[16-5-2012] Just four people on board new train route costing €250,000 a year to run

[neoncircles]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

Incidentally 1 of the 4 onboard would have boarded at Templemore anyway

Has it moved to the nenagh branch?!

[Thomas J Stamp]

Originally Posted by Inniskeen

I may be funny but you haven't answered my question.

The trains I mentioned and others (like the 0535 from Limerick and 0545 from Sligo) only acquire a significant load towards the end of their journey, similar really to the 0505 from Limerick !

I didn't mention the 0635 from Galway, a relatively attractive service with a reasonably good journey time. I have used it on several occasions. The number of passengers leaving Galway was 15 the last time I travelled (and it wasn't a Saturday either). The maximum number on board before Tullamore was 48 and the 3-car train was 60 -70% loaded arriving in Heuston. Maybe the 0505 from Galway does better although I suspect the pattern mightn't be that different.

I have also travelled on the 0535 from Rosslare, suffice it to say that the now defunct 0705 to Waterford would typically load several multiples of the 0535 service departing Rosslare. Again this train only picks up a significant load as it gets much nearer to Dublin.

I could go on but I don't think you can get the general idea.

you are making a fundamental mistake. there already exists, from limerick, a service which you may compare to those other established intercity services. This service is one which has been introduced solely to serve the Ballybrophy branch line. This is the big problem here, and the fact that this service actually restricts the proper development of the line as a resource in the mornings.

more to the point, none of those services you mention only have loadings as low as four, or indeed less (which i have reported on in a previous thread)

Originally Posted by Jamie2k9

Are those figures between Limerick and Ballybrophy only, please don't say it arrived in Heuston with 4 passengers onboard and if it did it needs to be scrapped asap as its taking up a peak slot in the mornings which could be put to better use.

We know of one day when it arrived in heuston with one passenger on board. One.

Originally Posted by neoncircles

Has it moved to the nenagh branch?!

The point Mark is making is that instead of creating new passengers, it is actually using some passengers who would use Thurles or Templemore. It is therefore wrong to use those passengers as being of a benefit to the companys income. In actual fact, the company loses about €10 on each of them as the fares on the branch are lower than from Thurles/Templemore.