gooddarts10 wrote: » Far too confusing for the average punter imo
Sam Russell wrote: » They manage the commuter trains that do that same stopping pattern.
gooddarts10 wrote: » Yes and for the most part the people who use the commuter train are exactly that commuters the DART Caters for everyone hence stopping at every station
Sam Russell wrote: » Well, commuter trains are painted a different colour and make a lot of noise and smell. So that makes it easy for the poor unfortunate non commuters to tell the difference. How do the poor people going to Howth or Malahide manage to not get on the right train? People manage the world over with fast and slow trains.
marno21 wrote: » OPW seem to be proposing an underground station at Dublin Zoo in the Phoenix Park tunnel, which will of course be a DART line in a few years timehttps://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/funicular-and-driverless-shuttle-in-proposed-phoenix-park-revamp-1.3869557
CatInABox wrote: » Can't see them putting it underground, and the article says to the east of the park, so presumably it'll be under the St. Davids Terrace bridge.
Rulmeq wrote: » (Probably off topic, sorry), but does anyone know how the tunnel was originally constructed, was it mined, or cut/cover, or something else?
MJohnston wrote: » I should sue:https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=109225205&postcount=5129
Grandeeod wrote: » If you want, but you'll be behind many others that had ideas blatantly stolen from consultations way back that are influencing Metro Link on the Northside and in particular the Glasnevin area rail integration with it.
Dats me wrote: » In the document attached it gives a bit more detail on the city-centre stuff: · Infrastructural enhancement works at Connolly Station to support the DART Expansion · Redevelopment or relocation of the Docklands Station (scope currently under study) · Development / re-alignment and associated works for the Junctions on the line at Newcomen, North Strand, and North Wall · Removal of the six level crossings along the Maynooth line and provision of necessary bridge relief infrastructure · Addition of a new maintenance depot connected to the Maynooth Line Maintenace depot is for "up to" 240 EMU units so it says
gjim wrote: » Not sure it would pass a cost/benefit analysis, but I'd like them to look at moving the Docklands station a block closer to the river - i.e. to the east side of the canal between Sheriff Street and Mayor Street - putting the main entrance on Major Street but keeping an entrance on Sheriff St. The track bed might need to be dropped a meter to get under Sherriff St. This would put the station in the heart of the north docklands. Later move the Spencer Dock Luas stop west a bit and you've direct integration with the Luas. Then let them build the 30 story hotel planned for behind the convention centre. Rename the heavy rail and tram stops "Convention Centre". Sell the air rights and accompanying land around the current station to developers.
Khuitlio wrote: » If they're relocating the Docklands station could they move it to the the site of the proposed DU station, behind the old LNWR station on North Wall Quay. Ideally build a cut and cover station box for a 4 platform underground station. Can use two platforms as termini for the new docklands station, while still having room to let a future TMB work through the station for a potential DU project. Could easily be funded by selling the air rights in, and reduces the cost of a future DU.
Sam Russell wrote: » Wasn't there talk about a generator tender slotted within the Dart train that could generate the required electricity that could be used where there was no O/H line available. That could be used while the lines are put up.
end of the road wrote: » that is the proposal to order bi-mode trains. they will have a generator module, probably in the centre of each unit. the module can be uncuppled and removed when no longer required.
SeanW wrote: » I've been thinking about this and I suspect we'd have problems doing something like it in practice. There are two ways you can have hybrid trains. First is to have railcars that have both a pantograph and a diesel engine. Second is to use the FLIRT type trainsets offered by some Swiss company (Staedler I think). These have middle-section diesel generators. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, trainsets with middle section diesel generators would be comfortable to ride in, because there would be no diesel engine making noise in the passenger car. But there would be two large downsides. 1) They'd divide each trainset in half - a passenger could not walk from one half of the trainset to the other because the diesel generator car would be inaccessible to passengers. So for an 8 car train, instead of being divided by 2, 4 cars like the 29000s or some of the newer DARTs (or even the 3/4 car ICRs), a FLIRT train would be divided by 4. 2) Platform space - this is the elephant in the room. Most platforms especially in the Dublin area - including most notably the suburban platforms at Connolly - are geared around 8 car trains, where each car is the length of a 29000 or a DART car (those same platforms can only accommodate 7 car ICR because the ICRs are longer). There is not much margin AFAIK especially at Connolly. FLIRT type trains would cause a major trade-off to have to be made because the platform space to accommodate 8 cars of our current types plus 2 diesel generators. So the choice would have to be made: Have shorter passenger cars so that the equivalent of 8 cars plus 2 generator can fit into where it used to be just 8 cars? That would reduce capacity, and it could not be regained when the line is elecrtrified because when the diesel gens are no longer required, they just shorten the trainset by removing them. At that point, 1/2 - 1 car lengths on the existing platforms would be wasted. Make trains 8 cars long but add generators, adding an additional 1/2 to 1 car length to a train, and have them not fit on the platform until the wiring is put up? Buy full length trains (as above) and retrofit all the platforms? The other options is to buy hybrid cars. These could be ordered to similar carbody dimensions as what we use today, I assume, with out any balancing act as to train and platform length. But they could end up being basically 29000s with pantographs blegh. And they might be horrible to ride in under diesel power with diesel engine noise reverberating around the interiors of the carriages. They'd be awful doing the things that "Commuter" cars do today like Sligo and Rosslare services, something that's still happening for some reason What is the solution? I don't know but I'd like to know what the NTA and IE are thinking on this. For my part, I'd say electrifiy the Maynooth, Balbriggan and Kildare lines as fast as possible, buy straight EMUs for the DART to follow with current carbody dimensions, and then from there decide what types of hybrid trains should be used on long distance services that will likely never be electrified e.g. Dundalk, Longford, the Rosslare line etc.
MJohnston wrote: » You're fun!
fionnsci wrote: » No one owns a good policy idea, they can't be stolen. Would you prefer good ideas were ignored?
MJohnston wrote: » How can you steal an idea from a consultation anyway?
Grandeeod wrote: » And you're not. Nothing to do with any policy and I never said good ideas should be ignored. When the idea is proposed, featured in the media, repeated at a consultation with state appointed consultants and then subsequently adopted years down the road with no credit. I'm not talking about you rocking up to some open door public consultation, putting your point across and then retreating to your keyboard.
