https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119965457/#Comment_119965457
If you look at current service levels into Connolly etc, the levels mentioned are as it is now for the most part
For the Northern line it looks like:
3 Northern commuter , 3 Malahide DART, 3 Howth DART
That will look to be replaced with
5 Northern line DART, 2 Clongriffin DART, 2 Malahide DART
For Maynooth the maximum Connolly Commuter trains that run from there are 3 (not including Longford commuter)
These plans are saying the max number will be 3 so there will be no different.
The biggest change would be if they can cut down the gaps in the evening peak that are there to let the Sligo and Longford express through
The planned increases for this line would be the 3 Maynooths (potential) to Spencer Dock and the 2 extra m3 parkway to Spencer Dock
For Southwest, the maximum you would see leave GCD for Hazelhatch is 3 an hour, the plans are saying 3 so that wont change, maybe a rebalancing
The biggest extra services will be the extra services from Heuston, and the planned 4 services from Spencer Dock via Drumcondra.
The biggest caveat to DART+ West and DART+ South West would be Metro and Glasnevin , If thats delayed , i cant see there being much potential for the spencer docks in the short-term and tbh they should be having both Maynooth and Hazelhatch Spencer Dock services, stopping in Drumcondra to enable both sets of passengers to make connections for Connolly. leave m3 parkway on the midland line, they can connect with Drumcondra at Broombridge
You only need to look at the difference in frequencies promised versus delivered when they developed the Phoenix Park tunnel to see the gap between promise and reality.
it does but on the frequencies on the planning report it only says 11, so unless its including a Longford commuter im not sure whats going on.
Was it not supposed to be 12 per hour and not 11 as you've mentioned? At least that's what the DART+ website says.
If these frequencies are facilitated and we have the rolling stock (which we will, loads on order), why would the frequencies not be delivered?
Somehow, I doubt that this will be the actual frequencies. It just means that the project will facilitate "up to" these frequencies.
From reading the planning permission from dart+ west the planned frequencies in the peak hour would be:
- 3 trains per hour to/from Grand Canal Dock
- 4 trains per hour to/from Spencer Dock via Drumcondra
- 4 trains per hour to/from Heuston
They don't want the expense of maintaining lifts. It's the only logical reason that explains both their love of these things, and the lack of lifts working.
In more positive news, Cabra and Kylemore stations look like they're going to be progressed at the same time as this, just in a different project.
So much for their theory that the order is being delayed for financial reasons - I guess this puts that to bed.
Looking at the plans for Heuston West, I thought the station was going to be under the intersection of Islandbridge rather than the location beside Clancy Quay. I see Irish Rail are going with the horrifically overengineered solution of a 'great metal wall of china' option for accommodating wheelchair users. This will no doubt end up like the stairs at Clontarf station in no time. Why can't they just put an underpass in instead? It turns every new station into an absolute monstrosity and eyesore ...there must be a more elegant solutions than this? Like lifts...
According to Rail Users Ireland on twitter, the DART+ South West works order is being submitted today!
Edit: website is live!
The Inchicore mock up covers two different seat types, different positioning of usb sockets, the bike rack and door area. If you looked around you would see Alstom drawing references.
The drivers cab is the real focus, getting that signed off by safety folks and drivers. The positioning of the controls, screens etc. The DART fleet is actually setup with a German style tram controller, forward to go, back to stop. The Inchicore mock up reflects this, the CGI doesn't...
Hardly secrecy, the post immediately before yours says that it was visible to everyone who was at the Inchicore works open day in 2022.
I don't think they are looking at the layout, more likely the quality of materials, fixtures and fittings, etc. Most likely it is for technical examination from IÉ staff and not things the public can really have an input on.
The politicians would not try to steal the glory of a well laid out train, would they?
Probably because they don't want to rob politicians the opportunity to re-announce something like they so often do.
Why the secrecy?
Surely it is just a train. Did they do this nonsense with the other Dart trains - including the ones that had to be withdrawn.
The internal mock up was visible to everyone who was at the Inchicore works open day in 2022...
Just to be clear, lest anyone is still confused.
The picture is just a render that was published when the DART+ order was announced.
The tweeter wasn’t allowed take/post any photos of the physical wooden mock-up that they saw this week up at Inchicore which is being used to evaluate internal layouts.
The design and colour scheme of the “mock up” / render looks fantastic and I hope they go with that. Though I’d be slightly worried about have just one door on the first carriage.
I presume the picture came from an official source though. But I agree for the sake of clarity people and groups, whether private or public should be more clear in the content they share.
Well the person concerned who tweeted that they had seen a "prototype" probably should have been a bit clearer, and not tweeted that picture at all to be honest. They probably would have been better using the term "mock up" as that is exactly what they saw.
With renders and cgi being so good these days, they should really be putting a text box with something like 'artist impression' etc. in media presentations. Probably people up and down the country thinking there are already these new trains already in use.
Ps. This isn't just confined to Dart+, you see it in all walks of life these days. Things being labelled as something that its not.
Yes they are.
The trains have not been built yet, so it would be a bit tricky to be a real train!
The individual whose tweet was quoted above would have seen a mock-up of a section of a coach that would have been built for evaluation purposes.
Are you saying the photo of the new DART above is a CGI dropped into a real DART station?
He said he wasn't allowed to take photos but he was on a prototype of the DART
That's just a render in the photo
is that train actually in Dublin? When did it arrive?
Some people are getting a look at the new trains, including a member of the Dublin Commuter Coalition.
Reading the plans from dart+ west it was only planned for 3 dart+ west to Bray and 3 dart+ southwest to GCD per hour, the rest going to Spencer Dock.
The other revelation from that times article
Dart+ South West is one of four proposed new lines, the others being Dart+ Coastal North (to Drogheda), Dart+ Coastal South (to Greystones) and Dart+ West from Heuston Station to the M3 Parkway and Maynooth.
🤦♂️
Unless at a dedicated charging facility the BEMU cannot really charge from normal OHLE. There is a stationary current limit to prevent overheating of the OHLE contact wire, known as necking. You can draw down a lot more while moving. There is a specific Amp value in the docs.
* If stationary if you discard the wire overheating issue, then its a additional load on the OHLE not factored into the demand
* If accelerating you can't charge as to do so would potentially overload the substation supply, your train would draw 1.5-2 times normal demand per train.
* If coasting you can draw power at the full rating of the train but this will potentially overload the substation supply as the demand model and design assumed coasting was there.
In above cases above at peak times the section circuit breakers would likely trip out
If braking then you can dump the full regenerative load into the battery (well assuming the battery can cope with that) and anything not sent to the battery goes back into the overhead.
The OHLE spec for DART+ North allows for a thicker contact wire which allows for great current draw
