Thurles-Templemore timetable is ****
 

Had a very important meeting in Templemore at 2pm last Friday. Went down to Thurles train station at 1pm only to discover there are no services until 14:50 to Templemore. What the hell happened to the service they used to have. I think it was 13:40 service something like that. It's been 2 years since i have taken a train to Templemore at that time in the day, normally use the morning service but a six and a half hour gap of services between two relatively close towns is stupid and i know the timings on the Dublin-Cork services from Thurles and other stations is really important to customers i am not hoping for that to change but why not reintroduce at least one direct service from Limerick to Dublin serving Thurles just after midday to accommodate serving these stations. The two hourly direct Limerick/Dublin services why the hell did they abolish this.

Would imagine to push passengers onto the Cork train from Limerick J which makes sense and is more cost effective.

think you have answered your own question there.

Must be no demand, otherwise IR would be providing a service, wouldn't they ?

I thought the station at Templemore was only there to take trainee Guards home... on Tralee services :D :p

there was always a bit of demand, insofar as if you knew that there was a train which will only take a few mins to get you there you would proabably take it. it was only about €5, but now you have to add the €3 parking into it as well (unless you want to walk to and back from templemore station).

there was also a BE bus (the Cork-Athlone service) which was cut, a local private service now does it.

More to the point, though, is that you really shouldnt just turn up and expect a train you havent used in years to be still running.

Templemore isn't that bad, to be honest it was never a place buzzing with activity

although we are wandering off the topic a bit, the truth is that templemore is not in good shape at all. three business in the main street beside the spar and the big newsagents have closed the last six months, the costcutter supermarket went as well, two others went earlier this year. one entire street is half empty now, as you head out past main street towards thurles.

the college is in a state, two wings closed due to health and safety. its impossible to overstate how much the college kept the town going. it shelthered it form the cold winds affecting north tipp during the past time. roscrea is being hit equally as hard, but it is a bigger place, and has a chance to get back. that said, plenty of main street operations are closing here too. Newsagents, cafes, restaurants, discount stores, going. Its the silent recession.

from a rail point of view, it was only the college which justified the level of stops we have. it'll be interesting to see what happens next timetable proposals.

Mister O's is gone....

just renamed as the cube. :D