Quote:
Originally Posted by on the move
It's several years now since I had to stand on an Irish train, bar the Dart.
The country reopened for business on the 26th, airports, buses, trams all running. Most shopping centres were open on the 26th and many pubs, so there was money to be made. People who wanted to use the train though, either had to use other transport or stay at home.
The national rail network is very small. Trains run across Europe on the 25th, stations are open and manned, regardless of the local economy or passenger numbers. So it isn't good enough for Irish Rail to take an extra long siesta.
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lots of standing room only on trains out of hueston when i was going up and down in december.
The "Country re-opening for business" line is not strictly true. Take, for example, one shop I know of which did open on christmas day 8-8. for years the staff resisted it, last year he got his way, and told staff that they all had to do two hours each or they would get their P45 on the 26th.
Was he there? No, he was at home with his family whilst the staff were not.
I know of another who tried to open christmas day and was met with not only total revolt by the staff, but wasnt long in finding out that if he did open up nobody would shop there after christmas. Needless to say, he too was not going to darken the door on the 25th while forcing his staff to do so.
People are actually decent enough, in the small towns anyway, to realise that retail staff are entitled to a bit of a break.
The fact that our local shops were open till 7pm on christmas eve and opened again at 9am on the 26th was also reviewed negativly. There was a time here that all the shops closed at 3pm or thereabbouts on the 24th and didnt reopen till the 27th.