Sallins Loop

The_Wanderer wrote: »

So IE just placed a Tamper in Newbridge Bay platform for the fun of it? http://smu.gs/10NFsfq The afternoon delays started with the Tamper sitting down and were compounded by Signal Failures at Sallins and Cherryville.

If, and I'm not sure this is even permitted, the ICR was to push the failed tamper it would have needed staff from Portlaoise to attach the emergency towing coupler. Before assistance arrived at the scene, the tamper was able to move under its own power to Newbridge.

The train I was on said nothing about a signal failure at Sallins and when he tried to communicate the PA system was all interrupted. Have they no staff in Dublin to attach the towing coupler and even if it was promoted it would of being much faster, we are talking around 3 hours even getting a polite loco to the scene shouldn't take so long. IE didn't think to add the fact about signaling failure at Sallins either. I missed that in Newbrige as I was waiting for the toilet.

They should not of backed services from Heuston to Nass when they know full well they wouldn't of had the problem sorted out quickly as they know only to well if there is a failure between Heuston and Kildare it always takes at least 2h30-3h to clear it.

They had a few options to get loco's but yet it still to hours to do it. Just how many more train failures do we need to see before somebody with a brain actually has a plan to get things moving asap. They get plenty of practice but they never ever do things differently and get it sorted.

I know you work for them but we see this happening way to often, the signalling problems wouldn't of had major affects as the level of problems wouldn't of being overly major as they didn't happen until much lather.

Financial penalties are needed from the NTA as this is unacceptable, the CEO should have goals to meet and clearing failures within 60 minutes isn't a major ask and is easily possible.

Anyway yesterday was a costly day from refunds, food, buses, fuel and staff costs, they bank balance will be hit and just maybe they will wake up and have plans in place for failures. Then there is other transport costs that passengers will be compensated for such as taxi's. Complete joke and yesterday mornings incident has very little to do with it so don't use it as an excuse.

foggy_lad wrote: »

I would suggest that if any train is going to be made late by holding it back for another train to pass then it should not be done ever! if the flagship services cant arrive to Sallins or Howth Junction, Malahide etc on time that is an indication of more serious issues that won't be sorted by delaying another train load of passengers just so that Irish Rail can say the train was "on time"(ten minutes late!). Passengers on intercity trains have no more right to be allowed ahead than those on commuter services and dart have the right to arrive on time or a bit early if the running of their service allows for that!

Are you sure you've thought that through?

If you halt a stopping train for two minutes to allow an express past, that's all the time that's lost - two minutes. But if you let it go ahead and jam the line with its lower speed and frequent stopping pattern, the express behind will lose 10 minutes or more.

2 minutes? versus 10+ mabye 20 minutes? Plus the fact that the enterprise and Cork-Dublin services use locomotive arrangments that do not handle start-stop travel very well. Unfortunately when you have local trains and express trains sharing the same track, these are the trade-offs that inevitably result.