Increase in train passengers since the back-to-school

Sarcasmo2005

This might be a bit of a contraversial issue.. but I'm going to say it anyways.
Has anyone has noticed a major jump of passengers on certain trains since the kids went back to school??

having been on an early shift this week, I've seen a massive increase in numbers on the northern line, specifically on the 4:15 train to drogheda/dundalk from pearse.

Seems to be a savage number of school kids using the northern line as an express to malahide, you then see a major exodus off the train at malaide, and another wave of kids get on from malahide only to get off the train at donabate. It's been quite a shift from a couple of weeks previous, where you could get on the train without having to deal with the scores of kids barging on. For those of us working folk that have to stand for an hour, it's pure mayhem on that train until the train leaves donabate.

As a means to improving conditions for those travelling to drogheda/dundalk, could irishrail re-schedule the 4:15 to go direct to donabate, and maybe put a one or two carriage train on from malahide to donabate? [i.e the dart feeds passengers to malahide, as it should, and the northern commuter line is left to deal with it's capacity problems]. After all there are small trains put on from mosney (I don't know if they go to balbriggan or drogheda).

It would also be worth the ticket inspectors setting up their checks at donabate.. a raft of non paying kids would bring in more cash for them compared to the odd unfortunate punter who's really forgotten his ticket on that day. I've seen many occaision this week where kids will wait on the carriage, before getting off the train at donabate, until they can see the coast is clear of inspectors (otherwise they'll stay on until rush&lusk) the volumes of kids getting off there means they've time to call it on whether they get stung.

fh041205

You'll find surprisingly enough that most of the schoolkids do actually pay their way when it comes to tickets. You must remember that they are paying sweet FA for kids tickets anyway. I agree the 16:15 shouldn't stop at Malahide. Surely thats what the DART is for...

What always annoyed me was when a particular carriage was full, instead of moving on to the next one the kids would just barge on, often jumping and charging their way through the doors in some sort of rugby fashion. Its disgraceful behaviour and they should be made wait for the next train if they're going to act like that. Not saying that they all do that, just a handful.

Redsoxfan

Here's something even more controversial-children should be made go to the closest school to their place of residence. And walk if it is less than a mile.

:eek:

Bluetonic

Sarcasmo2005 wrote: »

As a means to improving conditions for those travelling to drogheda/dundalk, could irishrail re-schedule the 4:15 to go direct to donabate, and maybe put a one or two carriage train on from malahide to donabate? [i.e the dart feeds passengers to malahide, as it should, and the northern commuter line is left to deal with it's capacity problems].

fh041205 wrote: »

I agree the 16:15 shouldn't stop at Malahide. Surely thats what the DART is for...

The train stops at Malahide purposely to bring school children back to their homes in Donabate. The service isn't a point to point service so get over it. Do you expect the school children to get the DART to Connolly and the train back out to Donabate :rolleyes: School children have been using this route long before DART came into operation and long before towns like Drogheda and Dundalk became high volume commuter towns for Dublin. Having been on that train many a times there is no problem with it, like every service at peak times it busy but not unsafe or uncomfortable. Do you think that 'maybe put a one or two carriage train on from malahide to donabate?' would allow the 16:15 train to flow freely through to Donabate?

Redsoxfan wrote: »

Here's something even more controversial-children should be made go to the closest school to their place of residence. And walk if it is less than a mile.

There is no secondary school in Donabate so the school children who get on in Malahide are using their nearest school.

Colm R

Absolutely no issue with school kids using public transport and any overcrowding that occurs just hightlights the shortcomings of Irish Rail.

However, school kids by their very nature are a rowdy bunch, and this is across the board, wether they be from preceived dis-advantaged areas or more affluent.

I recall one incident where one kid was responsible for pushing a load of other kids to try and get a few seats in the middle of the carriage, knocking over one lady and squashing the rest of us.

I, along with a few others told the kids to cop on and were met with laughter and threats. Funny eh!!

However, the following Saturday I was on the train to Howth on a very quiet carriage with a friend. I recalled the incident to him in a very detailed manner. The person opposite us was squirming and clearly worried. I then pointed out to my firend that this person was the ring leader of said incident. Lets just say he wasn't so brave this time.

1huge1

I'd imagine the vast majority pay for their tickets as previously stated because child tickets are a much fairer price.

