Stopping locations of Irish trains

swordofislam

In most countries there are marked places where the train stops. You wait at those spots on the platform.
Why can't this be done in Ireland.
If you can't stop the train in the appropriate location than you should be sacked.

coylemj

Trains are different lengths, usually dicatated by the time of day and the expected number of passengers. Some days a particular spot on the platform might correspond to the middle of the train, at other times waiting at the same spot you might have to walk 25m or so to board.

foggy_lad

coylemj wrote: »

Trains are different lengths, usually dicatated by the time of day and the expected number of passengers. Some days a particular spot on the platform might correspond to the middle of the train, at other times waiting at the same spot you might have to walk 25m or so to board.

How hard would it be to have a couple of markings on train platforms to indicate where the driver should be stopping for a 3 and 6 car 22000 and for long and short dart sets in the Dublin area? might be confusing though?

L1011

foggy_lad wrote: »

How hard would it be to have a couple of markings on train platforms to indicate where the driver should be stopping for a 3 and 6 car 22000 and for long and short dart sets in the Dublin area? might be confusing though?

DARTs can be in 2, 4, 6 and 8 car consists...

GarIT

Mallow station has markings overhead for where each carrage on the Cork to Heuston train should be.

foggy_lad

MYOB wrote: »

DARTs can be in 2, 4, 6 and 8 car consists...

Indeed but the shorter 2 and 4 car configurations could be stopped at one point mid platform or at least always at the end of the platform and passengers warned beforehand of the number of carriages.

Our man in Havana

Walk ya lazy bugger.

LaFlammeRouge

Don't most (all) trains stop at the CCTV TV monitor/mirror at the end of the platform, so the driver can see the platform.

Our man in Havana

LaFlammeRouge wrote: »

Don't most (all) trains stop at the CCTV TV monitor/mirror at the end of the platform, so the driver can see the platform.

Correct.

n97 mini

Not normally a fan of IE, but I wouldn't hold this against them.

Sooooooooooo many other things are a higher priority.

-Chris-

What's the problem OP? When the train pulls up you can't guarantee the doors will be directly in line with you?

To be honest, I don't remember seeing this on any train I've ever travelled on.

Is it really a significant concern?

Cookie_Monster

LaFlammeRouge wrote: »

Don't most (all) trains stop at the CCTV TV monitor/mirror at the end of the platform, so the driver can see the platform.

Exactly so it's very easy to know where the train will stop within a couple of meters. Just walk up the platform to there, the first carriage is nearly the emptiest anyway so more chance of a seat

parsi

In fairness if you're at the wrong spot on Templemore Platform and the Cork train pulls in you could be walking for nearly 1km to reach the train....

Niles

Personally as long as the driver doesn't overshoot the platform (or a red signal :eek:) I'm not that worried, even if I have to walk a little.

Cookie_Monster

parsi wrote: »

In fairness if you're at the wrong spot on Templemore Platform and the Cork train pulls in you could be walking for nearly 1km to reach the train....

how long is the train 250-300m ? 1300 metre platform?

edit: 8 carriages plus loco is about 208m

dowlingm

I'd be in favour of a designated waiting area, brightly lit and with an intercom and CCTV where passengers could wait at unmanned halts and the train would have to pull up alongside at some part of its length.

parsi

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

how long is the train 250-300m ? 1300 metre platform?

edit: 8 carriages plus loco is about 208m

Flamin' Nora ! I didn't think I'd need to put a smiley on :mad::P;):p:o:rolleyes::):D:mad::cool::pac:

Hungerford

MYOB wrote: »

DARTs can be in 2, 4, 6 and 8 car consists...

NIR can manage it quite easily in the North - all their platforms have stopping signs. At some stations, such as Belfast Central, you'll see signs for 3, 4, 6 and 9 car consists.

loyatemu

the OP has a point here - I often catch the Wexford trains (3 or 4 carriages) from Pearse (where the platforms can take a 10 carriage train). When they pull up to the end of the platform there are always tons of people who have to literally run the length of the station to catch the train. But if you do wait right up the end of the platform at least 25% of the time the drivers pull up short (for their own amusement I suspect).

