Phoenix Park tunnel: 4 trains per hour from 2016

LXFlyer · 03-03-2016 12:39PM

Sam Russell wrote: »

When will the work at GCD be finished? - it has been going on forever with little or no work being done.

Quite the opposite - it may not appear obvious to you but there has been significant work done, and the track layout has changed several times.

Re-signalling work is not necessarily obvious to the eye, and most of the time work will be done at night.

The work is due to complete during the summer.

1huge1 · 03-03-2016 05:59PM

Sam Russell wrote: »

When will the work at GCD be finished? - it has been going on forever with little or no work being done.

Get off at GCD everyday, haven't seen a thing done there since last Autumn.

LXFlyer · 03-03-2016 06:06PM

1huge1 wrote: »

Get off at GCD everyday, haven't seen a thing done there since last Autumn.

At the risk of repeating myself, the track between Pearse and GCD has been realigned several times to facilitate these works - just because you can't see a change doesn't mean that work isn't happening.

As I posted above, the work would mainly be carried out at night.

Sam Russell · 03-03-2016 06:55PM

It must be two years since they started.

trellheim · 03-03-2016 08:14PM

There are weekly possessions of the line around cabra to do work ; it is very very busy and has been for ages. there is a huge worksite at the old cabra cement works.

Sam Russell · 20-03-2016 08:52PM

trellheim wrote: »

There are weekly possessions of the line around cabra to do work ; it is very very busy and has been for ages. there is a huge worksite at the old cabra cement works.

I was over there in Cabra today and there is a lot of work being done on the line. It looks like a complete relaying of the line from PPT.

However, GCD is missing the link for the north bound Dart to get to platform three - the overhead wires are done, but the gap remains.

Long Time Lurker · 20-03-2016 09:00PM

Any pics of the various goings on anywhere!

cowboyjoe · 21-03-2016 04:24PM

This is what someone in the NTA responded when I enquired about the progress of the PPT at the end of February:

"the civils and permanent way works to enable the trains to run will be complete by mid-year. However, there will have to be a public consultation and discussion with drivers etc. regarding the new service and this could delay the start of services. At this stage I don’t know if or by how long it will actually be delayed but I will keep you updated."

Grandeeod · 21-03-2016 04:49PM

cowboyjoe wrote: »

This is what someone in the NTA responded when I enquired about the progress of the PPT at the end of February:

"the civils and permanent way works to enable the trains to run will be complete by mid-year. However, there will have to be a public consultation and discussion with drivers etc. regarding the new service and this could delay the start of services. At this stage I don’t know if or by how long it will actually be delayed but I will keep you updated."

LOL!

ClovenHoof · 21-03-2016 08:51PM

Nothing ever changes at CIE Unions except their pay increases.

flyingsnail · 23-03-2016 12:21PM

I came across some pictures of the works

http://briansolomon.com/trackingthelight/2016/03/23/take-the-trees-away-and-wow/

Deedsie · 23-03-2016 01:48PM

I know that it is planned that these trains will stop at Drumcondra, Connolly, Tara and Grand Canal Dock but why is Pearse Station not a stop on the planned route? Will the train not have to go through Pearse on the way to Grand Canal Dock?

Michael D Not Higgins · 23-03-2016 02:00PM

Deedsie wrote: »

I know that it is planned that these trains will stop at Drumcondra, Connolly, Tara and Grand Canal Dock but why is Pearse Station not a stop on the planned route? Will the train not have to go through Pearse on the way to Grand Canal Dock?

http://www.irishrail.ie/news/phoenixparktunnel

Pearse is mentioned here.

LXFlyer · 23-03-2016 02:05PM

Deedsie wrote: »

I know that it is planned that these trains will stop at Drumcondra, Connolly, Tara and Grand Canal Dock but why is Pearse Station not a stop on the planned route? Will the train not have to go through Pearse on the way to Grand Canal Dock?

Yes they will stop at Pearse.

ClovenHoof · 23-03-2016 02:49PM

The service will be very popular and now the line is secure for decades to come.

lucernarian · 27-03-2016 10:53AM

I don't see any definitive mention here on whether the tunnel and track alignment as currently built could accommodate catenary wires. Not a big deal if the tunnel isn't electrified now but it should be renovated with a view to having catenary installed at a future date... Even lower the track bed now if necessary and leave the wiring for another time.

Markcheese · 27-03-2016 11:16AM

lucernarian wrote:

I don't see any definitive mention here on whether the tunnel and track alignment as currently built could accommodate catenary wires. Not a big deal if the tunnel isn't electrified now but it should be renovated with a view to having catenary installed at a future date... Even lower the track bed now if necessary and leave the wiring for another time.

Is lowering the trackbed on a victorian tunnel a simple job ?? Would have thought that'd be akin to undermining the foundations...

27-03-2016 11:44AM

Markcheese wrote: »

Is lowering the trackbed on a victorian tunnel a simple job ?? Would have thought that'd be akin to undermining the foundations...

You'd have to reconstruct the foundations as part of the job.

L1011 · 27-03-2016 07:46PM

Non-catenary options exist for lower-roofed tunnels for the type of relatively low voltage DC system we use at least. Rigid overhead contact systems.

