Challenge

Victor · 05-10-2009 7:22pm #1

I had a conversation over lunch last week about how quickly someone could get around the entire Irish Rail network. It seems the existing record stands at about six and a half days. I think it can be done in much less (assuming all timetabled connections are made).

So, how quickly do you think you can do it?

Rules

1. You must schedule your journey to cover the entire Irish Rail network that is in use for scheduled passenger services. So freight lines, sidings, depots, goods yards, etc. need not be travelled.

2. You must schedule trips for:
Dundalk-border
Limerick Direct Curve
Liffey Line
Docklands Station
Howth Branch
Cork Suburban

3. You do not have to schedule trips for:
Clonsilla-Pace
Ennis-Athenry
Newcomen Curve
Luas or any other non-Irish Rail only line.

4. For the following, you do not have to visit all sections, but you must use all the approach lines,
a. Connolly - Loopline platforms 5-7 v main station platforms 1-4. Any through service or a southbound terminating service and a through / southbound commencing service is enough

b. Heuston - platforms 1-5 v platforms 6-8. Any service arriving or departing from any platform is enough.

c. Cork - platform 1-3 v platforms 4-5. Any through service or a southbound terminating service and a through / "southbound" commencing service is enough

d. Limerick Junction - main v Limerick platforms. You need not use all the platforms, but you must use the entire Cork-Heuston and Limerick-Waterford lines and the Limerick Direct Curve.

5. Trips via on-time scheduled services only.

6. You can start and end anywhere.

7. The timetables on the Printed Timetables section of the Irish Rail website are to be use http://www.irishrail.ie/your_journey/printed_timetables.asp Arrival times are deemed to be the same as departure times unless specifically stated differently.

8. You need to use all lines (one or more tracks), you do not need to use all tracks (track = rails + sleepers + ballast).

9. You can only travel by train, except Connolly-Heuston.

10. Assume Malahide Viaduct is fixed and all services resume.

Carawaystick · 05-10-2009 10:06pm

You'll need to wait til the viaduct in Malahide is fixed first....
There's a lower bound on your time

Victor · 05-10-2009 10:39pm

Yeah, forgot about that.

Zoney · 05-10-2009 11:17pm

Reminds me of Uni maths - travelling salesman problem!

Edit: or maybe the seven bridges of Konigsberg?

loyatemu · 05-10-2009 11:31pm

Victor wrote: »

It seems the existing record stands at about six and a half days.

I cannot think of any worse way of spending a week, short of heading for Guantanamo Bay. Has someone seriously done this? Even the guys on IRN would consider this ridiculously nerdy... (well, maybe not all of them)

L1011 · 05-10-2009 11:50pm

loyatemu wrote: »

I cannot think of any worse way of spending a week, short of heading for Guantanamo Bay. Has someone seriously done this? Even the guys on IRN would consider this ridiculously nerdy... (well, maybe not all of them)

Its a good way to get in the papers if nothing else (see the lads that brought Dublin Bikes bikes out of the country and back in again in the 24 hour return window).

The Newcomen Curve has been used by scheduled services in the not too distant past I thought - was there one Cork-Connolly service on weekends or something? Obviously if its not in use for anything, you get to avoid the entire Park tunnel line and associated branches.

DWCommuter · 05-10-2009 11:58pm

Victor wrote: »

I had a conversation over lunch last week about how quickly someone could get around the entire Irish Rail network.

Next time choose your lunch dates more carefully, because whoever engaged in that conversation should have had the plate smashed over their head.

loyatemu · 06-10-2009 9:25am

MYOB wrote: »

The Newcomen Curve has been used by scheduled services in the not too distant past I thought - was there one Cork-Connolly service on weekends or something?

there was a morning Gorey-Sligo service that apparently used it - it was split into seperate services in the last timetable.

Colm R · 06-10-2009 11:34am

I have come up with a route. Starting in Cobh, and finishing in Newry. Might go all the way to Derry.

I think what I have is the shortest way of doing it, but the schedule is throwing it out a little, where it might be best to take a longer way (more duplication) to get the time down.

Victor · 06-10-2009 3:03pm

One more rule added: you can only travel by train, except Connolly-Heuston.

Colm R wrote: »

I think what I have is the shortest way of doing it, but the schedule is throwing it out a little, where it might be best to take a longer way (more duplication) to get the time down.

Possibly.

Hint: If you are doing a long (timewise, including connection time) leg, try to only do it once.

DWCommuter wrote: »

Next time choose your lunch dates more carefully, because whoever engaged in that conversation should have had the plate smashed over their head.

Oh, come on, nerds have to eat.

It was actually a useful exercise as it pointed out a few "broken" connections, e.g. the 1805 Galway-Dublin reaches Athlone at 1910, whereas the 1745 Heuston-Westport leaves Athlone at 1909. While this means that only the nearside platform needs to be used, it means that the last train from Galway to Roscommon is the 1505. I realise that there is probably a later bus service, but having the oppurtunity of taking the train would be useful to many. All it needs is for one or other train to be moved by 5 minutes.

