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How could the Train journey time to Dublin from Sligo be cut these days?

Andy From Sligo

It takes a good 3hrs to get from Sligo Station to Dublin Connelly (on a good day if it dont get delayed) what things could be done to cut down this journey time? - Cut out some stations it stops at along the way? (but what stations?) - upgrade the track for the trains to go faster? - the 22000 class top speed gets up to a max of 160 km/h but i dont know what the maximum speed it reaches to on the sligo to Dublin Line.... Im predicting 80-100km/h at the most? should it cut out all stations after Longford maybe and just let a commuter train/service run from Dublin to Longford? - Divert some of the track so the intersections that the rail go over the road goes over a bridge instead? - replace single track areas with 2 track areas?

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Andy From Sligo

Larianne wrote: »

Did Sligo recently get broadband?

yep some places in Sligo actually have e-fibre bechrist! :rolleyes: top that, there are still some odd places up in dublin that cannot get broadband

Cookie_Monster

Kevin McCloud wrote: »

No toilet on a 4 hour bus journey is taking the piss.

It stops halfway at Longford for a toilet break.

P. Breathnach

Kevin McCloud wrote: »

No toilet on a 4 hour bus journey is taking the piss.

Well played, sir!

Andy From Sligo

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

It stops halfway at Longford for a toilet break.

woohooo for all of 2 minutes or something i think it is - takes me nearly that to get me tackle out!:D

c_man

Didn't Elon Musk propose the Hyperloop originally for Sligo/Dublin, but later adjusted it for SF/LA?

Andy From Sligo

c_man wrote: »

Didn't Elon Musk propose the Hyperloop originally for Sligo/Dublin, but later adjusted it for SF/LA?

wow could you imagine that, how cool would that be to get a Hyperloop here - i would and others would definately use it more then.

I think that is what is needed on this line, sometimes the train is so empty - to quite a few 3hrs on a train might seem a nightmare of a journey and rather travel up by car to Dublin which can be quicker, mad that I can fly from knock airport to luton in what is it 50minutes and it takes 3hrs to get from sligo to Dublin on a train (yes im not stupid I know planes go faster than trains im just making a point!:))

The cost might have something to do with why carriadges are empty a lot now too - €42 return is what I paid last time from sligo to dublin Connelly (yep i know if u pre-book its cheaper) but when i used to travel in the old days on them old craven style trains it cost me £18 Irish Punts return - still a 3hr journey it was, although those trains were old they were very comfortable and you could open and close the windows in the carridges if you wanted to - yep, they used to be always breaking down I remember that also.

end of the road

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

why though? - shouldnt modernisation and changing times depict a faster travel time, not the same travel time or slower as time goes on? or is it because there is more trains on the lines these days that it has got slower?

certainly more trains in the dublin area slow things down. stopping dart gets priority, then commuter, then intercity/regional. i think the non stoping services should get the priority, and with proper scheduling dart and commuter wouldn't be effected but its not going to happen. double tracking the single track section to sligo would be an idea but it costs and they're will be no funding for it now. at least you have a 2 hourly service, which compared to ourselves down here in wexford where they're is a huge gap between the morning and afternoon, and afternoon and evening services, that is a ****ing revolution in service. and you get the 22000 class on nearly all services now. we still have to tolerate the horid noisy freezing 2900 suburban stock which still turns up a bit, and of course they can turn up on any service so no avoiding them. still, things can only get better i hope

end of the road

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

would not the IE 29000 Class Commuter trains suffice?

they would just about get away with them yes. i don't think there is enough though, all though if they had kept the stored 2700 stock in service other commuter stock from limerick and cork could be brought back to dublin to operate those services. but as its unlikely the stored commuter stock will ever see traffic again, that rules it out i'm afraid. also extra paths may be a problem in the dublin area, even with the new signalling.

end of the road

Jawgap wrote: »

What are we? Shelbyville??

Remove IE from the equation and hand the running of the line over to a proper train company.

