Questions from a passenger!!

Gulfstream757

Thanks very much for the responses,

Seeing as this seems to be bread and butter stuff for you guys I thought I would add a few more!

1.I got a DART out of Malahide the other day and it was calling at all stations except portmarnock and Clongriffin, it's the 16.05 DART, any idea why this is?

2.Is the third platform at Bray ever used other than for storage?

3. At clongriffin at the end of one platform there is a sign saying FREIGHT with flashing lights, what's the purpose of this exactly?

Thanks again in advance!!

flyingsnail

Gulfstream757 wrote: »

,


3. At clongriffin at the end of one platform there is a sign saying FREIGHT with flashing lights, what's the purpose of this exactly?

It is an advanced warning of a speed restriction though Howth Junction which only applies to freight trains.

tabbey

Gulfstream757 wrote: »

2.Is the third platform at Bray ever used other than for storage?

The Bay platform facing Greystones was constructed in 1984 to accomodate a Greystones diesel shuttle connecting with DART electric trains to Howth.

Initially the shuttle train to Greystones was a push-pull train of de-engined AEC railcars. These had been the backbone of trains before Howth - Bray electrification, but were very basic and were never respected by the passengers. For three years Irish Rail hired an 80class DEMU from NIR for this shuttle service, as well as two others, one on the Maynooth line and one I think in Cobh.

The shuttle may have been suspended when the railcars returned to NIR.

It is hard to believe, but from the early 1970s when the AEC railcars were converted to push-pull sets, until delivery of Japanese 2600 class, CIE/ IR had no operational diesel railcars.

Following extension of electric wires to Greystones about 1996/97, DART served Greystones and the shuttle was no longer needed, so the bay platform in Bray fell into disuse.

L1011

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

Signal location, shouldn't be listed on website.

Killucan occasionally appears in printed timetables even as well as the journey planner, no idea how that info leaks over

Worked with a fantasist who insisted she actually got trains from killucan in 07/08 or so when it was in the planner. Streetview coming on in 09 shut her up eventually

BowWow

Have used a number of long distance trains recently. Just wondering why train carriages have tables that 4 passengers sit at? 2 facing 2.
If I get a coach e.g. Bus Eireann, the seats are arranged 2x2, same with city buses, on a plane all the seats face the one direction. Surely on a train carriage you'd get an extra 16 people, approximately, per carriage sitting.

Ce he sin

Because people like tables! They may be working with a laptop, or with family of friends and have stuff on the table.
Also, trains are bidirectional. Some people like to face the direction of travel so half the seats face one way and half the other.

afatbollix

If you notice the seats with a table take up the same amount of room as airline style seating.

BowWow

Ce he sin wrote: »

Because people like tables! They may be working with a laptop, or with family of friends and have stuff on the table.
Also, trains are bidirectional. Some people like to face the direction of travel so half the seats face one way and half the other.

Thanks, so other that people liking them, which I understand, there is no other reason? Tables are not available on other means of transport and people seem to manage.

As you say currently seats in a carriage face both ways - this could still be done. E.g. Seats on one side of the aisle face one way, seats on the other side of the aisle face the other way..

BowWow

afatbollix wrote: »

If you notice the seats with a table take up the same amount of room as airline style seating.

Sorry, are you saying that 4 seats around a table take up the same amount of space as 4 seats facing the same way?

CIARAN_BOYLE

BowWow wrote: »

Thanks, so other that people liking them, which I understand, there is no other reason? Tables are not available on other means of transport and people seem to manage.

As you say currently seats in a carriage face both ways - this could still be done. E.g. Seats on one side of the aisle face one way, seats on the other side of the aisle face the other way..

Irish rail feel a need to provide a premium in terms of comfort compared to busses given that they can't compete on price.

afatbollix

This isent Irish rail but you can see that the seats on the right go to the middle of the table so they take the same amount of space as two seats facing the same way.
377605 internals by Sparkyscrum, on Flickr

end of the road

BowWow wrote: »

Thanks, so other that people liking them, which I understand, there is no other reason? Tables are not available on other means of transport and people seem to manage.

fold down tables are availible on other means of transport. they are still tables. the reason the big tables are provided on trains is to provide a table to passengers where there is a change in direction of the seating. a partition with fold down tables would likely take up the same space if not more.

BowWow wrote: »

As you say currently seats in a carriage face both ways - this could still be done. E.g. Seats on one side of the aisle face one way, seats on the other side of the aisle face the other way..

you could but you may not get very many seats in anyway. it would be better to look for extra carriges and increased frequencies instead.

BowWow

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

Irish rail feel a need to provide a premium in terms of comfort compared to busses given that they can't compete on price.

I see a lot of comment on passengers having to stand on long distance trains. An extra 16 sitting per carriage would be premium in comfort terms in my book.

(I'm guessing about 16 based on eyeballing a carriage the other day).

CIARAN_BOYLE

BowWow wrote: »

I see a lot of comment on passengers having to stand on long distance trains. An extra 16 sitting per carriage would be premium in comfort terms in my book.

(I'm guessing about 16 based on eyeballing a carriage the other day).

True there's a definite argument for that.

uxiant

Is there any reason why the DART I was on a couple of days ago used the leftmost track travelling southbound between Pearse and Grand Canal Dock? Can't remember that being used since they got rid of the bay platform at Pearse.

Also, at Connolly why are the DMUs and Enterprise locos left idling at night when they are out of passenger service until the morning? Are they moved or why can't they be turned off immediately?

goingnowhere

The down relief line between Pearse and Grand Canal Dock is used regularly it allows a train from Maynooth or Drogheda to be turned around on the down line without crossing over to the sidings.

All DMU's automatically shutdown if the drivers key is not present after a preset time. The 201 class auto shutdown wasn't really a great success so is not used a contract for a new engine with auto shutdown is being looked at

Jamie2k9

The DMUs are likely left running partly until they have been cleaned. They now shut down a few of the Mark iv's regularly but not sure if the same applies to the Belfast service.

Colonel Claptrap

I just noticed the old platform information boards at Pearse have been removed and the new ones switched on.

When did this happen?