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What is the actual issue with the Irish Rail seat reservations system

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    #92
    goingnowhere
    Registered Users Posts: 4,142 ✭✭✭goingnowhere


    Stephen15 wrote: »
    Many intercity trains on the continent have mandatory reservations ie. everyone who buys a train ticket automatically bets a reservation no standing on intercity trains. Could work on Irish rail or when all seats have been sold sell standing only tickets.

    Its actually quite rare

    Germans, Austrians etc don't have this policy and they do stand packed in regularly
    You can't even book a seat in Belgium, Netherlands and Switzerland

    Only the Portuguese, French and Spanish apply it and only on high speed express services

    Eastern Europe its more prevalent but you can go from Budapest to Hamburg without a reservation, no issue

    Reservations are not the issue, it people who
    1. Believe they have a right to buy a 9.99 ticket on a 5pm to Cork on a bank holiday Friday at 4:59pm and complain when its 60+ euro and no seat
    2. Who ignore the notices and refuse to follow the system


    But the same person will book 9 months ahead for cheap deal on a certain Irish airline...


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    #93
    Isambard
    Registered Users Posts: 5,796 ✭✭✭Isambard


    StockTwat29 wrote: »
    Cause people don't end up standing on a plane

    There'll never be more people than seats either

    how safe can it be to be standing at 160km/h?


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    #94
    RedRochey
    Registered Users Posts: 1,298 ✭✭✭RedRochey


    Isambard wrote: »
    how safe can it be to be standing at 160km/h?

    Not very I'd imagine, but I'd say it safer than standing on a plane

    So you think Irish Rail should not allow people to stand on trains at all? Will never happen


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    #95
    Stephen15
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,907 ✭✭✭Stephen15


    StockTwat29 wrote: »
    Not very I'd imagine, but I'd say it safer than standing on a plane

    So you think Irish Rail should not allow people to stand on trains at all? Will never happen

    But surely it wouldn't be as safe standing on an ICR or an Mk4 than it would be on a DART or Commuter set with plenty of handrails to hold on to. A little bit like the difference between standing on a DB bus and a coach.


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    #96
    RedRochey
    Registered Users Posts: 1,298 ✭✭✭RedRochey


    Look I'm not going to say it's safe to be standing on a moving train, obviously it's not, but it's just not something that Irish Rail will stop people doing

    The train I get home only goes every 2 hours so people would definitely prefer to stand then wait


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    #97
    Stephen15
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,907 ✭✭✭Stephen15


    StockTwat29 wrote: »
    Look I'm not going to say it's safe to be standing on a moving train, obviously it's not, but it's just not something that Irish Rail will stop people doing

    The train I get home only goes every 2 hours so people would definitely prefer to stand then wait

    But surely IE should know the trains which are standing room only and add extra trains or extra carriages


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    #98
    goingnowhere
    Registered Users Posts: 4,142 ✭✭✭goingnowhere


    You assume there are spare trains available


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    #99
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,851 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Stephen15 wrote: »
    But surely IE should know the trains which are standing room only and add extra trains or extra carriages

    There are neither sufficient additional multiple units nor additional carriages for the limited loco hauled stock.

    There's an operational spare 3 car 22000 I think but that might even be in use now.


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    #100
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    I think the reservations work fairly decent - certainly not my biggest gripe with trains in this country - but one that thing that makes me twitch is when someone doesn't sit in their designated seat - they sit in the seat facing it, or beside it.


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    #101
    RedRochey
    Registered Users Posts: 1,298 ✭✭✭RedRochey


    Mentioned earlier in the thread somewhere that it takes 5 years to buy new trains

    Also was an article in the Irish Times I think about how Irish Rail said they won't have new trains until the end of 2021!

    Fully agree with you that they should just add some extra trains for busy Friday evening services but then there is also that issue from last week where the train from Westport to Dublin was full and people had to get off and bus from Athlone, I'm not sure Irish Rail have the capability to know which trains will be busy in advance


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    #102
    Stephen15
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,907 ✭✭✭Stephen15


    L1011 wrote: »
    There are neither sufficient additional multiple units nor additional carriages for the limited loco hauled stock.

    There's an operational spare 3 car 22000 I think but that might even be in use now.

    I guess that's proof that our railways are inadequate. It annoys me that public transport is seen as a bit of a non issue in this country I watch the BBC news from time to time and there's regularly stories about issues with trains.


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    #103
    Del.Monte
    Registered Users Posts: 12,363 ✭✭✭✭Del.Monte


    What happened to all the MkIII's - the ones that Belmond didn't buy?

    ****



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    #104
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,851 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Del.Monte wrote: »
    What happened to all the MkIII's - the ones that Belmond didn't buy?

    I'm fairly sure you know the answer to that already.


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    #105
    Isambard
    Registered Users Posts: 5,796 ✭✭✭Isambard


    they fed them into the big clapper and into the fiery furnace.


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    #106
    techdiver
    Registered Users Posts: 3,079 ✭✭✭techdiver


    A further example of the joke the system is. The 5.40am Sligo - Dublin allows you to select seats in 7 different carriages despite the fact that during the summer months they cut the service to 4 carraiges....


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    #107
    L1011
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 67,851 Mod ✭✭✭✭L1011


    Apparently back to 7 from Monday but you'd have a hard time claiming your seat reservation on the rammed service the 4 car gives!


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