View Single Post
Unread 08-07-2013, 11:11   #33
subtract
New to the board
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1
Default

"For the record passenger numbers on Irish Rail are actually growing, so scare stories of falling numbers don't stack up."

Hmmm. Anecdotal evidence, but here goes:

I commuted daily from Portarlington to Heuston from 2004 - 2009. I left Portarlington anytime between 06:30 and 9:00, and returned on trains leaving Heuston between 16:00 and 18:30. Portarlington is a pretty handy location in terms of flexibility, since I could get trains going to/from Cork, Limerick, Galway, or Portlaoise - so I used all of those services as they suited.

The trains were almost always six (five?) carriage sets, irrespective of the destination, and I almost always had a seat (in and out). The morning inbound service (irrespective of time) was always standing room only once it hit Kildare or Newbridge. The outbound services were always more or less full, but it was possible to get a seat by arriving within ten minutes of departure.

I changed jobs to work locally and didn't commute at all between 2009 - 2013, but since March I'm back commuting a few days a week. The timetable is similar (some services slower, some faster), but I think the majority of trains are now three carriage sets (Portlaoise services) - and while some are standing room only (again from Kildare/Newbridge) the capacity is obviously only half of what it was four years ago. There's a six carriage set I get at 08:11 which is only ever half full - that would never have been the case five years ago.

I have the impression that passenger numbers have probably declined by 30% - 40% from 2009, based purely on my observation. I get some afternoon trains now as-well (both inbound and outbound - which I never did previously), and they're basically empty (except lunchtime services to Westport, which are almost always packed, and, of course, always three carriage sets.) The six carriage Galway trains leaving Heuston during the day only carry a handful of passengers.

Some general comments...

I find it odd that Cork trains no longer stop here. It does connect to the Galway line, after all. I understand numbers probably didn't stack up, and stopping/starting probably has too big an impact on the travel time post track re-alignment at Portarlington - but still - it was a shock to realise that Cork trains weren't timetabled.

The service overall is good, reliable, and consistent, but I find the timetable padding a bit irritating at times. We regularly arrive at Heuston in the morning on the 08:20 commuter service five minutes before the scheduled arrival time, only to sit waiting just outside the station... for what?

The other odd thing I've noticed is the lack of consistency in platform allocation for departures. The same train, travelling to the same destination, at the same time, six days a week, departing from... a random platform. I think Cork trains are still on Platform 5 (I haven't used a Cork train since 2009), but all of the others vary. It's just a little... incoherent.
subtract is offline   Reply With Quote