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IE to close lines.

roundymac · 2012-01-02 11:22:08

IE are considering closing lightly used lines according to todays Irish Examiner. They have already briefed Minister Varadkar, who agree's that IE have to maximse their potential even if that means closing routes. Among the first to go is believed to be Limerick-Ballybrophy. This line has carried 14000 passangers from Jan…

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#62 06-01-2012 10:05pm
Stonewolf

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I watched a very interesting presentation the other day about teleoperation of mining equipment. All the machines were operated by people in nice, air conditioned offices a few hundred miles from the mines. The mining companies were saving money by not requiring people to be on the machine itself doing a dirty and dangerous job, they lived in the suburbs with their families and commuted to work with everyone else.

I wonder if a similar system would be possible for trains (in principle it's pretty much the same thing).

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#63 06-01-2012 10:07pm
foggy_lad

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Apologies, you did not state that exactly. but you did imply that they are nowhere near as competent or professional from the post here.

Originally Posted by foggy_lad
That is what you were claiming for train drivers, stress etc and the number of lives they are responsible for

Correct! Paid according to their competence and professionalism, for transporting potentially hundreds of people at a time, safely and quickly, from A to B. Therefore I think the role of an InterCity train driver is closer to that of an airline pilot or passenger ship captain, than that of a coach driver. Coach/bus maximum passenger numbers are considerably less, speeds slower and there is not nearly the same amount of kinetic energy at play.

The truth of it is that Coach drivers have many more variables to consider when driving and should be considered far more highly skilled than those who operate a train which is after all on rails and is more akin to operating a static piece of equipment. The biggest danger to passengers is the driver falling asleep and crashing into the back of another train!

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#64 06-01-2012 10:28pm
steamengine

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foggy_lad wrote: »

Apologies, you did not state that exactly. but you did imply that they are nowhere near as competent or professional from the post here.

The truth of it is that Coach drivers have many more variables to consider when driving and should be considered far more highly skilled than those who operate a train which is after all on rails and is more akin to operating a static piece of equipment. The biggest danger to passengers is the driver falling asleep and crashing into the back of another train!

Thank you for that, any perceived implication was unintentional on my part. So let me clear this up - Bus/coach drivers are just as competent and professional as train drivers, pilots and ships captains. The rest is a matter of opinion AFAIAC.

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#65 06-01-2012 11:29pm
shamwari

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foggy_lad wrote: »

The truth of it is that Coach drivers have many more variables to consider when driving and should be considered far more highly skilled than those who operate a train which is after all on rails and is more akin to operating a static piece of equipment.

If ever a post belied the ignorance of the subject being discussed then this does. :rolleyes:

I could sit here and explain in very clear detail why you are wrong on this foggy, but I won't even waste my time trying.

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#66 08-01-2012 1:50am
Cookie_Monster

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foggy_lad wrote: »

The truth of it is that Coach drivers have many more variables to consider when driving and should be considered far more highly skilled than those who operate a train which is after all on rails and is more akin to operating a static piece of equipment. The biggest danger to passengers is the driver falling asleep and crashing into the back of another train!

I wouldn't think so. Driving is something everyone can and does do frequently. It's a very familiar environment and is done in small vehicles that react near instantly be it bus or car. Trains on the other hand have hundreds of tonnes of momentum, multiple carriages and couplings that all react together. Everything you do has to be planned miles in advance totally unsighted. You're also responsible far a far more powerful vehicle and far more people at far higher speeds....

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#67 08-01-2012 3:25am
DDigital

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Late addition, but if the OP is correct then it is both sad and an even sadder confirmation of what many others have been saying for a few years. It looks like IE have wanted to close certain lines regardless of general growth and they were purposefully neglected to facilitate this. In essence these lines got no investment and were always earmarked for closure.

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