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I'd just make the quick observation that anyone commuting from Dundalk to Dublin could spend exactly the same amount of time on 29k sets as anyone from Edgeworthstown, given that the Enterprise times don't really facilitate using that service, and only one of the four commuter trains out of Dundalk is 22k operated.
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Dundalk is not the same journey time as Longford so that quick observation is not correct. The morning journey times vary from 1:17 to 1:28. The two Longford 29K services are 1:55 and 2:02. For Edgeworthstown, you can knock about 10 minutes off that. I usually spend nearly 2 hours on the 1805 as you have to be about 20 minutes early to be sure of a seat.
I've only taken this train once in the last month, but it wasn't particularly overcrowded the one time I took it. There were about 4 people standing to Mullingar in the car I was in. For me, the main problem is that the noise and small seats are not bearable for a two-hour train journey. It is also impossible for me to work on the train.
So now I've switched to using the 1705 or the 1905 which are run using trains suitable for the journey distance but it is really draining having to spend 14 hours per day away from home on the two long days.
Quite a few Longford commuters are now stuck using 29Ks both ways as the early train has gone back to a 22K which racks up to 20 hours a week. If Irish Rail management had to spend 20 hours a week on a 29K every week, they'd find a way to put on proper trains fairly sharpish.