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Irish Rail- Worst Service Ever 2018

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  • 04-12-2018 8:26pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 1


    I was a frequent user of Irish Rail, but after what I experienced on October 26th 2018, I will never set foot on one of your trains. I pre-booked my seat and paid in advance for my seat to be able to travel in ''comfort'' as all your advertisements suggest. Instead I arrived to see yet again a que out of the station. Rather that prioritise those who had pre-booked it was a free for all on the train. People standing for a whole 2 and a half hour journey from Galway to Dublin, surely a health and safety concern for those travelling the whole distance. This was not the most concerning issue. I arrived to my seat to find it occupied by another passager who at first refused to move. After pointing out he eventually let me in. The gentleman in Question was clearly drunk. To make it worse he had soiled himself. So I had the glorious pleasure of sitting beside this gentleman for the next 2+ hours whilst he smells of **** and drinks cans getting more and more drunk...

    I contacted Irish Rail to give them a chance to resolve this issue, seven weeks have passed now and I have heard sweet FA from them. I have been waiting eleven days for a manager to contact me.
    Dear Irish Rail keep your €18 voucher, I won't be setting a foot on one of your disgusting trains ever again .

    Congratulations Irish Rail top quality service!!


«13

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 6,048 ✭✭✭Truckermal


    This is Boards.ie not Irish Rail they do not have any representatives on this site.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,363 ✭✭✭✭Del.Monte


    A likely tale OP, you really sat for 2.5 hours beside someone who had soiled themselves. Righty..it takes all sorts. :rolleyes:


  • Registered Users Posts: 28,984 ✭✭✭✭end of the road


    Elle2018 wrote: »
    I was a frequent user of Irish Rail, but after what I experienced on October 26th 2018, I will never set foot on one of your trains. I pre-booked my seat and paid in advance for my seat to be able to travel in ''comfort'' as all your advertisements suggest. Instead I arrived to see yet again a que out of the station. Rather that prioritise those who had pre-booked it was a free for all on the train. People standing for a whole 2 and a half hour journey from Galway to Dublin, surely a health and safety concern for those travelling the whole distance. This was not the most concerning issue. I arrived to my seat to find it occupied by another passager who at first refused to move. After pointing out he eventually let me in. The gentleman in Question was clearly drunk. To make it worse he had soiled himself. So I had the glorious pleasure of sitting beside this gentleman for the next 2+ hours whilst he smells of **** and drinks cans getting more and more drunk...

    I contacted Irish Rail to give them a chance to resolve this issue, seven weeks have passed now and I have heard sweet FA from them. I have been waiting eleven days for a manager to contact me.
    Dear Irish Rail keep your €18 voucher, I won't be setting a foot on one of your disgusting trains ever again .

    Congratulations Irish Rail top quality service!!

    issues over reserved seating are a common occurrence it seems. no staff on most of the trains. standing is unfortunate but it is an occurrence on rail services across the world, especially at rush hour. irish rail can certainly do better in terms of onboard issues and their capacity management could be better but there is a shortage of stock currently.
    as said though there is no IE representative on here if your aim was to talk to one. keep contacting them via email though and don't let the issue go.

    ticking a box on a form does not make you of a religion.



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,039 ✭✭✭Hilly Bill


    Del.Monte wrote: »
    A likely tale OP, you really sat for 2.5 hours beside someone who had soiled themselves. Righty..it takes all sorts. :rolleyes:

    That's what Bertie Basset said :).


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,039 ✭✭✭Hilly Bill


    Elle2018 wrote: »
    I was a frequent user of Irish Rail, but after what I experienced on October 26th 2018, I will never set foot on one of your trains. I pre-booked my seat and paid in advance for my seat to be able to travel in ''comfort'' as all your advertisements suggest. Instead I arrived to see yet again a que out of the station. Rather that prioritise those who had pre-booked it was a free for all on the train. People standing for a whole 2 and a half hour journey from Galway to Dublin, surely a health and safety concern for those travelling the whole distance. This was not the most concerning issue. I arrived to my seat to find it occupied by another passager who at first refused to move. After pointing out he eventually let me in. The gentleman in Question was clearly drunk. To make it worse he had soiled himself. So I had the glorious pleasure of sitting beside this gentleman for the next 2+ hours whilst he smells of **** and drinks cans getting more and more drunk...

    I contacted Irish Rail to give them a chance to resolve this issue, seven weeks have passed now and I have heard sweet FA from them. I have been waiting eleven days for a manager to contact me.
    Dear Irish Rail keep your €18 voucher, I won't be setting a foot on one of your disgusting trains ever again .

    Congratulations Irish Rail top quality service!!