KC61 · 06-10-2009 9:57pm

Victor wrote: »

It was actually a useful exercise as it pointed out a few "broken" connections, e.g. the 1805 Galway-Dublin reaches Athlone at 1910, whereas the 1745 Heuston-Westport leaves Athlone at 1909. While this means that only the nearside platform needs to be used, it means that the last train from Galway to Roscommon is the 1505. I realise that there is probably a later bus service, but having the oppurtunity of taking the train would be useful to many. All it needs is for one or other train to be moved by 5 minutes.

There is actually a connection Victor, although how official it is I don't know.

The Westport train has to wait for the Galway train to arrive - otherwise they would crash on the Shannon bridge as it is single track!!!

The Galway train arrives at 1910 and the Westport train departs at 1911. Therefore the connection is doable but you would have to run like the wind through the subway!

The times in the public timetable are the arrival times and not the departure times. This is relevant on single track routes where trains wait to cross with other trains at passing loops in stations.

The problem is that the 1805 crosses the 1650 ex-Dublin at Woodlawn and waits for it to pass there - so it cannot get to Athlone earlier.

KC61 · 06-10-2009 10:38pm

Six and a half days?????

I've no idea where that comes from - it can easily be done in four days as follows:

DAY 1:
Newry 07:39 Connolly 09:05

Connolly 09:25 Howth 09:49

Howth 09:53 Connolly 10:17

Connolly 11:05 Sligo 14:10

Sligo 15:00 Maynooth 17:30

Maynooth 18:18 Clonsilla 18:33

Clonsilla 18:46 Docklands 19:07

Docklands 19:20 Clonsilla 19:40

Clonsilla 19:52 Connolly 20:20

Heuston 21:00 Cork 23:55

DAY 2
Cork 07:15 Midleton 07:39

Midleton 07:45 Glounthaune 07:57

Glounthaune 08:05 Cobh 08:19

Cobh 08:25 Tralee 11:03

Tralee 11:15 Mallow 12:44

Mallow 13:52 Limerick Jctn 14:26

Limerick Jctn 15:46 Enniscorthy 19:42

Enniscorthy 20:05 Connolly 22:12

DAY 3
Heuston 08:20 Westport 11:58

Westport 13:10 Manulla 13:32

Manulla 13:36 Ballina 14:05

Ballina 17:55 Manulla 18:23

Manulla 18:28 Athlone 20:05

Athlone 20:51 Galway 21:55

DAY 4
Galway 05:20 Heuston 08:10

Heuston 09:00 Ballybrophy 10:05

Ballybrophy 10:10 Limerick 11:53

Limerick 12:45 Ennis 13:25

Ennis 13:30 Limerick 14:10

Limerick 14:15 Kildare 15:54

Kildare 17:12 Waterford 19:05

Carawaystick · 06-10-2009 11:47pm

KC61 wrote: »

Six and a half days?????

I've no idea where that comes from - it can easily be done in four days as follows:

but not if you play by Victor's rules
"One more rule added: you can only travel by train, except Connolly-Heuston.
"
You can't get from Donabate to Malahide.

07-10-2009 12:32am

I very nearly planned such an endeavour over several days back in 2006 but decided not to in the end, I hadn't got a backup plan in case something went wrong such as being stranded in Westport or Ballina!

Colm R · 07-10-2009 8:49am

Nearly had a schedule, but only one train a day between Waterford and Rosslare through me. I'd like to do it this way, because then you don't have to walk between Heuston and Connolly. Anyway, must work today, so will try again some other time.

KC61 · 07-10-2009 8:55am

Carawaystick wrote: »

but not if you play by Victor's rules
"One more rule added: you can only travel by train, except Connolly-Heuston.
"
You can't get from Donabate to Malahide.

Well I think he meant assuming the viaduct was there!

loyatemu · 07-10-2009 9:27am

KC61 wrote: »

Limerick Jctn 15:46 Enniscorthy 19:42

that is one nuts service, I wonder has any non-trainspotter ever taken it end-to-end

KC61 · 07-10-2009 10:37am

Well the rationale was to provide a later service from Rosslare to the East Coast stations and to provide a connection from the 1725 ex-Connolly beyond Enniscorthy and this was the best way of doing it using rolling stock that would otherwise be idle.

MOH · 07-10-2009 1:29pm

Is this a theoretical exercise which assumes all trains arrive on time, or should random 10-40 minute delays be thrown in to make it more realistic?

angel01 · 07-10-2009 4:54pm

What a way to waste money in a blooming recession :eek: honestly!!

Victor · 07-10-2009 11:46pm

Carawaystick wrote: »

You can't get from Donabate to Malahide.

Assume Malahide Viaduct is fixed and all services resume.

Victor · 07-10-2009 11:57pm

KC61 wrote: »

Six and a half days?????

Presumably before improvements on Dublin-Cork/Tralee.

I've no idea where that comes from - it can easily be done in four days as follows:

Are you doing all of Limerick Junction?

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