Irish rail fleet and infrastructure plans

Yes, it needs more frequency and better timetabling too.

The 18:05 ex limerick sits in Ennis for an age. It's as if they are making the service particularly bad so nobody will use it.

It's unbelievable that in 2025 there's no passing loop between LK and Ennis.

You'd wonder why one wasn't added during the rebuild.

Drogheda can't cope with maintenance on the 29k units at the moment. There seems to be very little resilience in the system for sets going down. As it is, sets with defective safety equipment are going back into service, rather than being fixed.

I've contacted IE over that way back in 2022, asking why the service just won't be delayed by about 20' out of Limerick to reduce the standing time in Ennis. The response was that they tried that at one stage or another, but have had pressure from locals using that to Sixmilebridge and Ennis to have it depart from Limerick earlier.

Tieing stuff like this up with LSMATS is only wasting time. Sixmilebridge station should have had 2 lines from the start.

Only a few weeks ago the entire line was blocked because a train was stuck at Sixmilebridge bridge due to an incident on a train.

I know it's the only way it's gonna happen now. It's just a pity like with ll public transport be built it under capacity at the start.

29000 is limited to 70mph, its a long drag between Hazelhatch and Sallins and Newbridge which many of the PPT services run. The 100mph top speed makes a difference. I remember doing a 29k on that section years ago and it was full throttle the whole way.

If you stick to the 4 track section only the 29k probably has a slight edge on overall timing

Still the most unsuitable and inefficient train you can get for a suburban service though whatever the speed/timetable and the suburban services are suffering because of it with low capacity v numbers which can't continue.

I do believe it is worth having the Hazelhatch terminators being a 29 if it releases a 22 in time when the cascading starts to happen.

Some of the PPT services are very packed and the 22s are not suited for that type of service. The 29s shouldn’t run past the Hatch, due to their 70mph top speed. Even one 8 x 29 on a sweeper peak train each way would be a huge help.

Hopefully Irish rail are proactive and begin training in the heuston drivers on the 29ks before the new darts come online, it's a no brainer to allow ircs to work other duties.

Phase one is to get 22k's off Maynooth, M3 and Drogheda commuter runs and to replace them with 29k's

Move any 4 coach 29K to 8

Then potentially send 8-10 29k's to Cork to send the 2600's to Limerick/Galway

Living up to their actual names - Inter City. There is a significant need for capacity on Sligo, Galway, Waterford etc etc.

PPT services will all be DART in time also.