There is a series of restrictions approaching Cork which brings things to 60mph 4 miles out when in fact it should be 60 at the tunnel mouth, that makes a big difference. Dublin bound the limits are actually more generous and are in most cases rise faster than the trains ability to accelerate due the stiff hill
Combined with the excessive padding minimum 5 minutes to be saved inbound.
Curragh curves were 80 mph in the past so no gain there. 80 through Portarlington appeared in late 2007 and is key to the 2:30 timings. The Hazelhatch Cherry Orchard section offsets the go slow in the Hazelhatch Kildare section which is dug up in places currently.
There is more work to be done that when an increase in speed appears it is killed by temporary restrictions elsewhere. Lisduff will be dug up shortly so any gain elsewhere will be wiped out. Limerick Junction is great on paper but since most trains stop there the time saved is minimal. In some places the track is capable of more but the signaling restricts the top speed, so Ballybrophy is still 70mph, the signal spacing looks a little tight to me for faster.
There is a need for much greater coordination of the works to ensure minimum delay and maximum benefit
The 2011 timetable did shave several minutes off many times, not enough but it does deliver punctuality, in 2009 10-15 minute delays were the norm which led to regular problems. Punctuality comes first
The 2:30 time currently offered is a much greater achievement than the once off 2:20 timing of the past, particularly as the 2:30 timing is achieved with absolute adherence to the speed limits on a much busier railway. Quickest way to see savings is to bring the train every two hours to Limerick back and to run non stop to Thurles from Dublin on all Cork trains, and also fewer calls at Limerick Junction then you could bring most Dublin Cork trains to 2:35-2:45. The average time to Cork has fallen significantly (and thats what really actually matters to passengers) in recent times as the 75 mph stock has gone to the scrapyard. There is progress but the pace of progress is not sufficient
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