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Should rail only passes be allowed on buses today.

  • 26-12-2012 3:29pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,944 ✭✭✭


    So theres the dilemma. Two days of the year the rail network shuts down completely. Christmas day and Stephens day. Whatever about Christmas day no services (which I think is understandable and fair), Stephens day shopping centres are open, funderland which is in touching distance of sandymount station has started and it feels like a typical Sunday. Its redicilous that the day after Christmas day the while rail network shuts down. They say there's no demand so who am I to argue.

    The thing is, whatever the inconvinience of this, should holders of rail only passes have their passes accepted on Dublin bus for the day? Sureits irish rails sister company, isn't it? And sure they say theres no demand on the rail network so numbers using rail passes on buses will be low won't they?

    Or is it a case that passengers knew when they were buying their rail passes, there would be no services on Stephens day so tough! Their loss!


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 16,096 ✭✭✭✭the groutch


    maybe it's too much hassle for them to change the system for the validators to accept them for the sake of one day?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,380 ✭✭✭sitstill


    I think Irish Rail need to reconsider their stance on St Stephens Day. Unfortunately a lot of people now need to work on this day and I think next year they should have even a limited DART/Commuter service operating.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,606 ✭✭✭schemingbohemia


    thomasj wrote: »
    So theres the dilemma. Two days of the year the rail network shuts down completely. Christmas day and Stephens day. Whatever about Christmas day no services (which I think is understandable and fair), Stephens day shopping centres are open, funderland which is in touching distance of sandymount station has started and it feels like a typical Sunday. Its redicilous that the day after Christmas day the while rail network shuts down. They say there's no demand so who am I to argue.

    The thing is, whatever the inconvinience of this, should holders of rail only passes have their passes accepted on Dublin bus for the day? Sureits irish rails sister company, isn't it? And sure they say theres no demand on the rail network so numbers using rail passes on buses will be low won't they?

    Or is it a case that passengers knew when they were buying their rail passes, there would be no services on Stephens day so tough! Their loss!

    Correct - they knew when buying their ticket that the train wouldn't operate on those two days and the ticket was priced accordingly. For those using taxsaver annual tickets the cost of adding the bus on works out at a pittance per week, even for occasional nitelink or airlink services or travelling short distances within Dublin city it would pay for itself.
    sitstill wrote: »
    I think Irish Rail need to reconsider their stance on St Stephens Day. Unfortunately a lot of people now need to work on this day and I think next year they should have even a limited DART/Commuter service operating.

    The train service isn't like the bus service, to have even a Sunday service costs an awful lot of money more than keeping it shut and they are guaranteed to lose a load of money given the incredibly low numbers that would use the service. It makes sense to have the railway shut for the two days.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 327 ✭✭Tube


    I was out and about for a while yesterday and was genuinely surprised at how busy it was. Never mind rail, people were caught out with the Sunday service on DB.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,375 ✭✭✭DoesNotCompute


    thomasj wrote: »
    So theres the dilemma. Two days of the year the rail network shuts down completely. Christmas day and Stephens day. Whatever about Christmas day no services (which I think is understandable and fair), Stephens day shopping centres are open, funderland which is in touching distance of sandymount station has started and it feels like a typical Sunday. Its redicilous that the day after Christmas day the while rail network shuts down. They say there's no demand so who am I to argue.

    The thing is, whatever the inconvinience of this, should holders of rail only passes have their passes accepted on Dublin bus for the day? Sureits irish rails sister company, isn't it? And sure they say theres no demand on the rail network so numbers using rail passes on buses will be low won't they?

    Or is it a case that passengers knew when they were buying their rail passes, there would be no services on Stephens day so tough! Their loss!

    Irish Rail is nothing more than a "boy's club" run for the benefit of employees. They close down the network on Xmas Day and Stephen's Day so that all their employees can get the day off. The unions have it sewn up. Any attempt to change it will result in the likes of Jack O'Connor ranting and raving about bully-boy tactics and calling for a general strike.

    End of rant.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,766 ✭✭✭juan.kerr


    Irish Rail is nothing more than a "boy's club" run for the benefit of employees.

