IE 10 euro fares and the Rosslare line

bazzer06

Just wondering if anyone can tell me why the 10 euro specials on the IE website never apply to the Rosslare line? Is it because seats can't be reserved? And in any case shouldn't you be able to reserve seats now with the new trains rolled out? (Or is it only partially completed on this line?)

Also, whenever Bus Eireann have specials, they don't tend to apply on the 002 route either... why is this?

Maybe it's just my imagination - these are the only routes I use often - but has anyone else noticed this?

dowlingm

10 euro fares are to encourage the filling of empty seats. Sounds like that's not a problem for IE on the Rosslare, since their fleet management/procurement strategy means they can't operate 6 car 22000s on the line.

Metrobest

bazzer06 wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone can tell me why the 10 euro specials on the IE website never apply to the Rosslare line? Is it because seats can't be reserved? And in any case shouldn't you be able to reserve seats now with the new trains rolled out? (Or is it only partially completed on this line?)

Also, whenever Bus Eireann have specials, they don't tend to apply on the 002 route either... why is this?

Maybe it's just my imagination - these are the only routes I use often - but has anyone else noticed this?

Most likely reason is that there is no competition on the route. So they will continue to screw you.

Judgement Day

Metrobest wrote: »

Most likely reason is that there is no competition on the route. So they will continue to screw you.

Have to put you right here. There is lashings of competition on the route: Bus Eireann run 20 buses each way daily (cheaper return fare than IE); Wexford Bus operate 10 services in each direction (cheaper than IE and with WiFi). CIE/IE are a moribund, defunct waste of taxpayers money and should be wound up without further delay. The 22000s are proving unreliable nationally and, in any event, are not on all Connolly/Rosslare services - when they actually operate. In the last twelve months we have been subjected to landslides (3 at least); a derailment; ongoing engineering work in the DART area which has caused buses to replace trains on numerous occasions etc., etc, etc...the line is a bad joke! :mad:

Hungerford

dowlingm wrote: »

Sounds like that's not a problem for IE on the Rosslare, since their fleet management/procurement strategy means they can't operate 6 car 22000s on the line.

I beg to differ: the reason why they can't operate 6-car 22ks on the line is that some stops can only have platforms that can cater for the equivalent of a 5-car 22k, which doesn't exist.

Unfortunately, the 22ks are not fitted for selective door opening which would have been the answer to the problem. In fairness, it seems that IE failed to spot this elementary issue.

As regular IE followers may have guessed, they are now procuring selective door opening systems which should have been there in the first place. :eek:

foggy_lad

the bus from rosslare is usually faster than the train!

dowlingm

Hungerford - the failure to obtain factory fitted SDO was the procurement failure to which I alluded.

bmaxi

To be fair, I have seen promotional fares on the Rosslare line though admittedly not in the latest round. I don't know what the reason for this is, even the commuter trains would not really fill up until they reach Greystones/Bray and the off peak would never be really busy. Maybe it's just an oversight.

Hungerford

dowlingm wrote: »

Hungerford - the failure to obtain factory fitted SDO was the procurement failure to which I alluded.

Sorry - it just wasn't clear. I took it as meaning that they hadn't bought enough sets to run 6-car trains on the route. Hang on, they've done that too, haven't they?

dowlingm

@hungerford - Well, in fairness they did but two of them arrived wrecked which even I can't blame CIE, Dick Fearn and the Information Minister for.

However, they also withdrew all of the Mk3PP sets, two of which could have remained in service on a route like Waterford-Dublin commuter rather than offer sardine tin 3 car 22Ks, or they could have used the stored haul-only 201s to run the former Mk3 standby sets in first+5 std+genvan config in preference to 22Ks to Limerick or Galway. That, I can blame them for.

In regard to Rathdrum, first I would question the ridership from that station, remote as it is, and the effect it is having on the entire route. But even if it drawing from sufficient catchment couldn't IE simply close off the last carriage to passengers, or is that not possible in a 6 x 22K for some reason? Obviously SDO is the more "elegant" solution to preventing pax from alighting off the platform but it seems like IE doesn't seem to think through alternatives when the fun police/RSC give them direction.

Judgement Day

Dowlingm of course - in the real world - the rear portion of the train could be locked off and the front three carriages marked for Rathdrum passengers (just like was done since time in memoriam in the UK) but CIE/IE don't operate in the real world. I'm sure CIE/IE, Rail Users Ireland and the Dept of Transport can produce 10 million health and safety reasons why this cannot be done! In the meantime Cork and Connolly stations with their dangerous platform gaps sail on into the sunset because it would not be practical to close them. Double standards how are you?? :mad:

Slice

Does anyone know what the criteria is for the €10 fare? I've only been able to get it the once (on the Enterprise service) and a number of times I checked fares to Limerick the lowest on offer was €15 each way...

spurious

The €10 fare follows a bizarre system where you cannot use it Dublin - Somewhere down the country-Dublin, only Somewhere down the country - Dublin -Somewhere down the country.

Complete nonsense, though it apparently makes sense to someone in Irish Rail.

highlydebased

Slice wrote: »

Does anyone know what the criteria is for the €10 fare? I've only been able to get it the once (on the Enterprise service) and a number of times I checked fares to Limerick the lowest on offer was €15 each way...

Tenner fares to Limerick on these...
From Limerick 0535 1000 1100 1255 2055

To Limerick 1000 1100 1400 2100

Hungerford

dowlingm wrote: »

@hungerford - Well, in fairness they did but two of them arrived wrecked which even I can't blame CIE, Dick Fearn and the Information Minister for.