I understand it is Irish Rail policy (not always adhered to) to pull up to the end of the platform but it would be more passenger friendly to pull up to the middle thus minimising the distance passengers may have to run - its not laziness, it common-sense. As things stand the logical conclusion is that everyone should stand right at the end of the platform in case a short train arrives.

In Paris the RER trains are generally 10 carriages long, but they also run shorter trains. If a short train is due, it say "Short Train" on the displays and there are signs on the platform showing where the short trains pull up. Its not that difficult to do, and in the days when there were 2, 4 and 6 carriage DARTs they used to have markings on the platform for just this purpose.

cocoshovel

Got the train to Dublin last week. The 22000 arrived and stopped a small bit short on the platform, still plenty of room too get on at all carriages though. The doors wouldn't open so we all just stood around going .
I went up to talk to the driver, turns out it was something about a dump valve and stopping the train too early so the doors wouldn't activate. So we had to wait 10 mins for him to move the train forward a few meters before they would open. Just wondering if someone could explain this to me better, and was this to do with mainly stopping at the right area or something else?

Even though the train arrived 10 mins late, and departed 10 mins late so 20 in total he got us into Dublin exactly as the time table states so I didn't mind too much in the end

Terrontress

I have read that modern trains have GPS in them which prevent the doors being opened away from stations!

Anyway, in London you see signs along platforms saying things like 4 Car Stop, 6 Car Stop. On the platform electronic displays it states the number of carriages and where the first class carriage will be to enable yourself to aim for or avoid that. Then on the trains themselves it will often display "This is carriage 4 of 6" or whatever is relevant. Many stations also have "Mind the gap" written on the platform and this is where the train doors are when the train stops.

AngryLips

I can see this being a problem if the train splits further down the line for two destinations but otherwise it's just a minor gripe. IE have wayyy more to worry about ahead of this ...Speaking of which, I remember they were floating the idea of splitting trains on the Ballina/Westport line in order to increase frequencies up to where the line splits, did this ever happen? Or was it more kite flying by the IE management?

Losty Dublin

Hungerford wrote: »

NIR can manage it quite easily in the North - all their platforms have stopping signs. At some stations, such as Belfast Central, you'll see signs for 3, 4, 6 and 9 car consists.

NIR still have guards on service trains to ensure people alight and board safely; Irish Rail don't so they need the CCTV monitors to assist with seeing down the train length. Some stations will have staff on platforms but this is the exception rather than the rule.

coylemj

For me it only matters if I'm getting the Dart and am getting a northbound train to Sandymount where alighting passengers have to walk back to the exit unlike for example Lansdowne Road or Sydney Parade where the people in the forward carriages of Malahide/Howth-bound trains have the shortest walk to the exit.

In the case of northbound trains to Sandymount, it makes sense to get on at the rear of the train when starting the journey but as you can't predict how many carriages will be on the train, it makes guessing where to stand on the platform a bit of a lottery.

L1011

Hungerford wrote: »

NIR can manage it quite easily in the North - all their platforms have stopping signs. At some stations, such as Belfast Central, you'll see signs for 3, 4, 6 and 9 car consists.

I know it can be done, my point just was that there isn't "big" and "small" as such with that many options!

loyatemu

AngryLips wrote: »

I can see this being a problem if the train splits further down the line for two destinations but otherwise it's just a minor gripe. IE have wayyy more to worry about ahead of this

Its the little things that create a good perception of the service - like (for example) having the correct destination displayed on the front of the train. IE consistently fail to do this, it adds the impression that they're a bunch of incompetents and their staff are either indifferent or demotivated.

Several examples of other train companies successfully informing their passengers of where the train will stop have been referenced on this thread, its obviously not rocket science.