Part of the original justification for the massive 22k order was that no train journeys longer than one hour should be on commuter rolling stock. While Longford is technically a commuter run, it is a very long journey (2 hours 10 minutes to Pearse) to be making every day on noisy drafty commuter rolling stock where the tables are too small for more than one person in 4 to use a laptop. It is also an unacceptably long journey time for a run of around 75 miles.
If Irish Rail want to make efficiency savings on these runs, it would make a lot of sense to properly segregate Intercity, Regional and Local services on the Sligo line. The services have different rolling stock needs and it degrades the attractiveness of the Longford service to have the journey time extended in order to make something like 12 stops between Maynooth and the city. They could probably make massive fuel savings by cutting both early Longford trains to 4 cars and avoiding stops between Maynooth and the city.
Personally, I would switch back to an earlier train if it were a 22k and they could get the running time from Edgeworthstown down to 1'40 by making it express from Maynooth
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