17.15 Train From Connolly - Maynooth

Adam.Hynes250

Why does the 17.15 train for Maynooth not turn up in Connolly? I've had great ambitions to travel from Dunboyne - Booterstown to my new job on the train. The website says the trip should take just over an hour which I do each morning without fail....However the 17.15 train has not showed in Connolly the last three days in a row resulting in me missing my next train home...turning a 1 hour commute into two hours. There was points failures on Monday and Tues I know...but no delays today and still no show. Anyone shine any light on this one?

Hilly Bill

Its the 17:15 to Longford which leaves from platform 3.

Adam.Hynes250

Maybe thats it? The app / website is very misleading. It seems to give information on the platform that you arrive on but not on where it departs or even where the train is destined for! Amazing stuff altogether. So make my day and tell me the longford train stops in Clonsilla / Ashtown / Castleknock where I can pick up the M3 Parkway / Dunboyne train?

Cheers for the reply.

thomasj

Yep its the 17:15 to Longford which you get from platform 3 in the main part of the station.

When you get off the dart, walk down the tunnel around and up the stairs and through the archway turning right.

The train is on the middle platform so you walk down to before the turnstiles and left to the platform 3 gate

Hilly Bill

Serves all stations to Longford.

I saw the journey planner,it makes out that the Dart comes in on 7 and then you wait there for the 17:15.

E-mail them with a screen shot at Online@Irishrail.ie.

Adam.Hynes250

Thank you my friend, trying to get this information from Irish Rail is like getting blood from a stone. Just checked up the Longford train timetable and its able to tell me that I will arrive on platform 1 in Longford. Do you think it will tell you what platform it goes from in Connolly on the Website / App / Timetable / Irish Rail Guy standing on Platform 7...not a chance and it was raining! Rant over thanks folks, Ill remember to bring my jacket in future

That Email will be sent first thing Hill Bill..I cant have been the first to come across this.

bikeman1

Whilst I totally agree with having the correct information online, I do wonder how some people would have managed 10 years ago when we had not had information available all the time!

When you get to a station there are other ways to see what trains are going. The next train displays on platforms 5,6&7. Then on platform 4 it has a list of trains and their departure times with platforms.

It is important we as a society don't get auto routed and totally reliant on our phones!

cython

bikeman1 wrote: »

Whilst I totally agree with having the correct information online, I do wonder how some people would have managed 10 years ago when we had not had information available all the time!

When you get to a station there are other ways to see what trains are going. The next train displays on platforms 5,6&7. Then on platform 4 it has a list of trains and their departure times with platforms.

It is important we as a society don't get auto routed and totally reliant on our phones!

Very true, but having said that, Irish Rail should not provide a facility for information on their app if they can't actually provide accurate information in that space. Now don't get me wrong, I realise platform alterations can happen from time to time, especially as delays, etc. are accommodated, but it sounds as though this is a recurring discrepancy, and one which could probably be sorted if Irish Rail ever worked on proper integration of their information systems, rather than what seems to be an increasing number of disparate ones they have, e.g. the monitors in the entrance hall of Pearse display differing information to the platform displays, which can display different to the real time app.

Basically it would be better for them to not mention platform details in the app and force people to use the alternative means, than this craic of displaying wrong details - it's shouldn't be unreasonable to expect that the app should save you from having to check the other sources (unless of course the app isn't working/retrieving any data, in which case the same point as delays stands - sh*t happens)

Banjoxed

There's a big display at the front of the platforms at Connolly showing what trains go from where. Intending passengers for Maynooth would have to pass the entrance for platform 3 in order to go to 5, 6 or 7.

icdg

Not if they were a transfer passenger, which a large amount of passengers (judging from the rush down Platform 4 if an especially tight connection with the last possible DART occurs) on that particular service are. I am convinced someone will be one day knocked over on that platform.

ongarboy

I agree. Sometimes when you are transferring on platform 6 or 7, you have to walk down the ramp and go all the way to just before platform 4 to consult a monitor detailing departures from platforms other than 6 or 7.

