Irish Rail September Timetable Changes

Infini · 01-11-2018 10:51pm

GM228 wrote: »

There are 3 issues at play for the daily cancellations - driver shortages, roster issues and an unusually high failure rate of late.

My guess is there isnt enough driver's available to cover these rosters as they either arent there, some are still not passed out to go alone and you got sicknesses and leave as well. Add in lack of spare driver's to take over and there's the reason for cancellations.

As for the failure rate to be fair the harder you push them the quicker they wear out and develop defects or other faults. Then you got miserable little feckers vandalising them as well and getting away with it because the legal system in this country is more about milking money rather than punishing regressive little feckers properly and it just all adds up.

Hilly Bill · 02-11-2018 12:05am

A few technical faults have resulted in some of the cancellations wich would have taken that set out of service so if it was due to do 4 runs for example then that's 4 cancellations.
A door fault was the last one i seen.

Jamie2k9 · 08-11-2018 10:28pm

Just two months to late but:

Separately, Irish Rail is also increasing capacity on four Dart services in each of the morning and evening peaks, which will be complete by the end of November.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/irish-rail-to-operate-70-additional-dublin-commuter-services-a-day-37507223.html

Hilly Bill · 08-11-2018 11:17pm

It's not late, there was a timetable change due in December anyway. Maybe this is it.

Jamie2k9 · 08-11-2018 11:26pm

Hilly Bill wrote: »

It's not late, there was a timetable change due in December anyway. Maybe this is it.

Again to late, there is zero changes to 10 munte DART in December.

uxiant · 08-11-2018 11:34pm

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

Just two months to late but:

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/irish-rail-to-operate-70-additional-dublin-commuter-services-a-day-37507223.html

Capacity was already increased on morning DART services so they haven't been two months too late. These are further improvements.

Jamie2k9 · 09-11-2018 12:04am

uxiant wrote: »

Capacity was already increased on morning DART services so they haven't been two months too late. These are further improvements.

Again to late, they have had 8 weeks and are still not addressed the problems. Passengers still left behind daily.

ixoy · 09-11-2018 12:23am

uxiant wrote: »

Capacity was already increased on morning DART services so they haven't been two months too late. These are further improvements.

Where was this capacity change? I haven't seen it on southbound services - Daily people left behind at Harmonstown, Killester and Clontarf Road, which never happened prior to this idiotically handled time table change.

Wonder what services will get the extra capacity? Probably the southside...

end of the road · 09-11-2018 12:45am

ixoy wrote: »

Where was this capacity change? I haven't seen it on southbound services - Daily people left behind at Harmonstown, Killester and Clontarf Road, which never happened prior to this idiotically handled time table change.

Wonder what services will get the extra capacity? Probably the southside...

as far as i know there are no darts that stay on the south side, so both north and south will have to get it.

uxiant · 09-11-2018 12:52am

ixoy wrote: »

Where was this capacity change? I haven't seen it on southbound services - Daily people left behind at Harmonstown, Killester and Clontarf Road, which never happened prior to this idiotically handled time table change.

Wonder what services will get the extra capacity? Probably the southside...

I wonder what happens to these 8 carriage DARTs going northbound. Ditch half the carriages at the terminus before travelling southbound? Or how do these 8 carriage DARTs get to the southside...

(And by the way people are left on platforms travelling northbound too)

ixoy · 09-11-2018 12:59am

uxiant wrote: »

I wonder what happens to these 8 carriage DARTs going northbound. Ditch half the carriages at the terminus before travelling southbound? Or how do these 8 carriage DARTs get to the southside...

You know what I mean - the longer DARTs should be those that hit the city centre between 8:30 - 09:00 as that's when many people need to be in work.
So let's take a train that arrives in Tara Street at 08:19. It gets to Howth at 08:48 so by the time it goes back northbound, it's too late - the peak period is over.

I've been monitoring Irish Rail's Twitter account and I've never seen any complaints about people being left behind travelling Northbound. Is it a daily occurrence but they're just not mentioning it?

uxiant · 09-11-2018 12:59am

Capacity has actually increased throughout the DART network (perhaps it hasn't on the spurs to Howth and Malahide where obviously the frequency has to drop?) - so it's strange that so many are left behind on platforms going north and south.

Has the improved frequency drove up passenger numbers? Or were things just as bad before the timetable changes (I used to go to work later so missed the morning rush).

uxiant · 09-11-2018 1:08am

ixoy wrote: »

You know what I mean - the longer DARTs should be those that hit the city centre between 8:30 - 09:00 as that's when many people need to be in work.
So let's take a train that arrives in Tara Street at 08:19. It gets to Howth at 08:48 so by the time it goes back northbound, it's too late - the peak period is over.

