Group set up to minimise Dublin rail disruption

Run_to_da_hills

"A special group has been set up to help minimise the disruption caused by the collapse of the rail viaduct in the Malahide area of north Dublin last week.

The group includes officials from Fingal County Council, Dublin City Council, Iarnród Éireann, Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus, the National Roads Authority and the Gardaí."

They should also include the boy scouts :

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/ireland/group-set-up-to-minimise-dublin-rail-disruption-423972.html

Cookie_Monster

:rolleyes:

Why dont they just setup a group to hire someone to fix the bridge asap?

KC61

This is a sensible move and has nothing to do with the bridge reconstruction.

This is about managing the traffic especially come Monday/Tuesday when the schools go back.

Run_to_da_hills

KC61 wrote: »

This is a sensible move and has nothing to do with the bridge reconstruction.

It has got to do with the bridge reconstruction because it looks like they may be needing this group for a long long time.

DWCommuter

Again they come up with a workable plan, we'll have suffered the hell and the bloody bridge will be reopened. No Gardai in sight all week on the road routes out of the city that are affected by the line closure.

Bet the expenses are sound though.:D

Carawaystick

Why wasn't this set up on Saturday? or even Monday?

Victor

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

boy scouts

Sea scouts - and quite a few of them are female.

DWCommuter

Carawaystick wrote: »

Why wasn't this set up on Saturday? or even Monday?

Because......

On Saturday they were all washing their cars, doing the shopping and maybe giving the kids a lift somewhere. Then it was a really over priced meal with some mediocre wine, followed by mundane sex.

On Sunday they all read the papers, but glossed over the story about some collapsed bridge in north Co. Dublin. Some played Golf, but had stomach problems due to the fry up sitting on top of the chicken in white wine sauce.

On Monday, they scratched their heads and crotches, drank a cuppa, relayed the crap meal and sex to a colleague. Then, without warning, an office junior with a semblence of 21st century living caused uproar by suggesting they get together and devise a plan, because a mate of his in Amiens street heard this bridge is fcuked and it could be next year before its reopened.

Without further ado, they discussed it over tea and chocolate Kimberleys (paid for by the taxpayer) and decided that said office junior should issue a press release to say that they would all meet together...at some stage and work out a plan that would have the city running like clockwork. After that they returned to planning their latest junkets to a few useless conferences come winter time.

By Wednesday morning they were all ****ting themselves, because the office junior had actually sent out a press release reagarding "the plan". Golf has been cancelled, restaurant bookings have been scrapped and the partners are joyous in anticipation of a sex free few months.

Victor

DWCommuter, thats completely wrong. They're putting it in place because the Irish Rail managers who live in Louth and work in Dublin are now woken half way though their commuters nap and told to get on a bus.

DWCommuter

Victor wrote: »

DWCommuter, thats completely wrong. They're putting it in place because the Irish Rail managers who live in Louth and work in Dublin are now woken half way though their commuters nap and told to get on a bus.

No Victor, Im sorry, but we will just have to completely disagree on this one. I described it as it happened.:D The lads on the train don't make decisions. Its the IE gang in mercs and beamers that talk the talk. Train? What Train?;)

Judgement Day

You're wasted here DW - I can't wait for the book and perhaps the movie but who would you get to play Barry Kenny 'the thinking woman's Cary Grant' ?

KC61

While there is a certain degree of sarcasm here, I think that by and large the response of the bus and rail companies has been quite rapid in terms of replacement services.

An initial service was provided on Monday morning with Dublin Bus adding 12 extra 33X departures to/from Skerries, additional buses on the 33 and a service from Donabate to Malahide, while Irish Rail provided a special bus service to/from Drogheda.

The next morning a Balbriggan shuttle was introduced by Irish Rail, along with 2 extra 33X services from Rush, followed by three extra 33X evening services.

From today there are more trains running on the northern line, and from Monday next additional 33X buses and a direct 33D from Donabate to the city with an all day shuttle bus from Donabate to Malahide connecting the two train services.

What would be helpful is some form of cross-ticketing arrangement with Bus Eireann (particularly in the off-peak), but it has to be said that they have also increased capacity on their routes.

I think that the response of the bus companies was rapid, considering the short notice, and they have observed the loading patterns since the introduction of the services and changed the patterns accordingly. I'm not sure what else you can ask of them, considering there are limits on both bus and driver resources.

Carawaystick

KC61 wrote: »

While there is a certain degree of sarcasm here, I think that by and large the response of the bus and rail companies has been quite rapid in terms of replacement services.

An initial service was provided on Monday morning with Dublin Bus adding 12 extra 33X departures to/from Skerries, additional buses on the 33 and a service from Donabate to Malahide, while Irish Rail provided a special bus service to/from Drogheda.