I've been in this situation where I've gotten off a DART to transfer and it said next Maynooth train from platform 7 is 30 odd minutes away when in reality there would have been a departure in 5 minutes from platform 3 or 4 if I had known about it. A waterproof monitor on 6/7 detailing all departures from all platforms would be ideal and accommodate those who don't have smartphones as well.

devnull

Really they ought to invest in displays further along platform 4 as well rather than just the one at the front of the train before you go through the barriers. Sure you have a screen showing a table of departures, but no reason why they can't have a second platform screen like they do on 5 6 and 7.

Unfortunately in General the on platform information in Irish Rail leaves a lot to be desired compared to UK train stations, I hope someday we get an all LED Passenger information system similar to the UK main stations at main Irish stations, but I don't think we'll see it.

bikeman1

devnull wrote: »

Really they ought to invest in displays further along platform 4 as well rather than just the one at the front of the train before you go through the barriers. Sure you have a screen showing a table of departures, but no reason why they can't have a second platform screen like they do on 5 6 and 7.

Unfortunately in General the on platform information in Irish Rail leaves a lot to be desired compared to UK train stations, I hope someday we get an all LED Passenger information system similar to the UK main stations at main Irish stations, but I don't think we'll see it.

There are small blue displays at various locations along Platform 4 detailing all departures.

I do agree that there should be a display showing all departures on on 6/7 for passengers transferring off the DART etc.

Also a tag on/off pole at 4/5/6/7 area for people transferring off/on to Intercity and on to Dublins leap system, without having to go all the way down to the barriers. Simple things that would make things easier for passengers.

devnull

bikeman1 wrote: »

There are small blue displays at various locations along Platform 4 detailing all departures.

I do agree that there should be a display showing all departures on on 6/7 for passengers transferring off the DART etc.

Also a tag on/off pole at 4/5/6/7 area for people transferring off/on to Intercity and on to Dublins leap system, without having to go all the way down to the barriers. Simple things that would make things easier for passengers.

I know the displays are there, but there still should be another full display further along the platform like is at the front of it, specifically for that platform.

EG You may see a train going to Maynooth on that screen, but you have no idea if it is stopping anywhere en-route if changing off a dart because it just shows Maynooth on the display.

The Solution for 6 and 7 is simple. Remove all of the screens on there, install 3x Portrait LED displays, middle one showing departures the left and the right ones showing the next train at each platform with full list of stops.

I'd replace all of the landscape screens with these portrait screens, and also replace the blue screens with something similar and make sure every platform, including 3&4 has two screens showing the next train.

Hilly Bill

ongarboy wrote: »

I agree. Sometimes when you are transferring on platform 6 or 7, you have to walk down the ramp and go all the way to just before platform 4 to consult a monitor detailing departures from platforms other than 6 or 7.

I've been in this situation where I've gotten off a DART to transfer and it said next Maynooth train from platform 7 is 30 odd minutes away when in reality there would have been a departure in 5 minutes from platform 3 or 4 if I had known about it. A waterproof monitor on 6/7 detailing all departures from all platforms would be ideal and accommodate those who don't have smartphones as well.

There are 2 timetables on platform 6/7.

thomasj

Hilly Bill wrote: »

There are 2 timetables on platform 6/7.

IIRC the timetable on the platform 7 side was replaced by individual timetables for the Belfast Sligo and rosslare so for anyone on platform 7 its pretty easy not to locate the one on platform 6.

Kind of ironic that the timetable on platform 7 is not the one for that platform but for services running the other side of the station.

Hilly Bill

thomasj wrote: »

IIRC the timetable on the platform 7 side was replaced by individual timetables for the Belfast Sligo and rosslare so for anyone on platform 7 its pretty easy not to locate the one on platform 6.

Kind of ironic that the timetable on platform 7 is not the one for that platform but for services running the other side of the station.

The timetable is for all services and tells you what platform.

All you need to do is look at the boards on platform 6 to locate the timetable. Its pretty easy.
The same on 7 .