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29-08-2011, 10:40 | #1 | |
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[article] Proposal to bring train journey times between cities below two hours
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© Irish Times 2011
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29-08-2011, 11:42 | #2 |
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What a typically dim piece from Tim O'Brien. It is obvious that there is huge pressure to cut the IE subvention, both current and capital and this is part of the lobbying: ask for a lot more money and you might just not get your budget cut as much.
I love the statement near the end where T O'B says: "The company said its long-term goal would be to reduce speeds further, ..." Marvellous Freudian slip that, given the record of speed deterioration on IE. Someone should tell the guy that Dublin-Cork was timetables for 2h 20m ages ago, before comparatively recent heavy investment in signalling, locomotives and rolling stock |
29-08-2011, 12:19 | #3 |
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2:20 was once per week non stop. Currently there is a 2 stop in 2:30 time twice a day which is comparable. I've experienced the 'fast' train and we were consistently 5-10 mph over the published speed limit most of the way. Not acceptable in the safety era we live in. How you average 80mph from Thurles with a 90mph limit just wan't going to work and it didn't a lot of the time as it ran late
The official best time is 2:07 which involved hitting 120+ mph, cracking a few brick arch bridges in Cork and structural cracks to the locomotives Much of the track laid in the 1976-1984 period is life expired at this point, 25-30 years is the accepted life span, so money is needed to sort it out. In reliability terms Dublin Cork is miles better now compared to any time in the past, trains run to time, the lights and air con work and there are 3 times more trains than 20 years ago The amount sought is small, labour intensive and is spread around the country so it ticks a lot of boxes.
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29-08-2011, 13:03 | #4 |
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I readily concede that overall service frequency and quality is much better now, and of course the once-a-week time of 2.20 was always a bit unrepresentative.
I also agree that funds are needed for track replacement/improvement on Dublin-Cork, but the way in which IE seem to have just woken up to the threat posed by the motorways sounds pathetic. The Dublin-Cork replacement/upgrade should have been pushed much more energatically 5 years ago. I would think that in terms of politics and p.r. that a project which emphasises higher speeds might not seem as deserving as what is essentially the same project with emphasis on maintaining a piece of infractsructure which is of major importance. |
29-08-2011, 13:09 | #5 |
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The upgrade was first pitched to the CIE board in September 2007. I know who made the pitch and it was for a far wider ranging upgrade to 125mph. That was carried by the media
Part of the work is already underway, 7 more route miles at 100mph is now available and more will follow bit by bit. Major upgrade at Lisduff which will lift speeds as well
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29-08-2011, 13:44 | #6 |
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The 06:15 did it in 2 1/2 hours this morning, despite leaving Cork a couple of minutes late because of ticketing problems, speed restrictions at Buttevant and Kilmallock, and getting caught behing a slower moving train just before the 4-track section.
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10-01-2012, 00:20 | #7 |
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Some track has been re-laid with a heavier rail - the difference is marked.
Limerick Junction is getting new signalling - I don't think it is in effect yet, but much of the physical work has been done. The Kildare Route Project is done from Cherry Orchard to Hazelhatch, but Cherry Orchard-Inchicore and Hazelhatch-Cherryville are needed to fully avail of that. More level crossings and bridges will need work, most track needs to be re-laid on Cork-Dublin, which is the oldest of the the continuously welded rail and no doubt there will be other improvements needed like drainage and fencing. There are no level crossings left from Thurles to Dublin or Mallow to Cork, but there are 2 Thurles-Limerick Junction, 5 Limerick Junction-Charleville and another 7 Charleville-Mallow. Most other lines have much higher numbers of LCs. Click on "Features" and "Level Crossings" here: http://new.irishrail.ie/index.jsp?p=119&n=157 On Dublin-Belfast all the LCs are north of the border.
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11-01-2012, 00:15 | #8 |
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As a more realistic medium term goal, it would be good to get the timings to 85 mins from Dublin to Limerick Junction, 30 mins from Limerick Junction to Mallow and 25 minutes from Mallow to Cork.
In conjunction with an extra platform in Limerick Junction, it would mean you could arrange to have Dublin-Cork, Cork-Dublin and connecting trains in both Mallow and Limerick Junction at the same time as each other. That would provide some operational efficiencies and provide the following as somewhat realist targets. Dublin-Cork 2h 20 Dublin-Killarney 2h 45 Dublin-Limerick 1h 50 Cork-Limerick 1h 20 Cork-Killarney 1h 15 Last edited by comcor : 11-01-2012 at 09:57. Reason: Bloody Autocorrect |
14-01-2012, 15:37 | #9 |
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Cork to Mallow already happens in 23 minutes without any real intervention, and Mallow to Limerick Junction is generally not much over the half-hour as long as it doesn't stop in Charleville. I suspect the timetables may be padded.
The main issue with Dublin to Cork in anything less than 2h35m is platform capacity at Cork. |
14-01-2012, 16:16 | #10 |
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"The main issue with Dublin to Cork in anything less than 2h35m is platform capacity at Cork". Surely that can be overcome by the use of the departure platform for actual departures.
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14-01-2012, 17:55 | #11 |
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The thing is, if you have two intercity trains parked up in platforms 4 and 5, where are you going to put your Mallow commuter services?
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14-01-2012, 19:04 | #12 | |
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Quote:
If the existing Dublin and Cork departure times were maintained and the journey time reduced to 2hrs-20 minutes there would never be more than two Dublin services in Cork station at any one time and then only for ten minutes every hour. Arranging the schedule so that trains in either direction meet at Limerick Junction and Mallow affords maximum advantage in terms of connections although the downside of passengers having to transfer to connecting trains via footbridge, lift or subway mightn't be universally welcomed. An alternative approach in the event of a journey time reduction between Dublin and Cork to 2hrs-20 min would be to run the existing service pattern with six rather than seven sets with consequent crew and equipment savings. |
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14-01-2012, 22:02 | #13 |
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Was any thought ever given to putting a platform on the south side of the Kent shed on the bypass track?
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15-01-2012, 14:50 | #14 | |
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