Quote:
Originally Posted by James Howard
The biggest problems for me with the existing timetable on the Longford route.
1. The existing timetable has been complete fantasy since the end of September - particularly on the peak evening non-stop services. It is a genuine surprise to see the 1705, 1805 and 1905 arrive at Edgeworthstown less than 15 minutes late. In particular, the arrival of the 1905 at Maynooth seems to be greated with genuine surprise every day as you almost almost always sit outside Maynooth for 15 minutes waiting for a crossing train.
2. They should do something about limiting the number of stops on Longford services even if that came at a cost of less capacity. Nonstop from Clonsilla to Connolly seems reasonable (to me anyway). At present, I almost always use the 0545 Sligo Intercity as the earlier trains take 15 minutes longer. The 1715 and 1817 services from Connolly are massively underused after Maynooth and could easily be halved in size if they were nonstop to Maynooth given that are generally half full by the time they get to Maynooth.
3. This doesn't affect me personally but I know a couple of people whose lives would be a lot easier if the 1805 to Longford stopped at Drumcondra. This is the natural return train for somebody doing a day's work traveling to Dublin on the 0545 intercity which does stop at Dromcondra.
4. We can live in hope, but greater use of 22Ks would be nice for Longford trains but this can hardly be expected given that at least two daily return trains to Sligo appear to be operated by 29Ks.
5. Shorter running times are always to be welcomed as a general point, but I guess this would make reliability even worse.
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A number of things:
- there is no capacity for extra direct services, hence trains going to docklands,
- there is no space for direct trains in the morning between morning maynooth, pace, Longford and Sligo the line is clogged up sort of like the northern line!
- cutting the two morning trains from Longford in half would be a mistake, those are two of the busiest trains in the morning on the maynooth line, the first one only changed from maynooth to Longford at the last timetable
- with regards to the evening services why even still run the 17:15 or 18:17 to Longford if the 17:05 or 18:05 are calling at drumcondra? In fact if you were to cut back the 17:15 and 18:15, there's your 21:00hrs that was cancelled at the last minute a few years back!