I've been monitoring Irish Rail's Twitter account and I've never seen any complaints about people being left behind travelling Northbound. Is it a daily occurrence but they're just not mentioning it?

I've seen plenty of 8 carriage northbound DARTs at around 5pm so I find it very hard to believe they are deliberately putting all the 8 carriage DARTs northbound to hit the city centre at 8.30-9am...

And anyway the 8.15 from Dun Laoghaire is only 6 carriages so that's one of those 8.30-9am DARTs that's not 8 carriages.

Yes I've been left at the platform in Dun Laoghaire before and I've noticed people left behind at places like Blackrock, Booterstown, Sandymount etc. But it's not something I pay attention to every day.

ixoy · 09-11-2018 1:10am

uxiant wrote: »

Has the improved frequency drove up passenger numbers? Or were things just as bad before the timetable changes (I used to go to work later so missed the morning rush).

Things are *significantly* worse now. I've used Killester station for eight years and, barring any disruptions, always got on a carriage at any time between 8 and 9. The very week they changed it, that started to stop - difficult to get on any train after 08:15 often.
There was no surge in customers - sure, schools were back but they were back every year before then too and none of this happened so it's unlikely they suddenly had a 20% increase in a few days coincidentally when they changed a time table.

What was easily observable is the shorter trains. That and the frequency at rush hour is no better really - for example, there was a train at 07:57, 08:02, 08:17, 08:24 IIRC. They weren't four carriage trains either. Now it's 07:57, 08:07, 08:17 and 08:27, i.e. *less frequent* and a number of these are short. So they ran the same number of trains over this period previously (if oddly spread out - but people knew the time table anyway) but they had more capacity. That, coupled with commuter trains no longer absorbing many passengers on the Malahide spur (particularly Portmarnock), has made it a mess.

uxiant wrote:

Yes I've been left at the platform in Dun Laoghaire before and I've noticed people left behind at places like Blackrock, Booterstown, Sandymount etc. But it's not something I pay attention to every day.

But if it was happening every couple of days, you'd definitely notice it...

And no, I haven't had issues in the evening but then I leave a bit later so perhaps I just generally miss that rush.

goingnowhere · 09-11-2018 7:23am

uxiant wrote: »

I've seen plenty of 8 carriage northbound DARTs at around 5pm so I find it very hard to believe they are deliberately putting all the 8 carriage DARTs northbound to hit the city centre at 8.30-9am...

And anyway the 8.15 from Dun Laoghaire is only 6 carriages so that's one of those 8.30-9am DARTs that's not 8 carriages.

At Dun Laoghaire this is the spread, and its clear the bulk of the 8 coach units are on the northside

0755 is 8
0805 is 6
0815 is 6
0825 is 8?
0835 is 6
0845 is 4

The problem is passenger numbers are up and noticeably so, the volume of school kids is incredible, the bank of mammy and daddy can no longer afford several cars and we have kids traveling for considerable distances and incredible cheap fares taking up capacity. Throw mid term break in and there is a chance of a seat on almost every train out of Dun Laoghaire

marieholmfan · 09-11-2018 10:36am

Make it clear when selling schoolchild fares and leap cards that seats must be given up to adults immediately unless the child has a registered disability and enforce that.

Like most Irish problems this timetabling issue could be quickly solved by the reintroduction of flogging (but that will never happen).

goingnowhere wrote: »

At Dun Laoghaire this is the spread, and its clear the bulk of the 8 coach units are on the northside

0755 is 8
0805 is 6
0815 is 6
0825 is 8?
0835 is 6
0845 is 4

The problem is passenger numbers are up and noticeably so, the volume of school kids is incredible, the bank of mammy and daddy can no longer afford several cars and we have kids traveling for considerable distances and incredible cheap fares taking up capacity. Throw mid term break in and there is a chance of a seat on almost every train out of Dun Laoghaire

Conchir · 09-11-2018 10:58am

marieholmfan wrote: »

Make it clear when selling schoolchild fares and leap cards that seats must be given up to adults immediately unless the child has a registered disability and enforce that.

Like most Irish problems this timetabling issue could be quickly solved by the reintroduction of flogging (but that will never happen).

Well it took eight years, but I’ve finally decided to add a name to my ignore list on Boards.

loyatemu · 09-11-2018 11:09am

consultation on the December timetable (minor changes mostly, plus off-peak Tunnel services) now open:
http://www.irishrail.ie/news/december2018timetable

I see IR are also looking for a "Director of Train Operations"

Colonel Claptrap · 09-11-2018 6:20pm

Irish Rail have capitulated and reinstated diesel services to Clongriffin, Howth Jct and Portmarnock.