So why then can't the Sligo line be fully converted to 22k operation? I think you'll find that their fleet is pretty stretched after the decision to ditch the MK3s.

Incidentally, 201s are starting to show up on pilot duties now - just 16 years after they were bought at great expense by the state. :eek:

JHMEG

Whatever happened to the days of "will passengers at thre rear of the train for (station) please move forward towards the front of the train in order to alight at the platform" ?

hungerford wrote:

Incidentally, 201s are starting to show up on pilot duties now - just 16 years after they were bought at great expense by the state.

Yes indeed, very Celtic Tiger.

Judgement Day

JHMEG wrote: »

Whatever happened to the days of "will passengers at thre rear of the train for (station) please move forward towards the front of the train in order to alight at the platform" ?




Yes indeed, very Celtic Tiger.

As I mentioned in my earlier post - CIE/Rail Users Ireland/Dept.of Transport/Health & Safety and other bull**** prevents the common sense approach to getting on and off trains. Also due to the demanning of trains in line with CIE and Rail Users Ireland policy there is nobody to make announcements and ensure safety of disembarking passengers.

dowlingm

I decided to take a look at what the Railway Safety Commission has to say about this (document RSC-G-007-B):

6.5.2. Passengers
6.5.2.1. Normally, passengers should only be able to gain access to and from their vehicle using doors which open directly onto a station platform or by using the inter-connections between vehicles.

Where it is not possible for all doors to open directly onto a platform the following should be considered:
(a) The use of announcements and indications to passengers to advise as to which doors may be used;
(b) The use of an automatic Selective Door Control system.
(c) The use of fewer doors for the access and egress of passengers should not restrict the flow of passengers on, off and through the train in normal operation.

Doesn't sound like SDO is compulsory, does it?

KC61

Hungerford wrote: »

So why then can't the Sligo line be fully converted to 22k operation? I think you'll find that their fleet is pretty stretched after the decision to ditch the MK3s.

Incidentally, 201s are starting to show up on pilot duties now - just 16 years after they were bought at great expense by the state. :eek:

There is one return working Monday/Friday that is 29000 Class operated on Sligo (0905 ex-Connolly and 1300 ex-Sligo). That is a direct result of being 2 units short in the original delivery.

Sundays are a little more complicated. Two return workings are operated by 8 car 29000 Class trains, the 1305 and 1505 ex-Connolly and 1700 and 1900 ex-Sligo). The current timetable is predicated on the need to have the three six car trains in Sligo on Monday morning to operate the first three morning trains, and as a result they are on the 1600, 1705 and 1905 ex-Connolly. While there might be enough 22K units based in Connolly to operate these two trains as 3-piece services, this would lead to chronic overcrowding. As a result the 8-car 29000 sets are used.

The only solution (as I see it) to operate those services as 22K units would be perhaps to roster two two units from the Heuston side to operate on the Sligo route on Sundays, but I suspect that there is no availability to do this as units are at peak demand on Sunday evenings. The other alternative would be to cancel perhaps the 1100 ex-Sligo and 1600 ex-Connolly and have that train operate the 1700 ex-Sligo and operate a 2105 ex-Connolly.

KC61

spurious wrote: »

The €10 fare follows a bizarre system where you cannot use it Dublin - Somewhere down the country-Dublin, only Somewhere down the country - Dublin -Somewhere down the country.

Complete nonsense, though it apparently makes sense to someone in Irish Rail.

The €10 fare is available from Dublin on off-peak trains.

A simple check shows tomorrow that it is available on the following trains for a single trip:
Dublin/Cork - 1000; 1100; 1400 and 2100
Dublin/Tralee - 1100
Dublin/Limerick - 1000, 1400 and 2100
Dublin/Waterford - 0720, 0920, 1510
Dublin/Westport - 1230
Dublin/Galway - 1130; 1915
Dublin/Sligo - 0905, 1105, 1305
Dublin/Belfast - 1320; 2050

The fare is offered on services where there is plenty of surplus capacity and is on fewer trains on Fridays and Sundays where usage increases.

spurious

KC61 wrote: »

The €10 fare is available from Dublin on off-peak trains.

Is it only available when booking online?

I asked at both the ticket desk and customer service at Heuston about it - I was looking to go to Portarlington off-peak - and was told I could not get it from Dublin and got stung with (as far as I can remember) a 24 euro fare, it might have been even more.

Utterly sickening to wait in Portarlington station for the return trip and hear people buy their tickets for ten euro while looking at a poster telling me I could get a return to Dublin for ten euro.

KC61

spurious wrote: »

Is it only available when booking online?

I asked at both the ticket desk and customer service at Heuston about it - I was looking to go to Portarlington off-peak - and was told I could not get it from Dublin and got stung with (as far as I can remember) a 24 euro fare, it might have been even more.

Utterly sickening to wait in Portarlington station for the return trip and hear people buy their tickets for ten euro while looking at a poster telling me I could get a return to Dublin for ten euro.

Apologies - some crossover in what you were referring to. I was referring to the online EUR 10 each way promotion.

You are referring to the Leinster fares promotion that is designed to encourage use into Dublin on off-peak trains. This €10 return fare is as you say available only from booking offices on the day of travel, and is designed to stimulate travel to Dublin. Why they chose not to offer the ticket in the other direction I don't know.

There is the online promotional fare of EUR10 each way that is available on certain trains - you do need to search the website. It is available on the 1100 ex-Heuston. If that does not suit, your best option I reckon is to buy a single from Dublin and get the EUR 10 fare on the way back. Crazy I know!

Cool Mo D

spurious wrote: »

Is it only available when booking online?

I think you can get them over the phone too.