Irish rail fleet and infrastructure plans

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120424560#Comment_120424560

I didn't mean for all of them to be stored pre Kilcock depot, but hadn't made that clear. Should have used better spacing!

Kilcock is a certainty, but they are also thinking of putting a drivers depot out in Bray, not a maintenance depot.

spacetweek

The video in the tweet is odd looking. Is it CGI or live action but speeded up? Seems to be with a fisheye lens.

TranslatorPS

but they are also thinking of putting a drivers depot out in Bray

Uhm, there's one already there, just an electric-only depot - unless you mean a diesel crew base as well?

Beta Ray Bill

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120416131#Comment_120416131

https://www.alstom.com/solutions/rolling-stock/commuter-trains-backbone-city-life

Here (they actually have a Render of the new DART at Clontarf road)

The interesting bit for me:

Capitalising on Alstom’s successful initiatives to develop the first hydrogen and battery trains for regional networks, commuter networks can now also benefit from the latest innovations. With a range of up to 1,000 km without charging, zero-emission technology is mature enough to replace diesel for greener mobility.

1,000km is significant!

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120434074#Comment_120434074

Yeah, a diesel depot. Separate to dart.

Glaceon

Hopefully they'll be more reliable than the 8200s and 2700s. :pac:

dublinman1990

John Cradock Ltd has been awarded the contract to build the new Platform 6 at Kent Station in Cork. Work on the project will begin this summer.

https://www.echolive.ie/corknews/arid-41110375.html

This is very good news for rail users in Cork. A trebling of rail service capacity for this line is very welcome.

Economics101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120446239#Comment_120446239

Apparently the developments in Cork are part-EU funded and thereby subject to tight time limits. Amazing how the bureaucracy can shift its ass when prodded by Europe. Purely domestic projets can take forever.

lucernarian

I'm not convinced of the fleet design requirements when they don't include toilets, when the stations they are intended to serve also omit those. Based on projected service patterns and expected journey times, there are still obvious downsides to a fleet without an essential facility provided for from day one.

I haven't seen a satisfactory explanation for how this use case should be treated effectively and comparable situations have led to the inevitable refurbs or infrastructure investments that public interest motivates, with obvious added costs.

Ramasun

A reasonably priced monthly pass would generate enough demand to operate more services and expand the network.

If you build it they will come, but make it cheap.

p_haugh

Catering trolleys spotted on some Cork services today, going by twitter

https://twitter.com/profmaryhorgan/status/1646147407560810499

From what I've read, they'll be on some services from this week for training purposes, before a wider rollout on the Cork line later this month/early may.

highdef

So if I get the MK4 express to Cork this summer, I can get a nice brekkie on the way down and a dinner on the way back?

p_haugh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120470704#Comment_120470704

Only the catering trolley is back as of now - so teas, coffees, snacks and maybe cold sandwiches. Unfortunately no dining car just yet 😞

Pete_Cavan

New Tender;

https://irl.eu-supply.com/ctm/Supplier/PublicTenders/ViewNotice/277049

Short description

The Real-Time Customer Information (RTCI) project is a foundational project for improving the provision of real time service information to IÉ customers and staff and is included in the CIS Strategy recommendations. The project will support the creation of real time data services utilizing onboard equipment, the latest data management tools and will include the delivery of occupancy information and real time train location information, improved arrival time calculations and a vastly more reliable IT infrastructure. The RTCI project supports the Traffic Management System project in becoming the ‘single source of truth’ for real time customer information.

Seanmk1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120446239#Comment_120446239

The two lads in the photo look like they're staging a protest.

AngryLips

It's really quite a grim claim to say that the largest ever investment in Cork rail should be the addition of an extra platform.

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120516605#Comment_120516605

The investment is a LOT more than one platform.

New rolling stock, signalling upgrades and doubling of the track to Midleton to start with.

https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/about-us/iarnrod-eireann-projects-and-investments/cork-area-commuter-rail

Chris_5339762

Will the Kent to Blackpool tunnel now become a bottleneck? Its two track, and thats that, but IE don't like to have two trains in the tunnel at the same time, so with all the intercity services in it, how easy will it be to have through running commuter services added to the mix too?

loyatemu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120516803#Comment_120516803

wasn't that the case with the Phoenix Park tunnel as well? IDK if it's changed since they started running commuter services through it but presumably once Dart+ is implemented there will definitely be 2 trains running through at the same time.

Jamie2k9

I have had 2 trains in Cork tunnel often. I think its only rare because P4 is preferred for Cork-Heuston trains. Given the schedules by the time an up train departs and switched to up line, it will be near the exit by the time the down trains gets a proceed aspect.

Not as common currently as they slowed down Cork trains because of poor OTP.

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120518736#Comment_120518736

The infrastructure works carried out prior to the introduction of the PPT services allow for two trains to pass in the tunnel.

LXFlyer

The forthcoming engineering works between now and the end of September have been updated on the Irish Rail website this week.

https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/news/irishrail-engineering-works#major-works

Mercifully they reduce in number for the summer months.

andrewfaulk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120520435#Comment_120520435

2 Passenger trains.. Freight and passenger trains still aren't allowed to pass in the tunnel.. I regularly see the down IWT held just before the Old Cabra road over bridge waiting for a passenger train to clear the tunnel..

Not an issue in Cork of course!

dublinman1990

3 of IE's track clearing ballast machines are undergoing a trial to reduce emissions using Hydro-Treated Vegetable Oil.

The trial has been ongoing with IE since March of this year.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2023/0427/1379502-iarnrod-eireann-hvo/

It has reported in the RTÉ article above that 61,500 litres of diesel (45% of fuel consumption) were used on these ballast machines in 2022.

In any case this stuff about using the HVO in the national railway fleet sounds very encouraging.

It is a very good move to try and reduce our emissions on our rail infrastructure.

The heritage railway in Stradbally Co. Laois is currently using a similar renewable fuel for one of it's steam locomotives.

The renewable fuel in Stradbally is used with olive oil and wood pellets.

ohographite

The article says that "The machines account for about 45% of annual on-track fuel usage, consuming 61,500 litres of diesel in 2022."

When they say on-track fuel usage, do they mean all the fuel used by the fleet of Irish Rail?

If so, that means that the ballast machines use nearly as much fuel as all the passenger trains and the other non-passenger rail vehicles in Ireland combined. Can anyone here confirm if that is the case or not? If that's the case, it's a lot more than I would have thought, but I'm not an expert in railway engineering anyway.

Economics101

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120535312#Comment_120535312

He key to answering your question is the reference to 61,500 litres of diesel (which is 45% of on-track fuel usage).

61,500 litres is drop in the ocean compared with Irish Rail's total fuel consumption. It must refer to just on-track machines like ballast cleaners and tampers. It's badly-worded.

Jamie2k9

Bit random but is there a reason why a lot of ICRs have the couplers extended out. I know some drivers like to have them out but its seems a lot more common now so has something changed?

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120548750#Comment_120548750

There was an issue with the extender system working correctly, so instruction went out to leave them in extended position.

Pete_Cavan

IÉ now looking for a new Level Crossing System;

https://irl.eu-supply.com/ctm/Supplier/PublicPurchase/242006/1/0

goingnowhere

That looks like a call for the crossing surface panels, nothing fancy or technical