It's doubtful they can speed things up - you probably need to straighten and improve the track - but they might improve the quality and customer experience.

yeah. and we can pay a way way bigger subsidy for the small potential of that happening. realistically IE with decent management unlike those in charge now is the best bet. they can keep services going with the little they get. we can do better, but private companies aren't the answer.

bear1

How much is a return fare for an adult form Sligo to Dublin?
I don't think it makes much sense to pump so much money onto something which will probably end up costing them more.
IE learnt the heard way when the re-opened the Galway to Limerick line. They lose money I believe on every single train that travels it.

end of the road

Grandeeod wrote: »

In fairness the line only follows the canal to Mullingar. Overall it was cheaply built originally. However since investment, curves have been banked to allow higher speeds, the Shannon bridge was rebuilt, the line and signalling have been brought up to standard and yet its still plugging a 3 hour trip, like it was many years ago. Extra trains on the route were introduced and this does actually slow stuff down. Return it to its original timetable and increase the speed. Then its better. Unfortunately IE thought more trains at the same journey time was progress. Eh....no.

its a bit of a hard one though. a 2 hourly frequency, or a 3/4 hourly but a bit faster. if it was able to happen (and lets face it they'res more chance of the network being shut then my line having any more services) i'd probably take the 2 hour frequency myself, as it would mean a couple more options and a more suitable time to travel and get in if i need to be there later on in the day, we'l say 1/2 o clock. currently i have 2 morning services during the week but then a huge gap until the afternoon. sure its better then nothing but its a nucence being in way to early

magma69

Move Sligo closer to Dublin imo.

end of the road

Vic_08 wrote: »

If it is too slow for your (I'm guessing) irregular trips to the big smoke then tough

its not tough at all. he is entitled to at least a good speed journey. he is paying via both his fare and his taxes, the railway did get a good bit of investment, yet its slower then before even taking out the suburban services. i can see his point, even if much can't be done about it

Vic_08 wrote: »

there are hundreds of other transport improvements in the country that are more worthwhile most of which are not being funded.

maybe they aren't worth while to him. whats worth while to you me or someone else isn't necessarily worth while to another. thats life. so much to do so little money, always the way.

end of the road

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

...and why not - come on lets do it, we are a 1st world progressive country - or will the ol chestnut of 'there isnt enough population in Ireland/west' rear its ugly head again?

well, we don't have the money for it anyway. thats the most important reason.

end of the road

bear1 wrote: »

How much is a return fare for an adult form Sligo to Dublin?
I don't think it makes much sense to pump so much money onto something which will probably end up costing them more.
IE learnt the heard way when the re-opened the Galway to Limerick line. They lose money I believe on every single train that travels it.

the galway to limerick line is no reason not to invest in the rest. it probably shouldn't have been reopened, but on its current routing it was never going to work. yet a new routing which may have made it more viable (which such a link in theory is) would have cost. the money could have gone on the rest including helping journey times on the rest of the network

bear1

end of the road wrote: »

the galway to limerick line is no reason not to invest in the rest. it probably shouldn't have been reopened, but on its current routing it was never going to work. yet a new routing which may have made it more viable (which such a link in theory is) would have cost. the money could have gone on the rest including helping journey times on the rest of the network

My point was that they will be much more careful examining a line like SO-D due to the failure of the G-LK line.

jimgoose

bear1 wrote: »

My point was that they will be much more careful examining a line like SO-D due to the failure of the G-LK line.

Making money out of trains was always rather tricky. I think the last fella who was really any good at it was Cornelius Vanderbilt. :pac:

end of the road

bear1 wrote: »

My point was that they will be much more careful examining a line like SO-D due to the failure of the G-LK line.

oh i get that. all i was saying was that to not bother with more viable lines because of one not so viable one isn't a good strategy.

end of the road

jimgoose wrote: »

Making money out of trains was always rather tricky. I think the last fella who was really any good at it was Cornelius Vanderbilt.

remember unlike the roads which have others to share costs with, rail has to fund its own infrastructure and has no other operators to share the costs with. the opening up of the network will see a tourist operator coming in, so that may mean a little bit of money for IE and hopefully the network. in saying that i can't see a rush of operators coming in even for freight as they're wouldn't be much of a proffit in it i think

jimgoose

end of the road wrote: »

remember unlike the roads which have others to share costs with, rail has to fund its own infrastructure and has no other operators to share the costs with. the opening up of the network will see a tourist operator coming in, so that may mean a little bit of money for IE and hopefully the network. in saying that i can't see a rush of operators coming in even for freight as they're wouldn't be much of a proffit in it i think

Rail freight makes a lot of sense done properly. That is, not between Galway and Limerick or Sligo and Dublin. A trunk freight service between Dublin and Cork, with trucks fanning out here and there along the line, would be a good thing, I think. I'm told the Stobart Group run their own freight trains connecting the North and South of England.

looksee

Move Dublin to Athlone, fairer all round.

fxotoole

Nuke Sligo. Problem solved.

bear1

fxotoole wrote: »

Nuke Sligo. Problem solved.

