No shovels in the ground at Connolly? I guess you must have missed the pile drivers. 😂
I don't believe they were ever refitted, which I think is part of the problem, as unless they do want the 201s to see a 50 or more year life span, I don't think it would be worth it now. Like you say, there are about 30 years old now and the oldest units would have started testing in 1994. Hence why I think if they are starting to experience more problems with them, they may choose to start replacing then shortly after the 071s are replaced, assuming that does happen in the next 5-10 years. That said I don't see the 201s being replaced before they turn 40, though if their reliability becomes more of an issue, I could potentially see them pulled from Cork-Dublin by then.
As for the 071s, not only are they just old units, I believe part of the problem is just numbers. With the way IE wants to increase the number of freight services (especially with the opening of the Foynes line soon) they might need more locos. Reinstating more 201s could be an option but I can't imagine that would be cheap and would likely only serve as a short term solution, if its even possible as I believe many of them are in a poor state.
Though I would be surprised if they still manage to replace them by 2030, as the plans for that were made in the middle of COVID. But if in 10 years they haven't at least started to replace some units, I would be very surprised. I am think we could see a tender put out in the next year or two, after they have finished tendering the Enterprise fleet.
Ha! There isn't a sound I hate more in this world, so I can't complain if I haven't noticed. Has that just started or am I just insane?
The 201s got body overhauls about 10 years ago, the HEP equipment was isolated at the same time so the sockets were removed.
i think it's likely the 071 will outlast the 201 by quite a while in all honesty as while they are elderly they are reliable well built machines. so they will be kept going as long as they can be because they are go anywhere as well. remember some of those 201s have been flogged to death via the use of HEP on the enterprise as well so that won't help their engines. as for the other issues of connolly and heuston area development unfortunately i can see a situation where sidings are removed and any trains not diagrammed on to another service quite quickly will be sent out of the city to be stored until needed again. yeah yeah i know it sounds mad and it's stupid and shouldn't happen i hear you believe me and completely agree but look this is ireland and we do things arseways.
I'd say it's quite possible, sure the class 37's are still in service in the UK and they were built in the 60's right? I think a lot of those Locos are still in service because leasing agreements with newer locos are power by the hour.
I was checking order/delivery times on various Diesel Locos in the EU over the last X years, you're looking at about a 2 year lead time.
class 37 i think were built 1960 to 1962.
lots of reasons why they are still in use from the fact they are mostly go anywhere locos for which it seems there are no no new locos currently available that can offer the same go anywhere ability, to spares being widely available due to the large number of the class, to affordability of replacements, to leasing arrangements.
I think the pile driving work was 2023. Some of the roads were shortened while it was carried out. There was structural work done on the buildings along Sheriff St. Lower too. I've got some photos from site visits somewhere, so if I come across them I'll post them.
Decent video here of the track replacement works on the loop line over Christmas. Particularly interesting to see the synthetic sleepers, I'm not sure if they've been used in Ireland before.
Not the first use of synthetic sleepers, there are some in Dun Laoghaire
This may be slightly off-topic, but I can't find a more suitable thread. Irish Rail's website normally has data on Train punctuality and reliability. But for the past couple of days all the relavant pages show no data - just a total blank. I wonder how long before they rectify this. And the 6-year old Twitter/X post on Hamish the missing dog keeps on being displayed.
Maybe the NTA should do something useful for once, and crack the whip.
Below is for this year (first set should appear soon) left of page shows data back to 2019.
https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/about-us/train-punctuality-reliability-performance
Thanks, but while I can get data for 2023 or earlier, 2024 shows no data. A couple of months ago is was OK right up to November 2024.
The individual route links on the 2024 page are broken and lead to the individual routes for 2025
If you go to the 2024 page and then scroll to the tables down you should be able to see the results:
Train Punctuality and Reliability Performance
The tables aren't labled with the year but you can see the puctuality drop as expected from the August timetable change:
Edit: The site has now updated and the 2024 page works as expected:
I’ll admit that when they started building the new platform at Kent station, I didn’t see how it would work. But I’ve used the train before Christmas and used the train today and it seems like it should’ve been obvious how it would work.
That was weird, is the NTA reading this thread?
You would be surprised who reads here. Many more apart from some of the front line workers who contribute.
Regarding OTP. There should be 12 periods covering each year not 13 and make things simple.
Secondly, regardless of weather in January. You know things are bad when Belfast is best performing intercity route for the month.
Some good news on the ETCS front!
They were still testing with the 22000 last week, but I think that's the last of it. Once the new Dart completes testing in Inchicore, it'll be out on the main road over there. Then it can come over to the northside for testing with the OHLE and ETCS system.
I think there is still a ways to go on the tendering process, but I think this year or next year ETCS installation on the rest of the network is supposed to begin? It sounds like installing ETCS on Greystones-Dundalk has gone well overall, which gives me high hopes for the process on the rest of the network.
Planning has already been done and the configuration, number of signals, modules etc already set
There are markers out at all installation locations network wide already
Looks like IÉ will be down a 6 car ICR set for the foreseeable future
I’d assume that they’d surely reform it using a coach from a 3 car set if it’s only the driving coach damaged - better to be without a 3-car set than a six-car set?
Yeah I'd imagine it'll be reformed, will still be a number weeks I'd imagine though
I agree it will be reformed.
They could also return some 3 to 4 or 4 to 5 coach sets if reforming this set was not possible. Less testing and may paperwork could save time.
edit-wrong set info.
Changing a 3-car ICR into a 4-car, etc., reforming them, can this happen at any station?
no, has to be done at portlaoise or droghida depots i believe.
actually it might be portlaoise only.
All equipment was configured, installed and tested in one year between October 2024 and November 2024.
I presume they meant October 2023
Tara St, yesterday.
Any particular reason those nuts aren't tightetened up?
Not sure but they have no check rail added yet so could be why.