Better that than their parents clogging up the roads bringing them to school in their private cars etc.

corktina

hee hee i spy a bad dose of Middle-Age coming on....:D

donvito99

1huge1 wrote: »

I'd imagine the vast majority pay for their tickets as previously stated because child tickets are a much fairer price.

Better that than their parents clogging up the roads bringing them to school in their pricate cars etc.[/quote

Chelsea Tractors maybe:D

fh041205

Bluetonic wrote: »

The train stops at Malahide purposely to bring school children back to their homes in Donabate. The service isn't a point to point service so get over it. Do you expect the school children to get the DART to Connolly and the train back out to Donabate :rolleyes: School children have been using this route long before DART came into operation and long before towns like Drogheda and Dundalk became high volume commuter towns for Dublin. Having been on that train many a times there is no problem with it, like every service at peak times it busy but not unsafe or uncomfortable. Do you think that 'maybe put a one or two carriage train on from malahide to donabate?' would allow the 16:15 train to flow freely through to Donabate?


There is no secondary school in Donabate so the school children who get on in Malahide are using their nearest school.

To answer your question, no. A two carriage sevice would make absolutely no sense to me anyway. I've been on the 16;15 regularly and it is the busiest evening service by far, especially on a Friday where you physically cannot move on the train because of the amount of people. From my experience it certainly is unsafe and uncomfortable. Then you get days where it may not be its full 8-carriage compliment and it becomes a joke.

I wasn't trying to say that kids shouldn't get the train, i've just witnessed a small minority of them who barge their way onto the train without consideration for who they might injure by doing so. And I do think that the 16:15 is dangerously overcapicity moreso than any other service on this line. I would say that the 15:42 should be delayed somewhat in Malahide to accomodate the schoolkids.

I don't see your point with the 'they've been here longer than you' arguement. Not trying to be condesending or anything I just think that times have changed and it would make more sense to put the schoolkids on the less busy 15.42 service rather than the 16.15. Just IMO.

Bluetonic

fh041205 wrote: »

I don't see your point with the 'they've been here longer than you' arguement. Not trying to be condesending or anything I just think that times have changed and it would make more sense to put the schoolkids on the less busy 15.42 service rather than the 16.15. Just IMO.

How have they?

Victor

Instead of complaining about pupils using the train and telling them to walk, how about you reducing your commute?

fh041205 wrote: »

I don't see your point with the 'they've been here longer than you' arguement. Not trying to be condesending or anything I just think that times have changed and it would make more sense to put the schoolkids on the less busy 15.42 service rather than the 16.15. Just IMO.

Why don't you get the earlier train instead? Or would you need a permission slip from your headmaster boss?

corktina

...or chill with a coffee and get a later one....

fh041205

Hey i'm not complaining or anything like that. I just think that it would make sense to use the earlier service to its full potential rather than dangerously overcrowding the 16:15. The times have changed in the sense that a lot of the towns on the northern route have indeed become high volume commuter towns. Tbh its makes no difference to me either way as I don't use this service at all anymore. The OP proposed a way to improve conditions for those travelling on this service and I have proposed my own too. I don't see whats so controversial about it.

dowlingm

Ideally, rail pricing should encourage people travelling one stop in an urban area to take buses while heavy rail brings in long haul commuters... but that would require that integrated transport thingy and less emphasis on An Lar-ism...

ixoy

Fridays are the one day I can finish earlier (at 16:00) so I sometimes get that train. The next train to Portmarnock, due to Irish Rail's system, isn't for forty minutes so I'm certainly not in favour of curtailing its route when stations are being ill served. The idea of a second train behind it is probably a non runner given how much difficulty they have with their stock as is.

I will agree though that it's very packed and I sometimes avoid it as a result - there will be kids often sprawled all over the floor instead of standing at times. But the real thing is to get IR to increase capacity and to monitor the load on their trains - there's plenty of flaws elsewhere in their system.

Carawaystick

dowlingm wrote: »

Ideally, rail pricing should encourage people travelling one stop in an urban area to take buses while heavy rail brings in long haul commuters... but that would require that integrated transport thingy and less emphasis on An Lar-ism...

Except Donabate isn't in an urban area, and the train is the shortest way there from Malahide, 4km vs 10.3km by the shortest road route.