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Unread 09-11-2012, 11:32   #30
briank
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Join Date: Sep 2012
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Inniskeen View Post
The 2,434,000 million presumeably inludes all intermediate traffic on the Cork line (except Arrow services to/from Kildare).

Given that the bus services under discussion are essentially direct Cork/Dublin services, comparable Irish Rail carryings are much lower, probably closer to the 1,000,000 mark.
Which if that is the case, it would mean GoBE/Aircoach would be able to carry almost 100% of IR's Cork to Dublin passengers.

Quote:
Are you not comparing IÉ's total passengers carried with the coach companies' capacity? Apples and oranges, given that a seat on a coach at half twelve is not an adequate substitute for a seat on the train at quarter past six.
That is right and I readily admit it isn't direct comparison. However remember I made this comment because Mark originally said that the new competition represent only a fraction of IR's capacity and thus nothing to worry about.

I'm trying to show how inaccurate that statement is. That GoBE/Aircoach have very significant capacity, enough to easily take at least 50% of IR's passengers on the route and that is certainly nothing to be sniffed at.

If GoBE/Aircoach take even 25% of the passengers on the route it would be devastating to IR's finances.

Quote:
Plenty stopping them using extra buses (licence as Marko mentions above) and double deckers (80kph speed limit instead of 100kph adding 25% to journey time).
I'm afraid you are wrong on both points.

1) The license allows for an extra buses, they are just required to leave at the same time (i.e. two buses leave at 2pm, what you aren't allowed to do is have one leave at 2pm and another at 2:30pm, as that would overlap with your competitor).

Bus Eireann have been doing this for years, Fridays and Sundays always had extra buses, literally every weekend.

GoBus/Citylink do it all the time to Galway.

I was on an Aircoach support bus (for the 30 people who couldn't fit on the regular 7pm bus that was full) from Cork on the Jazz weekend.

2) Double Deck coaches have the same speed limit (100km/h on the Motorway) as single deck coaches:

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en...n_ireland.html

Quote:
Passenger numbers on the mainline haven't changed.
Fact, passenger numbers are down 25% on their peak, see the Irish Rail sponsored AECOM report into intercity travel here:

http://www.irishrail.ie/cat_news.jsp?i=4482&p=116&n=237

Detailed facts for you to read here.

It will be interesting to see the 2012 figures and in particular how things hold up in 2013 (when GoBE/Aircoach will have been operating for a full year and should be better known by then, remember they are new services and it does take time to get established).
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