Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson
Inside the coaches are very similar to the Irish Rail Mk4, the disability access regulations mean the layout more or less has to be the same.
At 250-300,000 EUR per coach IE's overhaul was deemed uneconomic so ICR's were got instead as the cost per km was almost 50% less.
|
What cost are you referring to ? Fuel cost ?, maintainance cost ? staffing cost ? Track costs ? Over what equipment life-cycle ?
Not sure, for instance, that the cost of operating a six-car railcar from Dublin to Galway would be cheaper than a six-car Mk3 push/pull.
Mind you it is fairly academic now as we have a railcar railway with virtually no freight. Not that long ago it was possible to occupy locomotives on an almost 24 hour basis (with obvious operational efficiencies) but there is very little opportunity to gainfully employ railcars between about 2200 and 0600.
The current ICR fleet is to a considerable extent a product of the Celtic Tiger era and a fair portion of it was purchased using funds that the NRA couldn't burn up quickly enough. Had the normal rules of economics applied I somehow suspect that Mk3s would still be in traffic, refurbished, and with a good ten to fifteen years of life remaining.
I hope the ICRs last the pace and deliver the economies you suggest because it is likely to be a long time before capital is available for replacements.