    Firstly, i sympathise with you. Secondly, apart from offering an apology, how did you want them to resolve it? Thirdly, would the €18 voucher be the answer to my second question? Fourthly, how did a drunk man who had soiled himself man manage to get a seat before you did?


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  • Registered Users Posts: 12,965 ✭✭✭✭Losty Dublin


    You booked a seat and you got your seat. With that in mind can you tell us how is it Irish Rails fault if a passenger was drunk or that he soiled himself and exactly how this gets you a refund?:confused:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,107 ✭✭✭gwalk


    Pure Facebook mummy rant..

    hope your ok hun


  • Registered Users Posts: 282 ✭✭rebel456


    Elle2018 wrote: »
    I was a frequent user of Irish Rail, but after what I experienced on October 26th 2018, I will never set foot on one of your trains. I pre-booked my seat and paid in advance for my seat to be able to travel in ''comfort'' as all your advertisements suggest. Instead I arrived to see yet again a que out of the station. Rather that prioritise those who had pre-booked it was a free for all on the train. People standing for a whole 2 and a half hour journey from Galway to Dublin, surely a health and safety concern for those travelling the whole distance. This was not the most concerning issue. I arrived to my seat to find it occupied by another passager who at first refused to move. After pointing out he eventually let me in. The gentleman in Question was clearly drunk. To make it worse he had soiled himself. So I had the glorious pleasure of sitting beside this gentleman for the next 2+ hours whilst he smells of **** and drinks cans getting more and more drunk...

    I contacted Irish Rail to give them a chance to resolve this issue, seven weeks have passed now and I have heard sweet FA from them. I have been waiting eleven days for a manager to contact me.
    Dear Irish Rail keep your €18 voucher, I won't be setting a foot on one of your disgusting trains ever again .

    Congratulations Irish Rail top quality service!!

    OP, I sympathise with the unfortunate experience you had when travelling on the train.

    You haven't mentioned the time of train but October 26th was the Friday of a Bank Holiday weekend. The vast majority of train/bus serves are rammed to capacity with those travelling home or on a break away. Just keep that in mind when travelling in future and maybe avoid travelling on those very busy services if you are uncomfortable with crowds. Irish Rail always advise being at your seat well in advance of the departure time (when possible), just because you have booked ahead does not mean there is a barrier up on your seat. People often sit down anyway without looking at the reservation display, not that it is an excuse, but to avoid having to ask people to move do try to be there as quickly as possible, especially on the busier trains.

    Well done on getting an €18 voucher, I am not sure what else you want Irish Rail to do?

    Also, no-one was holding you down on that train. You did not have to sit beside a p*ss smelling person if you did not want to. While the alternative may have been to stand, you remaining in that situation of your own accord cannot be the fault of Irish Rail.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 876 ✭✭✭Lord Glentoran


    rebel456 wrote: »
    OP, I sympathise with the unfortunate experience you had when travelling on the train.

    You haven't mentioned the time of train but October 26th was the Friday of a Bank Holiday weekend. The vast majority of train/bus serves are rammed to capacity with those travelling home or on a break away. Just keep that in mind when travelling in future and maybe avoid travelling on those very busy services if you are uncomfortable with crowds. Irish Rail always advise being at your seat well in advance of the departure time (when possible), just because you have booked ahead does not mean there is a barrier up on your seat. People often sit down anyway without looking at the reservation display, not that it is an excuse, but to avoid having to ask people to move do try to be there as quickly as possible, especially on the busier trains.

    Well done on getting an €18 voucher, I am not sure what else you want Irish Rail to do?

    Also, no-one was holding you down on that train. You did not have to sit beside a p*ss smelling person if you did not want to. While the alternative may have been to stand, you remaining in that situation of your own accord cannot be the fault of Irish Rail.

    The OP could have just have sang ‘I know a song that will get on your nerves, get on your nerves, get on your nerves. I know a song that will get on your nerves, get on your nerves, get on your nerves. I know a song that will get on your nerves, get on your nerves. I know a song that will get on your nerves, get on your nerves, get on your nerves. I know a song that will get on your nerves, get on your nerves, get on your nerves. I know a song that will get on your nerves, get on your nerves. I know a song that will get on your nerves, get on your nerves, get on your nerves. I know a song that will get on your nerves, get on your nerves, get on your nerves. I know a song that will get on your nerves, get on your nerves. I know a song that will get on your nerves, get on your nerves, get on your nerves. I know a song that will get on your nerves, get on your nerves, get on your nerves. I know a song that will get on your nerves, get on your nerves. 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    I reckon by the time the OP had got that far, they would have got their seat, and their voucher from IR for their trouble.

    Result!


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,667 ✭✭✭✭Jamie2k9


    Truckermal wrote: »
    This is Boards.ie not Irish Rail they do not have any representatives on this site.