That's about 60 hours after the bridge collapse. On Friday night, IE refused to refund me for my return ticket in Pearse Station, yet their website told me to use Dublin bus services.

KC61 wrote: »

The next morning a Balbriggan shuttle was introduced by Irish Rail, along with 2 extra 33X services from Rush, followed by three extra 33X evening services.

Any eejit would have known these would have been needed. The first 33X on Monday morning didn't even go through Lusk. What if a passenger wanted to go there?

KC61 wrote: »

From today there are more trains running on the northern line, and from Monday next additional 33X buses and a direct 33D from Donabate to the city with an all day shuttle bus from Donabate to Malahide connecting the two train services.

The 33D was obvious too

KC61 wrote: »

What would be helpful is some form of cross-ticketing arrangement with Bus Eireann (particularly in the off-peak), but it has to be said that they have also increased capacity on their routes.

The RPA have spent 30 odd million on this. Why aren't they in the special group.....
Of course BÉ would run extra busses, any new passengers are generating instant income for the company, unlike DB who mainly have to suck it up from rail season ticket holders.

KC61 wrote: »

I think that the response of the bus companies was rapid, considering the short notice, and they have observed the loading patterns since the introduction of the services and changed the patterns accordingly. I'm not sure what else you can ask of them, considering there are limits on both bus and driver resources.

The changes in response to demand are welcome but the initial services were obviously not good enough. I realise there are resource issues, but there should have been a more comprehensive plan starting from Monday.

KC61

Well we will have to agree to disagree.

In the short space of time they had I really don't think Dublin Bus could have done much more. The toughest part is rostering drivers and that was done over a weekend and set up for Monday morning with at least 12 buses/drivers rostered for the service. They may not have been able to get more drivers at that short notice.

That to me is a good rapid response to the situation and they have built on that all week.

Obtaining the extra buses for next week would have meant reviewing the network and removing extra workings, tightening maintenance spares, and redesigning driver rosters. That does require more time than 2 days at a weekend!!!

Victor

What has become of the buses and drivers from withdrawn services?

KC61

Victor wrote: »

What has become of the buses and drivers from withdrawn services?

The buses have virtually all been sold (although some are still awaiting shipment to the UK).

There was a programme of voluntary redundancy among the drivers.

Sponge Bob

KC61 wrote: »

The buses have virtually all been sold (although some are still awaiting shipment to the UK). There was a programme of voluntary redundancy among the drivers.

So there are no Dublin buses to take up the slack , and no drivers . The auction details are listed below. I do not believe Bus Eireann got rid of its stock yet though.

They are proposing to get rid of 29 drivers in Galway and a lesser number of buses, maybe they should redeploy them to Balbriggan instead for the year

http://www.tendersdirect.co.uk/Ourservice/TenderView.aspx?ID=%20000000002477969

Total 107

Dublin Bus offer for Sale by Tender the following Vehicles.
2 x RA Type Olympian D/Deck Buses (1996)
84 x RV Type Olympian D/Deck Buses (1998/9)
17 x WV Type Low Floor Midi-Buses (1999)
4 x VL Type Low Floor S/Decks (1997)
Arrangements to View the buses can be made by contacting this office on the number supplied during office hours.
NOTE: Further information and additional documentation relating to this notice may be available on the eTenders Web Site at http://www.etenders.gov.ie/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=84038

KC61

Sponge Bob wrote: »

So there are no Dublin buses to take up the slack , and no drivers . The auction details are listed below. I do not believe Bus Eireann got rid of its stock yet though.

They are proposing to get rid of 29 drivers in Galway and a lesser number of buses, maybe they should redeploy them to Balbriggan instead for the year

http://www.tendersdirect.co.uk/Ourservice/TenderView.aspx?ID=%20000000002477969

That is not what I said - I said they have "virtually all been sold". There are still some of them on the books. Using these buses and a tightening up of maintenance spares, along with a reallocation of "extra works" from other services that (due to a reduction in passenger numbers) are no longer needed, Dublin Bus have been able to offer the enhanced services to the North County area.

Sponge Bob

KC61 wrote: »

Dublin Bus have been able to offer the enhanced services to the North County area.

The schools are not open till monday, how can Dublin Bus tell before then ???

KC61

Sponge Bob wrote: »

The schools are not open till monday, how can Dublin Bus tell before then ???

I think that you underestimate their abilities to judge passenger loadings across the network - it's generally something that they do quite well surprisingly enough!

DWCommuter

Well judging by the mayhem on the northbound routes, I'd really love to know what this group is doing. Still no sign of a decent Garda presence on the streets to help matters. Put U2 back in Croke Park and we'd be laughing. Gardai everywhere!:D

Group of plonkers. Thats what they are.