Delay on Maynooth line - no update on the Irish rail site,

amdublin

Why do Irish rail use Twitter for updates but not update their website??

They have a service update section which is about a week out of date.

dvcireland

Cause of delay:

http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/gardai-pursue-train-vandals-down-tracks-after-they-smashed-windows-and-pulled-emergency-handles-30071544.html

MDFM

amdublin wrote: »

Why do Irish rail use Twitter for updates but not update their website??

They have a service update section which is about a week out of date.

Twitter is faster, quicker etc with updates going to your phone as text...And to be fair for once IE were on the ball this morning with lots up-to-date reports of the incident on this train.

GLaDOS

Just went from clonsilla to Leixlip without delay there, all seems to be clear

mrsdewinter

dvcireland wrote: »

Cause of delay:

http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/gardai-pursue-train-vandals-down-tracks-after-they-smashed-windows-and-pulled-emergency-handles-30071544.html

Thanks for that - fair play to the Indo for getting the story online so quickly.

Tube

Anyone know where the perpetrators boarded? Of it they were caught?

cython

From comparing the information contained on both Twitter and the Service Updates section of the website at various times, I've come to the conclusion that the former is better for up to the minute information and unforeseen/unplanned disruptions, whereas the latter is used to give advance notice of planned works, or to publish notice of issues that may have arisen suddenly, but will persist for a prolonged period (e.g. flooding).

Now I know there are cases whereby short delays have been added to Service Updates, but this seems to be the exception rather than the rule, and it is probably a factor in why their twitter account is embedded on the RHS of the page also, and disruptions such as this morning's would likely be visible there, meaning that the Service Updates page (though not the feed on the frontpage) does actually provide information on these issues.

cython

Tube wrote: »

Anyone know where the perpetrators boarded? Of it they were caught?

No indication of where they boarded, but this suggests 2 of them were arrested: http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/two-arrested-after-windows-smashed-cords-pulled-on-dublin-bound-train-624466.html

Seemingly only 2 of them got off onto the tracks, and one may have stayed on (someone on twitter provided that update and a description to Irish Rail, probably in the hope that they might be apprehended when alighting) but no idea if anything came of that

ongarboy

Even the RTPI monitors at Hansfield this morning did not reflect the delayed trains. In fairness, my 08:20 dep was only delayed by about 4 minutes as I guess the spur line to M3 was not as affected even though we still had to pass through Clonsilla.

They did announce the delay over the platform intercom however. I also got the update from the Indo app while I was on the train.

Dravokivich

My problem with their use of twitter is split into 2 parts:

1, Is that at times it can be inconsistent, regarding both how soon they notify and the level of details to inform passengers. It sounds like they may have sorted that out now.

2, Next to announcements through the tannoys on platforms, which are regularly distorted and hard to hear, Twitter seems to be their only other means to notify people. I don't like the way it's expected of us to refer to it for updates. They have information boards on the platforms. They should be used to provide brief details of delays. There's no point on counting down the arrival time of a train that the service has been ceased for.

Wichita Lineman

I see over on the Irish Independent website that the keyboard warriors are out in full force as to what they would and wouldnt have done to them lads if they had been on the train.

In reality they would have done like everyone else - watch on in stunned silence as 2 of the morons tried to force open the door by kicking it and then repeatedly tried to smash the glass in the door with the emergency hammer.

It appears they were more 'successful' in another carriage where they broke through window or windows? Now, that must have been really upsetting / scary for passengers in that carriage.

MDFM

Andy Dunne11 wrote: »

I see over on the Irish Independent website that the keyboard warriors are out in full force as to what they would and wouldnt have done to them lads if they had been on the train.

In reality they would have done like everyone else - watch on in stunned silence as 2 of the morons tried to force open the door by kicking it and then repeatedly tried to smash the glass in the door with the emergency hammer.

It appears they were more 'successful' in another carriage where they broke through window or windows? Now, that must have been really upsetting / scary for passengers in that carriage.

:eek: Which carriages were affected so - I was on the 1st carriage, thankfully they didnt come near us.. Driver told me since though that they wrecked the train.

Wichita Lineman

Must have been nearer to the back of the train. They left my carriage after failing to kick the doors open.

n0brain3r

Andy Dunne11 wrote: »

Must have been nearer to the back of the train. They left my carriage after failing to kick the doors open.

Did they give any clue why they wanted to get off the train in such a hurry? When I heard it I thought they either missed the Maynooth stop or boarded at Maynooth not knowing it was non stop to Connolly and pulling the Emergency stop was a reasonable reaction to them in their drug induced stupor!

Wichita Lineman

^

Funnily enough I didnt ask them for their exact motivation at the time and they didnt stop to discuss their concerns with me, but obviously it was something pretty urgent or otherwise they wouldnt be trying to smash through doors and windows and putting the fear of God into us hard pressed commuting folk. :rolleyes:

end of the road

Andy Dunne11 wrote: »

I see over on the Irish Independent website that the keyboard warriors are out in full force as to what they would and wouldnt have done to them lads if they had been on the train.

i wouldn't take those lot seriously, their just as low rent as the little vermin involved in this incident

Hilly Bill

Andy Dunne11 wrote: »

^

Funnily enough I didnt ask them for their exact motivation at the time and they didnt stop to discuss their concerns with me, but obviously it was something pretty urgent or otherwise they wouldnt be trying to smash through doors and windows and putting the fear of God into us hard pressed commuting folk. :rolleyes:

No paper in the jax maybe

cython

n0brain3r wrote: »

Did they give any clue why they wanted to get off the train in such a hurry? When I heard it I thought they either missed the Maynooth stop or boarded at Maynooth not knowing it was non stop to Connolly and pulling the Emergency stop was a reasonable reaction to them in their drug induced stupor!

Uh, it wasn't non-stop to Connolly (nothing leaving Maynooth before 8am is), even before that shower decided to add their own additional stop, so there's that "excuse" ruled out!

Wichita Lineman

I've just realised - maybe they were unhappy at the recent changes to train sizes and it was a staged protest rather than an act of mindless thuggery and vandalism. :eek:

Hilly Bill

Andy Dunne11 wrote: »

I've just realised - maybe they were unhappy at the recent changes to train sizes and it was a staged protest rather than an act of mindless thuggery and vandalism. :eek:

Could be Andy, but with the recent complaints of it being overcrowded then im suprised that they were able to do what they did . Im even more suprised that people let them get on with it. maybe it was a fear of losing their seat if they moved.

Wichita Lineman

Well it was certainly overcrowded after the incident as all the poor unfortunate commuters who were waiting on subsequent platforms for later trains (which were stuck behind the one we were on) had to squeeze in.

I dont think they realised at the time that there had been such a serious incident. It was tricky for people getting off in Drumcondra, one or two nearly didnt make it out in time as people were reluctant to step off the train to let them out in case they got stuck outside.

In fairness nothing IR could have done about this.

MDFM

They boarded the train in Maynooth - they got earlier train from Broombridge out to Maynooth, got their drugs or whatever they came out for and then jumped back on train in Maynooth and proceeded to dismantle it. Not only did they break the windows in the carriages they were in, having stopped the train with the emergency cords, then the forced open the doors, and jumped from the train! When driver attemped to move the train on, they tried to jump onto the back of the train...They were caught & in court by 1pm..prob get off on bail/free legal aid & nothing more will be done.