    Officially!, they spend plenty of time reading it from all levels...


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,039 ✭✭✭Hilly Bill


    Jamie2k9 wrote: »
    Officially!, they spend plenty of time reading it from all levels...

    I doubt it. Don't over estimate the importance of this site.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,925 ✭✭✭GM228


    Hilly Bill wrote: »
    I doubt it. Don't over estimate the importance of this site.

    I was at a meeting in the WRC a few years ago involving DB and a discussion came up about social media and chat rooms including Boards.

    The DB management, union reps and facilitator had all read certain posts being discussed (in their private time), in other words nobody was surprised by what was raised, we left the meeting with a confirmation that a member of the DB PR team browsed various social media channels as part of their job, I can only assume it is the same in IE and BE and various other organisations.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,107 ✭✭✭gwalk


    GM228 wrote: »
    I was at a meeting in the WRC a few years ago involving DB and a discussion came up about social media and chat rooms including Boards.

    The DB management, union reps and facilitator had all read certain posts being discussed (in their private time), in other words nobody was surprised by what was raised, we left the meeting with a confirmation that a member of the DB PR team browsed various social media channels as part of their job, I can only assume it is the same in IE and BE and various other organisations.

    DB are woeful on social media

    blocked me on twitter for asking where my bus was


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,925 ✭✭✭GM228


    gwalk wrote: »
    DB are woeful on social media

    blocked me on twitter for asking where my bus was

    They may not be good at posting, but excellent at reading posts!


  • Registered Users Posts: 786 ✭✭✭phater phagan


    The OP has a legitimate concern, and has a right to express it, without sarcastic and misogynistic responses from ill-mannered posters.


  • Registered Users Posts: 35 Amaru976


    gwalk wrote: »
    DB are woeful on social media

    blocked me on twitter for asking where my bus was

    HA!!! :D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,107 ✭✭✭gwalk


    Amaru976 wrote: »
    HA!!! :D

    They are a sensitive oul bunch in DB headquarters

    dont need them anymore now so their loss


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,039 ✭✭✭Hilly Bill


    GM228 wrote: »
    I was at a meeting in the WRC a few years ago involving DB and a discussion came up about social media and chat rooms including Boards.

    The DB management, union reps and facilitator had all read certain posts being discussed (in their private time), in other words nobody was surprised by what was raised, we left the meeting with a confirmation that a member of the DB PR team browsed various social media channels as part of their job, I can only assume it is the same in IE and BE and various other organisations.

    I know those behind the social media accounts and that's all they are monitoring. What gets posted on here is irrelevant.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,039 ✭✭✭Hilly Bill


    gwalk wrote: »
    DB are woeful on social media

    blocked me on twitter for asking where my bus was

    Please tell me that you drive a bus for them 😀.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,667 ✭✭✭✭Jamie2k9


    Hilly Bill wrote: »
    I know those behind the social media accounts and that's all they are monitoring. What gets posted on here is irrelevant.

    I am talking about those further up, IE management and most likely unions keep regular checks on here.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 8,925 ✭✭✭GM228


    Hilly Bill wrote: »
    I know those behind the social media accounts and that's all they are monitoring. What gets posted on here is irrelevant.

    I never said it was relevant, however, as someone who has union involvement and management interaction with various organisations I can confirm the second of Jamie2k9s assertions and would be pretty certain the first is correct also:-
    Jamie2k9 wrote: »
    I am talking about those further up, IE management and most likely unions keep regular checks on here.

    There are several prominent IE, union and WRC staff who I personally know are Boardies (though in a personal capacity), they won't reveal their user names (for good reason), but we do have our suspicions as to whos who.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,363 ✭✭✭✭Del.Monte


    Years ago I had bundles of printed weekly management newsletters - "Eolas", I think - with every single news item from every newspaper which even vaguely referred to CIE, so I can well believe that they monitor social media including Boards.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,055 ✭✭✭Emme


    The OP has a legitimate concern, and has a right to express it, without sarcastic and misogynistic responses from ill-mannered posters.

    It is disgraceful that people are allowed drunk onto the train (I have seen it many times) and I don't think alcohol should be served on the train at any time or allowed on to the train. The same applies to drugs. I had the pleasure of a junkie sitting in beside me one evening. He was clearly stoned when he got on the train. During the journey he rolled up his tracksuit bottom (the leg next to me) and proceeded to inject. Luckily I didn't get a needlestick injury but if his hand slipped I might have been looking at a battery of tests including Hepatitis B and HIV.

    Some rural train stations are obvious drop off and pick up spots for the "pharmaceutical" trade and I don't mean your local chemist.

    Back on topic, I pity the Irish Rail staff who had to clean the seat after that drunk.