Would you be able to tell the difference though?

end of the road

jimgoose wrote: »

Rail freight makes a lot of sense done properly. That is, not between Galway and Limerick or Sligo and Dublin. A trunk freight service between Dublin and Cork, with trucks fanning out here and there along the line, would be a good thing, I think. I'm told the Stobart Group run their own freight trains connecting the North and South of England.

well obviously it will depend on the flow. if a bulk load of stuff is being sent to a warehouse somewhere in the country and it takes a lot of trucks to do it, best to try encourage it to be brought by rail instead with the trucks doing a short journey at the end. it could help cut down on the cost of road maintenence if anything. if its just 1 truck going straight to its customer, then no point. if dublin sligo and galway limerick have bulk flows along the roads between them that if shiped by rail could take trucks off the road meaning less money needed to repair the damage of the roads caused by trucks, encouraging it to be sent by rail i believe would be a good option. but it won't happen, as the government have made it clear they want to put all the eggs in one basket and relie on one method.

SpaceTime

There's a big issue though when you consider the population density and size of Sligo and the lack of population at many of the intermediate stations.

In the UK that would absolutely not be served by an Intercity 125, it'd be a regional DMU and most likely far lower spec than what Irish Rail now use the 22000s.

38,500 ppl live in Sligo and its hinterland. That's 11 times smaller than Cork City.

I'm not saying that Sligo shouldn't have a decent rail link, but I think sometimes the comparisons with major British or French intercity routes are ridiculous.

We have two routes that count as relatively minor intercity : Dublin to Cork & Dublin to Belfast. They're comparable to something like Glasgow to Aberdeen or Bordeaux to La Rochelle.

The rest are basically serving small urban centres and small towns.

All in all I think our rail network is actually pretty good when you consider the populations and densities being served.

I think using the 22000 DMUs to their full potential and removing speed restrictions is about as much as you could justify doing. There could be better use made of the existing trains and tracks with improved signalling and more clever timetabling and passing loops / extra tracks near Dublin.

end of the road

SpaceTime wrote: »

There's a big issue though when you consider the population density and size of Sligo and the lack of population at many of the intermediate stations.

In the UK that would absolutely not be served by an Intercity 125, it'd be a regional DMU and most likely far lower spec than what Irish Rail now use the 22000s.

38,500 ppl live in Sligo and its hinterland. That's 11 times smaller than Cork City.

I'm not saying that Sligo shouldn't have a decent rail link, but I think sometimes the comparisons with major British or French intercity routes are ridiculous.

We have two routes that count as relatively minor intercity : Dublin to Cork & Dublin to Belfast. They're comparable to something like Glasgow to Aberdeen or Bordeaux to La Rochelle.

The rest are basically serving small urban centres and small towns.

All in all I think our rail network is actually pretty good when you consider the populations and densities being served.

I think using the 22000 DMUs to their full potential and removing speed restrictions is about as much as you could justify doing. There could be better use made of the existing trains and tracks with improved signalling and more clever timetabling and passing loops / extra tracks near Dublin.

well whether justified or not, much of the network even with better track wouldn't be able for anything much higher then currently due to alinements and so on. but where the alinement can take better speeds it is absolutely justified to improve speeds when track is replaced. fiddling around with alinements unless absolutely necessary is what may not be justified all though i'd be happy for some of my taxes to be put toards doing so. remember in the case of similar lines in britain, a couple of things to consider. 1. much of the DMUS used were built during the 80s which for british rail was a major time of austerity (well then again they hardly ever got the funding they should have compared to what is given these days) but seemed to deliver more, but thats for another thread. had the class 210 project gone ahead, they would have been a proper regional DMU. 2. the operators decide the interiors i believe so refurbishments can be hit and miss. the newer stock may not even be to as high standard as ours mechanically, i don't know, but interior wise they could be if the operators wanted them to be.

SpaceTime

The 22000s also have better ability to make use of sections of 100mph capable track as they can accelerate quite rapidly. The older fleet of hauled trains really needed to go at a constant speed and took quite a while to get up to speed.

end of the road

SpaceTime wrote: »

The 22000s also have better ability to make use of sections of 100mph capable track as they can accelerate quite rapidly. The older fleet of hauled trains really needed to go at a constant speed and took quite a while to get up to speed.

i agree with you. all though they were better then what replaced them on the rosslare line. 26/7/8/900s (2900s still operate on some services) , and for our trouble the journey time was made longer by adding extra stops within the dublin area, mind you tara and pearse were handy when i needed to use them.

the dark phantom

Kevin McCloud wrote: »

No toilet on a 4 hour bus journey is taking the piss.

Bring an empty bottle and a wide straw, And just in case bring some tissue and a resealable bag.