Enterprise today
I took the 1030 Enterprise this morning. Very busy from Belfast with many more passengers at intermediate stations including an unscheduled stop at Malahide where we added another 80+ passengers. Despite this; wrong line working into Newry station and delays between Newry and Dundalk due to engineering works the train was only ten minutes late into Connolly. Full catering service available throughout the journey. Train well staffed and supervised. A credit to all concerned!
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I was on the 2010 Belfast Central - Connolly, which was almost deserted. Catering was trolley only. Also came into the wrong platform at Newry; I think this has to do with the platform works there.
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I wouldn't be giving out much praise, enterprise performance is woeful most of the time
Last Wednesday the 16:50 Dublin Belfast was a 3 coach 3CK, given the queue stretched the whole way from platform 2 across the concourse and out the front door into the rain, I somewhat doubt anyone in the queue will be quick to celebrate the enterprise service This mornings 8:00 Belfast Dublin is currently 20 minutes late |
Did a day trip to Belfast on Saturday, morning train was quite busy but punctual and afternoon return was pretty quiet and arrived bang on time in Connolly.
Most importantly, the seat reservations were there in the morning in Connolly, except almost everybody was ignoring them, "I can sit where I want" being the dominent attitude :( |
Yeah, they really need someone policing the reservations there.
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Travelled with Bus Éireann to Belfast last Friday evening. 24-hour hourly clock-face timetable. Zipped through the Port Tunnel, only stopping in Newry and Sprucefield, making it to Belfast in 2 hour 20 minutes. €15 single at Bus Áras.
I had briefly considered getting the Enterprise but I'm glad I quickly dismissed that idea.. |
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Anyway, Ken McKnight is the issue to such a poor service, he doesnt give a s**t about complaints. Not once has he ever responded to a complaint of mine or anyone I know who has complained with a solution, appology or even aknowledgement of poor service. Instead he replies on the offensive, attacking your comlpaint by trying to prove Translink were not at fault. What ever happened to Customer Service? On the plus Side of things, Attn: anyone from Newry / Portadown / Belfast: I discovered recently that the enterprise Conductors ticket machines issue tickets at a different (market) exchange rate to the ticket offices. So, it is actually cheaper to buy a weekly / Monthly ticket from the conductors on the train, paying in euro than it is to get a tax saver commuter ticket from Irish Rail!! Just a little tip if this credit crunch is hurting. (applies to NI - ROI routes only as far as I am aware they wont issue monthly tickets on the train from an ROI to ROI station) |
Last two days have been 'fun'
http://www.railusers.ie/forum/showthread.php?t=10062 http://www.railusers.ie/forum/showthread.php?t=10055 |
Day 3 of problems, 8:00 from Belfast is 15 minutes late
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Repeat performance again today, 14 minutes late
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12 minutes late today
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8:00 Belfast Dublin 16 minutes late this morning
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14:10 Belfast Dublin 20 minutes late arriving Dublin, could impact the 16:50 service
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12:30 Belfast Dublin - 15 minutes late
14:10 Belfast Dublin - 15 minutes late 20:10 Belfast Dublin - 15 minutes late |
Ex Belfast
6:50 - on time 8:00 - 14 minutes late 10:30 - 12 minutes late 12:30 - 8 minutes late 14:10 - 6 minutes late 16:10 - 8 minutes late 18:10 - 3 minutes late 20:10 - 5 minutes late |
Ex Belfast
6:50 - 7 minutes early 8:00 - 14 minutes late 10:30 - 18 minutes late 12:30 - 9 minutes late 14:10 - 14 minutes late 16:10 - on time 18:10 - 7 minutes late 20:10 - |
Ex Belfast
6:50 - 2 minutes early 8:00 - 20 minutes late 10:30 - 17 minutes late 12:30 - 7 minutes late 14:10 - 13 minutes late 16:10 - 6 minutes late 18:10 - 4 minutes late 20:10 - 6 minutes late |
Ex Belfast
6:50 - 6 minutes early 8:00 - 19 minutes late 10:30 - 8 minutes late 12:30 - on time 14:10 - 16 minutes late 16:10 - 3 minutes late 18:10 - 8 minutes late 20:10 - on time |
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Ex Belfast
6:50 - 5 minutes early 8:00 - 21 minutes late 10:30 - 7 minutes late 12:30 - 8 minutes late 14:10 - 11 minutes late 16:10 - 2 minutes late 18:10 - 20:10 - |
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Enterprise delays
This is why people ought to use the Bus.
