WOW!!!
 

Wow has the Enterprise failures, Reading the threads on this service I thought that this was a really puntical service but like every service it has its ups and downs. I wish that Iarnrod Eireann wouldnt have so many extra minutes on every service. The last time I travelled on Enterprise was last year and it was the greatest train and service in all of Ireland. The inside just wow nice and comforable and dark a rich kind of feeling. Iarnrod Eireann and NIR just dont get on do they. The onboard staff are so polite and well dressed. The announcements are clear with your Good Afternoon and we hope to see you again soon. Belfast Central is a really nice station towards Connolly and Hueston. You have a carpet at Belfast with the Enterprise on it, Its a nice station. Small but nice..........

didn't central win some sort of award for best station in UK very recently ?

I dislike those automated announcements.

A few times the Enterprise has been late and then gets stuck behind a DART so has to travel from Howth Junction at 10mph all the way in, compounding the misery.

You find yourself 30 minutes late and an automated voice comes on to say "We would like to apologise for the late arrival of this service", knowing full well that the train manager has simply pushed a button in response to the late arrival but that nobody cares anyway.

Being 30 minutes late = 25% refund

Howth Jnct. to Connolly at 10m.p.h.. Thats just plain stupid, Why doesnt the Dart wait. I really dont care how far the Dart is ahead the Enterprise should be first to enter that slot..

Up to 1400 people on the DART, less than 400 on the Enterprise

1400 on the Dart, I didnt think it would be that many. No wonder it was allowed on.. Thanks for that.

If a DART becomes 10 minutes late it won't make it up and will be late returning from Bray causing a massive upset

Enterprise has fairly generous turnaround times so the delay isn't carried over

The train with the most people onboard should be given priority, if the enterprise is let out ahead of the DART at Howth Junction chances are the Enterprise will have another train infront and will crawl anyway

I take it its the same for Rosslare/Gorey services

the good news for Enterprise customers is that Bus Eireann are now offering 24 hour services Dublin-Belfast.

given the culmination of delays on the Enterprise the service will soon be 24 hours, to compete with the bus, without any amendment to the timetable whatsoever.

Not only that but the bus can be faster, particularly when they use the port tunnel.

Iarnrod Eireann are going to have to watch this. The train is supposed to be faster than the bus, but its not always the case..

But do Iarnrod Eireann care!

Do IE get extra subsidies to run a cross border service from the EU? that a bus service wouldn't?

Point to note is if a dart is more than ten minutes late, it is late in IE land....

I wonder how much a premium coach service would cost to run with powerpoints and Internet access versus First class on the Enterprise.

wouldn't be great for parents or people with reduced mobility climbing up into a bus though.

Ulsterbus are now using some wheelchair accessible coaches, but not on cross-border services to my knowledge.

bus vs enterprise
 

I recently took a bus service from dundalk to dublin. it left around same time as the enterprise and got to oconnell st around the same time. it was as comfortable and I met other people on it that I knew from commuting last year who have given up commuting with ie because of the service. they seem to be losing the frieght battle. they might end up losing commutters too

I regularly travel from Dublin to Belfast and can't see any reason to take the train anymore. The bus has a better timetable both frequency and operating hours, takes about the same time, is just as comfortable, drops me closer to the city centre of Belfast and costs less (excluding some special offers). It's hard to see train taking much of the market in the future.

I dont think Iarnrod Eireann do speed! I just hear of all its services being late, 2 slow, rude staff and uncomforable journeys and not 2 mention the company not listening to the public. I mean if Rail Users Ireland had that chance I'm sure you would do a much better job. Espically with Mark G and Derek W onboard...... If I was Barry Kenny I would invest in a high speed track 300kph and with state of the art electric high speed trains with first class seating in each coach instead of standard for the same price.. Also with extremly polite staff with full black uniform with the orange iarnrod eireann symbol on the front of the shirts, with the symbol also on the belt.

KeithStephen - "if you were Barry Kenny"? How about being Minister for Transport or better still Minister for Finance?

Minister for Transport by god i would get things done!!!!!!!........