[7-12-2007] Usual Chaos in Heuston

[Mark Gleeson]

Our intripid intercity traveller is stuck in the usual Friday evening chaos in Heuston

Robo Dude was reporting the 17:05 train to Ennis has being present, despite the platform looking rather empty

Train arrives 11 minutes before departure and the usual stampede for a seat begins

16:50 to Galway reported as a late departure

Doesn't bode well as the 17:00 to Cork, 17:05 to Ennis, 17:10 to Athlone, 17:15 to Newbridge and 17:25 to Limerick are stacked behind it

Edit no trolley on the 17:05 either

[Colm R]

I had a pleasant journey to Cork this morning, after a nights work. Got the Luas to Heuston, no problem.

Got the paper, train left a little late but nothing major.

No more than 4 or 5 people in my carriage.

And I fell asleep. Woke up in Mallow. Shortly after Mallow, the ticket inspector came up to me. Ah your awake, I didn't want to wake you earlier.

In my book, that was nice. I needed some sleep, and he let me be!!

I know this was early on Friday morning going against the rush, but still!!!

[Oisin88]

There were two queues for the 18:00 to Cork. A big one down the cordonned off "Queue here for Cork" lane and then another IE employee letting people in at the normal gate at the beginning of platfom 5.

Anyone know what that was about? I'd hate to have been in the proper queue. It was huge at 17:50.

[Mark Gleeson]

Word is passengers with seat reservations on Cork trains get priority boarding

[packetswitch]

There is absolutely no justification for requiring passengers with seat reservations to queue. None whatsoever. When is this going to be understood? You are told when you make a reservation that you have to be there 20 minutes in advance (to guarantee reservation) and then you have no access to the train when you follow those instructions. You can wait in the main concourse (although there's no guarantee of a proper 'now boarding' announcement and by the time that finally happens the train will have been filled with the queue and you are way behind your 20 min obligation), or you can join a long, cold queue (along with those without reservations!)

I've seen the thing of pulling out reserved seat passengers on occasions but would it be that hard to have clear, unambigious signposts to explain this? (And not, as I mentioned on the Cork train thread, signs saying the same thing in different places that confuse passengers).

[CSL]

Word is passengers with seat reservations on Cork trains get priority boarding

where's that in the conditions of carriage then ? ring em and tell em it's illegal I say.

[Mark Gleeson]

Originally Posted by CSL

where's that in the conditions of carriage then ? ring em and tell em it's illegal I say.

Not illegal, bye laws permit the creation of queues to control access

That said I'm not aware of priority boarding elsewhere in Europe, then again in Europe reservations are more common and everyone doesn't show up an hour ahead

[hhf8]

they did this queuing the last bank holiday weekend for the Jazz festival,I was on the 1700 dublin to cork. the train was sold out completely. i thinks it's done fro when people don't show up they let the people who have bought the ticket on the day get on? I'm not sure about this but an IE manager was going through the prebooked que as it formed and made sure they all had reservations

[Colm Moore]

Originally Posted by packetswitch

There is absolutely no justification for requiring passengers with seat reservations to queue.

A small qualification - once the train is ready to accept passengers after cleaning, door testing, etc.