Birdhill/Nenagh/Roscrea - Dublin for All ire semi
 

Great to see that the train on Sunday morning is virtually sold out.

Only 11 seats left with three days to go.

200 people less on the roads and 200 more seeing the benefit of a local rail service

Hopefully they'll keep using it

Just because a coach says not available does not imply it was actually sold out

It's running at a loss even at a full house

Is there even a return service?

Really !!!! Could probably say the same about most rail services.

Hard to see why one train with 200 passengers would loose money and a similar train train on another line making a similar lenghth journey wouldn't.

I'd be interested to see what the head count boarding at Ballybrophy will be

At 9.99 a head the cash take is less that 1900 EURO, running cost is 3k+

This is a special service and therefore should make a profit, anything else is just making life worse for the daily passenger

2 left now , they have to make a profiit from this !!:D i have been watching the booking seats were takibg 1 by 1 , all week ....

They won't as the extra cost of opening the Nenagh line on a Sunday morning and paying for a taxi for the crew from Limerick to Birdhill effectively eliminates any chance of making money. Some less than honest funny business on Saturday involves canceling in part a Ballybrophy Limerick service to try to save a stock movement.

Thurles would generate 50% more revenue for a lower running cost

you have 3 stations and 3 gates , plus 190 people on train how much would you make out of that ? a profit will be made - also trolley on board , IE get mon ey for that ....

200 people sell out a train service three days before a match and you find fault

ffs - lets be grateful that the service is there and over subscribed and maybe people will see the benefit on sunday morning

3 car ICR takes 190 passengers.

For those who know the game that plays out, the accounts for the Nenagh line next year will look absolutely appalling, this is just fattening the calf before the slaughter.

The Nenagh line would have been better off to keep a low profile and the original service, it cost less and from what I have heard actually carried more people than the current mess.

The maximum revenue take is 1828.17 EUR assuming no children. Last year the fare was significantly higher and it just about made a profit of about 200 euro, so no way can it make a profit this year.

When the day of reckoning comes this won't be forgotten, so be very careful what you wish for it could be what actually kills the route.

with pedantic apologies - 190 people sell out a train 3 days in advance and some people still find fault - pathetic

I don't see any beneifts to the service. Why run a special when it will make a loss? The Waterford-Heuston service will make a tidy profit but it will most lightly go to plug the gap for this service.

No catering service onbaord.

so you believe that public transport services should make a profit ?

the train sells out 3 days before a match - 190 people are availing of public transport insteand of driving up and down to dublin

If the train wasnt running then people would be on here screaming for a service

Lets hope for twice the crowd (the demand is obvious) and a 6 carriage set for the final

I beleave accounts should be balanced and not 40 odd million in the red.

At least if it wasn't sold out 3 days before the match then more revenue could be collected to cover costs....

Can platforms take a 6 car set, ialthough I hope they get to the final!

agree with you on the €40 million - I'd point the finger at the lack of proper governance in IR rather than anywhere else

lets all agree that more people travelling by train has to be good

2 full match trains wont keep the nenagh line going but maybe 3/4 of the passengers on Sunday will be teachers who return back to tipp and decide to bring schooltrips to Dublin by train next year !

They might even use the 05.05 service :D

it can make a profit ,the return service is the normal service so no overtime for that .....

in 2009 rules for set down for the Nenagh line which would permit a train to stop at the nenagh line station if it exceeds 4 carriges, which is very disapointing , but in the future alterations will be made:D i profit will be made:D

good point

Safety rules restrict all trains introduced since the mid 1990's to 4 coach or less at all Nenagh line stations, nothing new about that

http://www.tipperarystar.ie/news/loc...full-1-4173812

credit to the Nenagh Rail partnership

A service like this would be ideal for an SDO 6-car consist since there is no intermediate traffic within Tipp so the train could stop either long or short depending on which three carriages it was deemed best to fill. In some ways AK is doing a great service because stabling trains in places like Birdhill might be poohpoohed in other circumstances and now it can be said "look lads, ye did it before in Birdhill so ye need a better excuse now".

As for the questions about "why wouldn't it make money" - we went over it last time, you either believe it or you don't. Personally I doubt Nenagh branch signalmen and gate openers are doing it for charity so clearly there are costs involved. If you want something done about it then write to Dick Fearn and ask him why his trains are incapable of serving rural stations during surge conditions because of a failure to complete the tender for selective door opening, since the extra 3 carriages would be nearly pure profit excepting fuel.

Fair play - great to see an active local support achieving something positive.

There was a great deal of hot air on this board about last years special - yet according to Mark it made a profit. Expect that this year's one way arrangement will do likewise, otherwise somebody had better buy Irish Rail a calculator. No reason for an operation like this to run at a loss.

Last year fares per adult were €19.99 (could be wrong)
This year fares per adult were €9.99

So fares slashed 50% and you think it can make a profit? Can't see operational cost decreases but could have increased with fuel costs.

According to the Nenagh Guardian, fares for the 3 Sep 2011 train were 29.50 adult, 15 child.
http://www.nenaghguardian.ie/news-de...article=M5ZNLT

€19.51 less per passenger assuming all adult or €3706.90 revenue for 190 passengers less and it only made €200 last year....

That sums it up.

its actually only 10 less - the return fare for sunday is €19.98 and a regular service is being used for return leg so less costs

My mistake but any fare reduction will make the service operate at a loss.

Should all rail services be profitable?

Ones that are not subsidized should make a profit

If a loss is made that loss is paid for by you and me

Surely a subsidy is similarly paid by you and me !

we also have 190 people returning and paying €9.99 who would not be on regular service but for the train up tomorrow morning.

we have 190 people who would otherwise be clogging up the approach roads and carparks in Dublin

and we have 190 people who might actually be impressed by the comfort and efficiency of the service and whomight think of using it again !

We have 190 people in Thurles not afforded their normal GAA special

No one in Thurles is being put out

There is a 9.55 match special from Lim Jct serving Thurles and Templemore only.

There are also three regular services stopping at Thurles that arrive in plenty of time in Dublin - two of which are not sold out

well, hopefully everything goes off well and the Minister will be on board so he can be asked when projects that could make the Nenagh branch viable on days Tipp aren't playing in Croke Park will be funded. It's understandable yet depressing to see the TRP having to welcome crumbs like this after IE made the 300 day/year commuter service they fought for completely unviable for actual commuters because failure to do so would lead to their being shut out by the Powers That Be in the future.