    I would argue that there isn't the capacity on certain trains to honour seat bookings. Once overcrowding reaches a certain point there are people who will sit in a booked seat regardless. I'm not saying they are right but it happens. Some will move when the passenger who booked it comes along but more won't.

    The OP was lucky to get €18 from Irish Rail but having travelled with them for several years the service will get worse before it ever gets better. Doubly incontinent drunks and junkies are par for the course.


  • Registered Users Posts: 786 ✭✭✭phater phagan


    I was once confronted by a drunken passenger who moved around the carriage trying to talk to people ( most of whom were young women). He then tried to sit with me whilst there were many empty seats in the carriage. I asked him to sit elsewhere and he moved. He then started shouting at me from another part of the carriage, threatening me.
    One of the other passengers alerted the staff and two members came and moved him to another section of the train.
    It was very annoying, and I'm pretty sure it is a common occurrence on trains - especially during night journeys.
    In many other European countries rail systems have police on the trains; France, Switzerland, etc. Why do we not have similar protections in place? I think we are just to complacent to such behaviour in Ireland and authorities are not doing due diligence to stop it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 416 ✭✭uncommon_name


    I was once confronted by a drunken passenger who moved around the carriage trying to talk to people ( most of whom were young women). He then tried to sit with me whilst there were many empty seats in the carriage. I asked him to sit elsewhere and he moved. He then started shouting at me from another part of the carriage, threatening me.
    One of the other passengers alerted the staff and two members came and moved him to another section of the train.
    It was very annoying, and I'm pretty sure it is a common occurrence on trains - especially during night journeys.
    In many other European countries rail systems have police on the trains; France, Switzerland, etc. Why do we not have similar protections in place? I think we are just to complacent to such behaviour in Ireland and authorities are not doing due diligence to stop it.

    Costs them more money to have security on the trains. They are getting away with it at the minute but I don't think it will be too much longer until they will need security on board.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,573 ✭✭✭Infini


    Costs them more money to have security on the trains. They are getting away with it at the minute but I don't think it will be too much longer until they will need security on board.

    NBRU have been lookin for transport police for the last while to be fair which many people would probably agree with them on this at least. Problem with drunks is that they do slip in and are a right pain to deal with and blaming IR for the stupid antics of a 3rd party is a bit much as noone has control over them and sometimes dealing with em right now can be even worse.

    Honestly train is pretty fine 90% of the time but there is problems with antisocial wasters that ruin things for everyone else.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,055 ✭✭✭Emme


    Infini wrote: »
    NBRU have been lookin for transport police for the last while to be fair which many people would probably agree with them on this at least. Problem with drunks is that they do slip in and are a right pain to deal with and blaming IR for the stupid antics of a 3rd party is a bit much as noone has control over them and sometimes dealing with em right now can be even worse.

    Honestly train is pretty fine 90% of the time but there is problems with antisocial wasters that ruin things for everyone else.

    There is nearly always a bunch of drunks and junkies at the entrance to Heuston Station. It has been going on for years and Irish Rail have done nothing about it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,573 ✭✭✭Infini


    Emme wrote: »
    There is nearly always a bunch of drunks and junkies at the entrance to Heuston Station. It has been going on for years and Irish Rail have done nothing about it.

    To be fair if theyre outside the station and not on the property itself its the gardai that are responsible for that.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,943 ✭✭✭tabbey


    [QUOTE=phater phagan;108817264
    In many other European countries rail systems have police on the trains; France, Switzerland, etc. Why do we not have similar protections in place? I think we are just to complacent to such behaviour in Ireland and authorities are not doing due diligence to stop it.[/QUOTE]

    In this state, the Garda Siochana has a monopoly on policing, except perhaps Dublin Port and the airports. Even the Dun Laoghaire harbour police need to get the Garda for arresting people.

    Unfortunately there is so much petty crime that GS usually decline to involve themselves in anti-social railway behaviour. Things may improve under the new Garda Commissioner, but that remains to be seen.

    If we got a transport police, it would be probably drawn from GS rather than in addition to existing police numbers.

    Having said all that, I agree with you, it would be good to have a transport police, or at the very least, give stronger powers to rail and tram security staff.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 15,745 ✭✭✭✭whisky_galore


    Infini wrote: »
    To be fair if theyre outside the station and not on the property itself its the gardai that are responsible for that.

    Had a little jaunt around eastern Europe lately, I noticed the police highly visible around rail stations and, well, just about everywhere. One drunken lad wasn't long on the premises when he got hauled off by the scruff of the neck by two policemen. Also noticed the lack of 'scumbag' element who don't pay fares on trams and buses. Plain clothes ticket inspectors that pop out of nowhere quite regularly too.


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