JosephPatrick · 28-03-2016 08:44PM

Looking forward to this commencing. Hopefully there will be good connections with intercity services too.

Would be nice to be able to buy a ticket for example from Waterford/Cork/Limerick - Grand Canal Dock without having to get both the Luas and the Dart.

1huge1 · 28-03-2016 08:55PM

JosephPatrick wrote: »

Looking forward to this commencing. Hopefully there will be good connections with intercity services too.

Would be nice to be able to buy a ticket for example from Waterford/Cork/Limerick - Grand Canal Dock without having to get both the Luas and the Dart.

Maybe some day, but for the moment the capacity isn't there. It'll only be 4 trains per hour (per direction) for the first while and they will all be commuter trains.

Best bet for the moment is probably a stop at Newbridge for the intercity trains and change there.

I'm fairly confident that take up will be high on this almost from day one. I'm interested to see how it will compare to getting the Luas, its workers in the IFSC that I have in mind.

Grandeeod · 28-03-2016 09:13PM

I'm going to quote a newly elected FF TD from Kildare. His quote is from last August. It's yet another example of how absolutely twisted all this can be. I've bolded the bit that really pisses me off as it displays a complete disregard for facts.

Kildare County Councillor and general election candidate James Lawless has said today’s announcement that the Phoenix Park tunnel is to start upgrade works is positive step.

Councillor Lawless is a daily commuter on the Heuston line from Naas and Sallins station for the past decade and is also founder and spokesperson of the commuter lobby group Naas and Sallins Rail Users Group (NASRUG) which lobbies for rail services.

He commented: “This is a positive step but it is not a panacea. Whilst I will always welcome investment in the railway, the Phoenix Park tunnel is not the holy grail many hold it out to be. It does have the definite benefit of connecting the two major rail routes across the country for the first time in a hundred years. On the flip side it does little to get Kildare line commuters into the south part of the city where most of them want to go. Services using the park tunnel will terminate at Connolly and the journey time is not necessarily better than the current LUAS link option.”

For the record, he has always been against the PPT as a partial solution to Kildare commuters on the basis of DU and keeping his supporters happy that want to get off 20 trains an hour at Heuston.:rolleyes:

We're not there yet!:D

LXFlyer · 28-03-2016 09:19PM

1huge1 wrote: »

Maybe some day, but for the moment the capacity isn't there. It'll only be 4 trains per hour (per direction) for the first while and they will all be commuter trains.

Best bet for the moment is probably a stop at Newbridge for the intercity trains and change there.

I'm fairly confident that take up will be high on this almost from day one. I'm interested to see how it will compare to getting the Luas, its workers in the IFSC that I have in mind.

There won't be four trains an hour - the press made this mistake from the outset and so have all the threads here.

It will be one train per hour off-peak in either direction, and two, possibly three trains an hour at peak times in the direction of peak travel flow.

All trains will operate to Grand Canal Dock, serving Drumcondra, Connolly, Tara Street, and Pearse en route, most likely starting at Newbridge as it has a turnback platform.

Stephen15 · 28-03-2016 10:22PM

lxflyer wrote: »

All trains will operate to Grand Canal Dock, serving Drumcondra, Connolly, Tara Street, and Pearse en route, most likely starting at Newbridge as it has a turnback platform.

I don't see why they can't run some all the way to bray stopping at landsdowne road, sydney parade, blackrock, dun laoghaire and bray or at least at peak hours

end of the road · 28-03-2016 10:45PM

Stephen15 wrote: »

I don't see why they can't run some all the way to bray stopping at landsdowne road, sydney parade, blackrock, dun laoghaire and bray or at least at peak hours

because there are plenty of trains doing that journey. that section of track cannot cope with any more trains

Stephen15 · 28-03-2016 11:01PM

end of the road wrote: »

because there are plenty of trains doing that journey. that section of track cannot cope with any more trains

Maybe not bray but they could go as far as the rarely used platform 3 in dun laoghaire station which only gets one train a day ito puzzles me why one dart a day only goes as far as dun laoghaire

end of the road · 28-03-2016 11:05PM

Stephen15 wrote: »

Maybe not bray but they could go as far as the rarely used platform 3 in dun laoghaire station which only gets one train a day ito puzzles me why one dart a day only goes as far as dun laoghaire

there are enough trains doing that journey and if the 10 minute frequency goes ahead there will be no scope for any more trains

kc56 · 28-03-2016 11:07PM

Stephen15 wrote: »

I don't see why they can't run some all the way to bray stopping at landsdowne road, sydney parade, blackrock, dun laoghaire and bray or at least at peak hours

The service will require additional trains, at least 3 and maybe even 4, and running to Bray would require even more. GCD will provide cross platform connections to the DART.

Stephen15 · 28-03-2016 11:07PM

end of the road wrote: »

there are enough trains doing that journey and if the 10 minute frequency goes ahead there will be no scope for any more trains

Well a two minute frequency is possible

MrMorooka · 29-03-2016 11:18AM

Any info on if the anti-peak direction trains would operate in service, or will they run express ECS to get in position?

Phoenix Park tunnel: 4 trains per hour from 2016

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