Irish Rail insult the intelligence of a truck driver

**Timbuk2** · 30-12-2009 11:31AM #1

From Irishrail.ie
DART services are currently suspended between Lansdowne Rd and Dun Laoghaire, due to a truck causing major damage to Merrion Gates and overhead wires.

Dublin Bus will accept rail tickets for customers whose travel is disrupted.
Iarnród Éireann apologises for the inconvenience caused. DART services are operating from Howth/Malahide to Lansdowne Road, and from Greystones/Bray to Dun Laoghaire.

Unfortunately, it is not expected that services will return to normal before 6pm this evening.

The genius truck driver in question had a lifting arm on the back of the truck which pulled down barriers, and extensive overhead wiring (as well as phone wiring in the area), and he subsequently fled the scene. Prosecution will follow.

Link: http://www.irishrail.ie/news_centre/travel_alerts.asp?action=view&news_id=602

Dravokivich · 30-12-2009 11:34AM

it takes a lot of smarts to cause such destruction....

Wonder why he needed to take out the phone lines...

- Drav!

Pushtrak · 30-12-2009 11:35AM

Sounds like something you'd find on a parody site. Especially that "prosecution will follow" part.

jenizzle · 30-12-2009 11:36AM

Haha... someone was having a bad day in that press office, but they're right! It really did take some genius to pull down the barrier like that.

I just passed it though, the Gardaí are about and one of the gates is totally mangled.

microgirl · 30-12-2009 11:53AM

The one bloody day I need to get the Dart to Greystones! Argh! Getting the bus from town, even as far as Dun Laoghaire, will take forever

trad · 30-12-2009 12:00PM

Considering there is no advance warning of the height of the cables maybe IR are partly to blame. It's happened on a regular basis over the years so maybe a few signs might be in order or some barrier prior to the level crossing ( East Wall Road Bridge)

Stark · 30-12-2009 12:08PM

microgirl wrote: »

The one bloody day I need to get the Dart to Greystones! Argh! Getting the bus from town, even as far as Dun Laoghaire, will take forever

You could try getting the 145 to Bray. It's probably faster than the Dart these days.

CatFromHue · 30-12-2009 12:09PM

thats a good point about the height of the cables and no signage.

i still blame the driver though.

faceman · 30-12-2009 12:32PM

Im sure the truck driver didnt intend to do it and no one was hurt so there is no need to abuse the bloke.

MagicMarker · 30-12-2009 12:34PM

What I don't get is why he ran away!

I can just imagine some lonely truck driver wandering the streets of Dublin evading the authorities!!

30-12-2009 12:35PM

This isn't the first time IR have made a comment like that. I'm 99% sure they made virtually the same comment a while back when a similar thing happened (could have been at Grand Canal Dock).

faceman · 30-12-2009 12:38PM

The "geniuses" at irish rail could do with having someone actually answer their customer service emails. also the same "geniuses" could also have someone work on the timing of their automated crossings so that people arent waiting for upto 5 minutes from when the barriers go down to when the train passes

pljudge321 · 30-12-2009 12:40PM

All the press releases from irish rail are done by the one guy.

The frequency of bridge strikes is ridiculous though, even on some of the bridges with big flashing lights that warn trucks that they are too big.

30-12-2009 12:43PM

Stark wrote: »

You could try getting the 145 to Bray. It's probably faster than the Dart these days.

+1
The 145 flies out of town.

What time are you heading out at?

pljudge321 · 30-12-2009 12:43PM

faceman wrote: »

The "geniuses" at irish rail could do with having someone actually answer their customer service emails. also the same "geniuses" could also have someone work on the timing of their automated crossings so that people arent waiting for upto 5 minutes from when the barriers go down to when the train passes

The five minutes thing is so when people get stuck in between the barriers, a surprisingly frequent occurrence, the train has time to stop.

El Weirdo · 30-12-2009 12:45PM

Deleted User wrote: »

+1
The 145 flies out of town.

What time are you heading out at?

Stalker alert!:p

spurious · 30-12-2009 12:50PM

Genius is a kind word for someone who causes such damage and legs it.

funkyjebus · 30-12-2009 12:56PM

spurious wrote: »

Genius is a kind word for someone who causes such damage and legs it.

I believe they call it sarcasm.:p

30-12-2009 12:58PM

El Weirdo wrote: »

Stalker alert!:p

orrrr, very nice person who was going to offer assistance alert :cool:

El Weirdo · 30-12-2009 01:00PM

Deleted User wrote: »

orrrr, very nice person who was going to offer assistance alert :cool:

Yeah, yeah. Of course. Assistance. Gotcha.;)

Dardania · 30-12-2009 01:10PM

El Weirdo wrote: »

Yeah, yeah. Of course. Assistance. Gotcha.;)

Judging from your username, you may have a different outlook to other people...

That is a classic bit of corporate communications all the same...I might guess that the writer will be adversely affected by the cutting off of the dart line!

microgirl · 30-12-2009 01:14PM

Ooh, 145 you say? Any idea how long it takes to get to Bray? Had sorted with my Dad that t'other half and I would just drive, and forgo the Chateau Collapso at the other end, but if I can get away with public transport.....

We've to be there for 14:30. Must just go look at the timetable.

DublinWriter · 30-12-2009 01:17PM

More likely their senior PR bod is off on holliers and is now screaming can't I leave the f*cking office for a few days?!? at a cold turkey.

faceman · 30-12-2009 01:42PM

pljudge321 wrote: »

The five minutes thing is so when people get stuck in between the barriers, a surprisingly frequent occurrence, the train has time to stop.

If that were true, then all automated barriers would take the same amount of time, which they dont.

Fulton Crown · 30-12-2009 01:45PM

No sympathy for the truck driver(s) to be frank.

Looks like the gimp got the full enchillado...gates, power wires, telephone wires ...the freekin lot.!

In fairness that takes some genius.

Look out for some knuckle draggin, bull necked bone head skulkimg throug the leafy lanes trying to affect a D4 accent...like

"The fookin gates were..like...totally throshed man...legend !"

AnonoBoy · 30-12-2009 02:34PM

I can well understand their frustration. Idiots who do damage like that and then leg it are just that idiots.

Little Alex · 30-12-2009 02:52PM

It said on the news just there that they have the registration number of the truck from CCTV footage, so it sound like he drove off. My mind's eye loves Fulton's version, though.

Draupnir · 30-12-2009 03:26PM

faceman wrote: »

If that were true, then all automated barriers would take the same amount of time, which they dont.

It is true, automated barriers take different times depending on the section of the track and speed at which trains can be travelling. The express train through Merrion Gates can be moving at a fair rate of knots at times.

Just be thankful you aren't waiting on the lazy git in the box at Castleknock to come out and open the gates. You can be there for 25 minutes sometimes.

pljudge321 · 30-12-2009 04:07PM

faceman wrote: »

If that were true, then all automated barriers would take the same amount of time, which they dont.

I can check but I imagine the barriers are dependant on which section of the track the trains are in. On higher speed lines the trains will take a longer time to stop, though conversely they should move through the section quicker. I'll ask and get back to you.

Edit: Beaten to it.

CatFromHue · 31-12-2009 03:11AM

has this turned into a slag off irish rail thread yet??
i really wanto slag em off, all for good reason of course.
i would have thought there is a industrial standard to do with train stopping distnace and the distance way from alevel crossing.
of course this is irish rail so that could be randomly chosen.
just like the price of a return from limerick to dublin about 4 years ago was 1/3 of the price via bus than the train

andrew · 31-12-2009 04:41AM

Did it actually say that? It doesn't anymore.

Irish Rail insult the intelligence of a truck driver

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