✭Skyhater


    IRLConor wrote: »
    AFAIK, the rail bridge over the Liffey has been at capacity for years now. It's one major critical bottleneck in the rail network around Dublin. Anyone know if there are plans to upgrade it?
    THE INTERCONNECTOR!! (....or Dart Underground as it's started to be called).
    Go lobby your local TD.... The more people pushing for it the better.


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    #9
    Jonny Arson
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,124 ✭✭✭Jonny Arson


    Rashers72 wrote: »
    You probably won't have heard any of the non-announcements, but the radio, and the LED overhead displays indicated 30 minute delays to all DARTs,Drogheda and Maynooth services around 8.30am due to a points/signal failure between Connolly and Clontarf Rd. Ironically, my delays happened on the Loop line between Connolly and Tara st. Late again for work!
    Even though I actually got an earlier train, to avoid being late, I still arrived in late!:mad:
    i was wondering what was going on when i got the 08:25 southbound from Bayside with nearly double the amount of people on it than normal when it arrived. clap clap again to IE for their usual sh!te customer service on that one, no announcements, nothing on the displays, absolutely nothing to indicate to you there would be more people than normal on the trains. that DART was obscenely overcrowded by Harmonstown coupled with the traditional random 5 minute stop yards before the platforms at Connolly, i had to get off at Connolly instead of where i was going (Sydney Parade) to get fresh air because i was about a minute from collapsing.


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    #10
    SeanW
    Registered Users Posts: 8,767 ✭✭✭SeanW


    Skyhater wrote: »
    THE INTERCONNECTOR!! (....or Dart Underground as it's started to be called).
    Go lobby your local TD.... The more people pushing for it the better.
    Hear Hear :eek:


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    #11
    fitzyshea
    Registered Users Posts: 285 ✭✭fitzyshea


    IE are due to upgrade the city centre signal system and this will increase capacity. Not sure when though.


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    #12
    KC61
    Registered Users Posts: 4,316 ✭✭✭KC61


    fitzyshea wrote: »
    IE are due to upgrade the city centre signal system and this will increase capacity. Not sure when though.

    http://www.transport21.ie/PROJECTS/HEAVY_RAIL/City_Centre_Resignalling_Project.html

    Projected completion date of 2011.

    In the meantime, I understand plans are afoot to put a clockface timetable in place on all services through Connolly from next December. This should result in many of the gaps in service being eliminated.


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