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And again
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More
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And again
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And again
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New Enterprise Timetable
The Good news is that from Monday, a new emergency timetable will come into effect. The Department for Regional Transport (Conor Murphy) had to pass the new emergency timetable which was agreed over the weekend with IE and NIR. The Dept for Regional Transport passed this yesterday. I have been told that instead of 8, there will be 6 enterprise services in both directions. From dublin the 20:45 is being cancelled. I dont know the other service nor do I know which 2 from belfast are being cancelled. The 16:50 from dublin will be timetabled to leave drogheda at 18:25 and the 19:00 from dublin will be timetabled to leave drogheda at 20:25. As for the other amendments, I do not know. All refuelling, water checks and toilet drainage will be done in belfast.
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It keeps getting worse
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And it continues
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Also, I was miss informed about the Departement for Regional development passing the emergency timetable. this is not the case, apparently Conor Murphy does not want to cut services.... so we have to wait and see but an Irish Rail official said that they expect the new emergency enterprise timetable to be published on their web site today Oh and the second train service that will be cancelled, is both the 1:20 and 3:20 which will be merged. Dont know its dept. time though as of yet. |
There is no reason to cut services, if they do it will cause chaos within Northern Ireland as all the connections will go crazy and Newry suffers quite badly. For Dundalk commuters it means an even worse off peak service
They need 1 extra train set to make the service work, there are 3 available and it is Irish Rail's responsibility to to provide a train set, NIR are meeting their obligation of 2 |
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On the train front, nir are not meeting responsability. both ie and nir have train sets available and equipped exactly for scenarios like this, the IE trains (except for 2 loco's in belfast by chance which were at sume rail event - these are not equipped with NI rail signal equipment) are all south of the viaduct so its up to nir to kick into contingency mode (they havn't)..... as i said before, leaving central at 06:50 every monring and not having a clue what time you will get home at, be it 22:00 or 23:00 is just not sustainable and it seems very unlikly that nir or ie will provide extra trains for the service to make it work, so then the alternative is to chop it temporarily. As a temporary messaure, I endorse it. |
The two locomotives that were in Belfast were there to be fitted with NIR signal equipment and at least one of them has been used on the Enterprise. Translink have recently withdrawn their only mk2 set and only have one or two 3 coach CAF trains spare Monday to Friday which would be used in the first instance to maintian their local timetable
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The ball is in IE's court to provide the 3rd set
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The contingency between ie and nir is one of ie's new intercity fleet or one of nir's c3k's...... the latter is the obvious considering the circumstances. if one of the loco's then, that is in belfast is being fitted with nir signalling, that could be used to pull one of those orange buckets of rust parked in dundalk? potentially a temporary 3rd set? probably more reliable than the enterprise too! |
translinks info on new timetable
Enterprise News
Enterprise - Interim Timetable Valid 6th September 3-Sep-2009 13:04 Due to the bridge collapse and subsequent engineering works at Malahide, an interim Enterprise timetable has been introduced with effect from Sunday 6th September. Bus substitutions are still in place between Drogheda and Dublin and all intending passengers are advised to allow an extra 30 minutes for their journey. Translink apologise for any inconvenience caused. Details of the new timetable can be obtained by contacting the Translink Call Centre on 02890 666630. |
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