What were Irish Rail playing at today? (Gripe about Longford commute)

SeanW

Greets amgios;

I had to work today as things are getting a bit pressured at the office, but they let me come in around lunchtime because Irish Rail didn't have any trains coming into Dublin before ~12:10PM which in itself was just wonderful. :mad: Along with no DART connection and the bloody marathon :mad: :mad:

But that train, the first of the day, was only 3 cars long and it was almost full by the time I got it in Longford. After Edgeworthstown, (through Mullingar, Kilcock and Enfield inwards) it was absolutely jammers, with people standing from Mullingar onwards.

It was so bad that even in Maynooth, where they usually use the Sligo train as a rat-run to avoid the local stopping services, I think some of them got on, saw how FUBAR it was, then decided to take their local train instead.

Going home it was the exact opposite, a 6 car train with almost noone onboard. What the heck?

Five Lamps

What's the norm for a bank holiday?

What's wrong with standing on a commuter train - pretty normal the world over?

cmore123

Longford's a bit of a hike as a commuter........

Five Lamps

cmore123 wrote: »

Longford's a bit of a hike as a commuter........

He was commuting to work! According to Irish Rail and thanks to the Celtic Tiger, Mullingar and Longford seem to be on the commuter network.

Banjoxed

Five Lamps wrote: »

He was commuting to work! According to Irish Rail and thanks to the Celtic Tiger, Mullingar and Longford seem to be on the commuter network.

Maybe they should fold up their houses and move to avoid causing Internet offence then?

SeanW

Five Lamps wrote: »

What's the norm for a bank holiday?

Don't know, this is the first time I tried it.

What's wrong with standing on a commuter train - pretty normal the world over?

For over an hour?

Zebra3

SeanW wrote: »

It was so bad that even in Maynooth, where they usually use the Sligo train as a rat-run to avoid the local stopping services,

You make seem like you have a problem with people using a service provided to them by Irish Rail.

Jamie2k9

Capacity would be on previous bank holiday loadings, the reason for the evening 6 car is that high numbers would of travelled back on the afternoon service from Sligo.

SeanW

Zebra3 wrote: »

You make seem like you have a problem with people using a service provided to them by Irish Rail.

No, it's just something I've noticed.

LXFlyer

The six piece sets would all have been used on the later trains from Sligo that would have had higher loadings than that train.

Three of the six piece sets then have to get back to Sligo for the early morning services on Tuesday morning, hence they operate on the 16:00, 17:05 and 19:05 from Connolly.

dowlingm

Zebra3 wrote: »

You make seem like you have a problem with people using a service provided to them by Irish Rail.

I wouldn't mind seeing IE give priority boarding to longer distance travellers in situations like that.

Hilly Bill

dowlingm wrote: »

I wouldn't mind seeing IE give priority boarding to longer distance travellers in situations like that.

How would that work?

SeanW

Like how Bus Eireann handles stops at Heuston for long distance services terminating at Busarus, or indeed how the New Haven Line of New York City's "Metro North Railroad" handles stops at Fordham in the Bronx.

"Inbound trains stop to discharge passengers only"
"Outbound trains stop to pick up passengers only"

On Metro North, Fordham-Grand Central tickets cannot be used on New Haven Line trains that make the Fordham stop.

I'm not actually complaining about it in Maynooth because all the long haulers already have their seats going in, and the Maynooth rat runners don't use the outbound long distance trains in great enough numbers to matter. Sometimes going out as many people join the train in Maynooth travelling West as get off from Connolly.

But for the poor eejits that depend on the Wexford and Wicklow services, they have to contend with large numbers of rat runners using their trains as Dun Laoghaire expresses.

MDFM

OP..Did you get on the train in Longford? It came from Sligo so I take it?

Hilly Bill

You can bet that the train will be packed by Mullingar in the morning as well.

MDFM

Hilly Bill wrote: »

You can bet that the train will be packed by Mullingar in the morning as well.

Which train? 1st & 2nd train from Longford will have plenty of room for Mullingar passengers, both should be 6 car trains in morning.

Hilly Bill

Which one was a 3 or 4 piece this morning? either first or second out of Sligo.

SeanW

Hilly Bill wrote: »

Which one was a 3 or 4 piece this morning? either first or second out of Sligo.

First Sligo-Dublin one was 4 cars.

Neon_Lights

5.15pm commuter to longford from connolly.... always get a seat.... best train to coolmine ever!

LXFlyer

The 3pce sets normally operate the 11:00, 13:00 and 18:00 from Sligo, and the 08:00, 13:05 and 15:05 from Dublin.

This would have changed on the bank holiday as I said due to the changed loading patterns.

Hilly Bill

SeanW wrote: »

First Sligo-Dublin one was 4 cars.

The 4 piece 07.00 out of Sligo was apparently overcrowded after Mullingar today.

Jamie2k9

Hilly Bill wrote: »

The 4 piece 07.00 out of Sligo was apparently overcrowded after Mullingar today.

Surly the 09.00 departure from Sligo and the 19.05 from Connolly would be the best suited to 4 car trains.

Zebra3

dowlingm wrote: »

I wouldn't mind seeing IE give priority boarding to longer distance travellers in situations like that.

They do have priority. They have more chance of getting a seat.

LXFlyer

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

Surly the 09.00 departure from Sligo and the 19.05 from Connolly would be the best suited to 4 car trains.

Presumably they're short a set or two due to the reformation process.

I'd expect that the 05:45 and 17:05 would stay as six piece sets.

Hilly Bill

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

Surly the 09.00 departure from Sligo and the 19.05 from Connolly would be the best suited to 4 car trains.

The 19.05 is a busy train and can be nearly full as a six piece in Connolly.

The 07.00 3 piece out of Sligo goes out as the 11.05 out of Connolly and can be fairly empty and wouldnt even fill 2 carriages at times.

SeanW

Zebra3 wrote: »

They do have priority. They have more chance of getting a seat.

Inbound. Outbound it's another matter, though thankfully it doesn't affect the Sligo/Longford services in any real way.

Problem is it surely does for Wexford services and Enterprise services, and without a "stops to drop off/pick up passengers only" mechanism there's no solution for when it does.

dowlingm

Hilly Bill wrote: »

How would (priority boarding) work?

Two queues at the gate
1. All stations past Maynooth and all holders of seat reservations for Maynooth
2. Maynooth travellers without reserved seats

Queue 1 would be invited to board first, but would convert to general boarding with 5 or so minutes to go before departure (the "or so" being dependent on how the system was working). The same would be done for diesel services stopping at Drogheda, Greystones or intermediate points on those lines. Those with no choice but that train get dibs, those with alternatives wait.

Fred Swanson

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Hilly Bill

dowlingm wrote: »

Two queues at the gate
1. All stations past Maynooth and all holders of seat reservations for Maynooth
2. Maynooth travellers without reserved seats

Queue 1 would be invited to board first, but would convert to general boarding with 5 or so minutes to go before departure (the "or so" being dependent on how the system was working). The same would be done for diesel services stopping at Drogheda, Greystones or intermediate points on those lines. Those with no choice but that train get dibs, those with alternatives wait.

People can't form one queue never mind two. And at what gate do you what people to form 2 queues at? The problem seems to be a shorter train for the 07.00 out of Sligo.

Hilly Bill

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

If they pay for a ticket to their destination then they have every right to use any service that stops there.

Five Lamps

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

That would make sense. These trains should go non-stop through from the outer suburbs to the city.

The same applied for the ridiculous arguement to extend the DART to Drogheda and creating a crap transit system for all users. What Drogheda needs is regional express trains that run non stop from say, Malahide, to the centre.