    Out of curiosity, what happens in the UK for intercity and London underground services over the Christmas period?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,284 ✭✭✭✭LXFlyer


    The GB & NI National railway network is completely shut down on Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day with only a few exceptions, which are basically Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted Airport expresses on St Stephen's Day (although the Heathrow Express was cancelled this year due to engineering works), along with some limited local services in Glasgow, on Southeastern High Speed and on the Southern network south of London. Everything else shuts down, including London Overground and all other commuter services.

    All Scotrail services are also cancelled on New Years Day.

    Scotrail Services:
    http://www.scotrail.co.uk/sites/default/files/documents/11008_Christmas_timetable_2012.pdf

    Southern Services:
    http://www.southernrailway.com/your-journey/plan-my-journey/christmas-train-services

    SouthEastern Services:
    http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/your-journey/timetables/summary-of-christmas-and-new-year-services/

    London Underground was supposed to operate a full service yesterday but for the third year in a row a very limited tube service operated due to drivers being on strike looking for better pay for working the 26th of December.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,381 ✭✭✭✭end of the road


    Irish Rail is nothing more than a "boy's club" run for the benefit of employees. They close down the network on Xmas Day and Stephen's Day so that all their employees can get the day off.
    and so what? their entitled to a couple of days off, nobody uses the railways christmas day and it just wouldn't be worth the cost opening it stephens day, get over it.
    The unions have it sewn up. Any attempt to change it will result in the likes of Jack O'Connor ranting and raving about bully-boy tactics and calling for a general strike.
    exactly, trying to keep good working conditions for their members, good on them.
    some people aren't going to just sit there and be greatful and rightly so, if they can get a better deal for themselves then more power to them
    you need to get yourself a good union and be represented.

    I'm very highly educated. I know words, i have the best words, nobody has better words then me.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,258 ✭✭✭✭Losty Dublin


    Some years ago, there was a limited Christmas Day service on a few mail lines here in Ireland. They were abandoned due to patronage that was almost nil; unions had nothing to do with their demise. Dublin city buses also ran a Christmas service up until the early 1980's; it too ceased due to low patronage.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,381 ✭✭✭✭end of the road


    Some years ago, there was a limited Christmas Day service on a few mail lines here in Ireland. They were abandoned due to patronage that was almost nil; unions had nothing to do with their demise. Dublin city buses also ran a Christmas service up until the early 1980's; it too ceased due to low patronage.

    unfortunately losty their are those who show such contempt and hatred for the unions and will blame them for everything, some of such people have the same hatred and contempt for public service workers and such people won't want them to get what their not getting, such people will expect the likes of busses and rail to operate to a week day schedule on days such as christmas day even though their isn't a demand for the services not because they will use them but because they have an agenda against the people working on the ground in CIE but never mind its the unions fault theirs little to no demand for services christmas and stephens day.

    I'm very highly educated. I know words, i have the best words, nobody has better words then me.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,047 ✭✭✭Hilly Bill


    Irish Rail is nothing more than a "boy's club" run for the benefit of employees. They close down the network on Xmas Day and Stephen's Day so that all their employees can get the day off. The unions have it sewn up. Any attempt to change it will result in the likes of Jack O'Connor ranting and raving about bully-boy tactics and calling for a general strike.

    End of rant.

    How do you work that one out? Irish Rail is a business, they wouldnt have a shut down just so the employees had a day off. To think otherwise is just plain foolish. In what way have the unions have it sewn up?
    Personally i dont think you have any clue as to what you are on about.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,047 ✭✭✭Hilly Bill


    I cant see any reason why the passes couldnt have been used on the buses. It would be the same as Dublin bus accepting bus ticket when the trains are cancelled for some reason.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,346 ✭✭✭dowlingm


    On RUI it was noted that loads have been historically light. If IE can rustle up stock for GAA and other specials presumably service would be provided if it made sense to do. On the other hand the Christmas/Stephens Day closure should be an opportunity for major track works to be performed such as increments of DASH2 or bridge replacements.


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