Not all, mind you, but a step in the right direction.

Decuc500 · 10-11-2018 12:49am

uxiant wrote: »

I've seen plenty of 8 carriage northbound DARTs at around 5pm so I find it very hard to believe they are deliberately putting all the 8 carriage DARTs northbound to hit the city centre at 8.30-9am...

And anyway the 8.15 from Dun Laoghaire is only 6 carriages so that's one of those 8.30-9am DARTs that's not 8 carriages.

Yes I've been left at the platform in Dun Laoghaire before and I've noticed people left behind at places like Blackrock, Booterstown, Sandymount etc. But it's not something I pay attention to every day.

I get northbound darts at Pearse every evening and there are no 8 carriage trains around 5pm. There's one to Malahide at 5:17 and it's the first 8 carriage dart going north since 4:27. There are several to Bray in this period. As these 8 carriage trains to Bray leave Pearse they are only half full. Very bad and easy to fix train management from IR.

Infini · 10-11-2018 1:03pm

Colonel Claptrap wrote: »

Irish Rail have capitulated and reinstated diesel services to Clongriffin, Howth Jct and Portmarnock.

Not all, mind you, but a step in the right direction.

It was a bit silly removing them to begin with but they may have not realised how much pressure those diesils were taking off the stations further down the line.

thomasj · 10-11-2018 2:06pm

loyatemu wrote: »

consultation on the December timetable (minor changes mostly, plus off-peak Tunnel services) now open:
http://www.irishrail.ie/news/december2018timetable

I see IR are also looking for a "Director of Train Operations"

Big upgrade for Maynooth line users. 30 minute frequency all day up to 9pm weekdays , 30 minute frequency 8-7 Saturday and 30 minute frequency 11-7 Sunday.

Add the pre 6am train ex Maynooth weekdays , and the 8am ex Maynooth and trains up to 11.20pm Sunday and it's a great upgrade for the most part .

Deviso · 10-11-2018 5:19pm

thomasj wrote: »

Big upgrade for Maynooth line users. 30 minute frequency all day up to 9pm weekdays , 30 minute frequency 8-7 Saturday and 30 minute frequency 11-7 Sunday.

Add the pre 6am train ex Maynooth weekdays , and the 8am ex Maynooth and trains up to 11.20pm Sunday and it's a great upgrade for the most part .

Thats going to make congestion worse. FFS

L1011 · 10-11-2018 5:51pm

Deviso wrote: »

Thats going to make congestion worse. FFS

There's basically no peak additions so it will have no impact on that

Zebra3 · 10-11-2018 10:42pm

thomasj wrote: »

Big upgrade for Maynooth line users. 30 minute frequency all day up to 9pm weekdays , 30 minute frequency 8-7 Saturday and 30 minute frequency 11-7 Sunday.

Add the pre 6am train ex Maynooth weekdays , and the 8am ex Maynooth and trains up to 11.20pm Sunday and it's a great upgrade for the most part .

Bizarre how under utilised the line has been while hundreds of millions have been spent on the Luas and its' high frequency.

(And no, I'm not asking for that level of frequency on the line!).

marieholmfan · 11-11-2018 11:50pm

Colonel Claptrap wrote: »

Irish Rail have capitulated and reinstated diesel services to Clongriffin, Howth Jct and Portmarnock.

Not all, mind you, but a step in the right direction.

Disgraceful. This is Brexitism. The rejection of experts.

Jamie2k9 · 11-11-2018 11:51pm

Lets hope a software update taking place tonight does not screw the network up in the morning like the last one.

marieholmfan · 11-11-2018 11:51pm

Infini wrote: »

It was a bit silly removing them to begin with but they may have not realised how much pressure those

[sic]

diesils were taking off the stations further down the line.

Or people could just move down the carriage.

marieholmfan · 11-11-2018 11:51pm

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

Lets hope a software update taking place tonight does not screw the network up in the morning like the last one.

Do tell ??

Jamie2k9 · 11-11-2018 11:54pm

marieholmfan wrote: »

Do tell ??

Nothing to tell, the last time they did an update the signilling system shut down for 2-3 days at the same time each evening. Sources say an update is due to take place tonight so hopefully it goes well, its bad enough every day as it is.

Such updates should take place on Sat (Fri night) or Sun (Sat night) IMO

Irish Rail September Timetable Changes

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