DART+ (DART Expansion)

Well I probably agree, but then this (from AIRR)!...

Getting off topic for this thread anyway.

Hahaha I checked a few ferry routes from Rosslare. The most frequent routes (daily to Fishguard and Pembroke) depart Rosslare 3 to 10 minutes before a train arrives in from Dublin.

The first ferry into Rosslare from Fishguard arrives 5 minutes before the first train leaves for Dublin. Fancy running? Another ferry arrives in at 17.30, the same time the last train departs for Dublin.

IS THAT FOR REAL? SERIOUSLY. WTAF. Sorry for shouting but that is horrific.

Sam you keep trotting this nonsense out without any firm basis for it.

The DART would become packed because under your suggestion over 200 people would have change trains, many of whom will have luggage with them thus making the DART far busier,

I don't know how many times I've posted it, but you just seem to keep ignoring it, the simple reason for there being no early morning service from Dublin and mid-morning return from Wexford is that there are not enough drivers and not enough rolling stock to do it at the moment. I again repeat myself, when those issues are resolved, and with a bit of luck that may be sometime in 2024 once all of the ICRs are reformed, there are plans for such a service to operate.

If people are paying for an Intercity rail journey, they are entitled to expect an Intercity service - i.e. rolling stock with toilets and proper luggage facilities for the entire trip, and not to have to connect using a DART train.

The primary reason for the service is to link Dublin with the towns along the east coast - and not to serve Rosslare Harbour for ferries.

You would drive most of that traffic away to buses and cars if you were to implement your idea. It totally dilutes the product on offer and would put people off using the train.

It's not going to happen as it would go down like a lead balloon.

Incremental frequency increases will happen as drivers and unit availability improves.

The ferry companies are only interested in freight traffic - that's what makes money for them. They have no interest in the foot passengers.

It should no different than Limerick passengers having to change at Limerick Junction.

Sam, you seem fixated by some notion that all the people on those trains with luggage are going to Rosslare - they are not.

They're going to one of the seven other stations along the line from Wicklow south, and more than likely somewhere like Wexford.

A lot of people use those trains to go on holiday in some of those locations - hence the luggage.

People do holiday in Ireland!!

I really don't think that you have any idea about who uses Intercity trains?

All that your idea is doing is just diluting the Intercity product and making it far less attractive.

This is a pointless discussion, as there are NO plans whatsoever to do this, and frankly I would suggest that it belongs in a completely separate fantasy ideas thread rather than this one which is discussing the actual plans.

Will the DART+ Coastal South project have any effect on the journey times of the DART?

Yes, it's primarily about capacity, but shortening journey times has to come as part of that too, or they'll end up needing loads of trains.

Each train costs about €12m each (before you even consider staffing costs), so spending, say, €30 million on speed improvent works could end up being a saving if it means meeting the same service level with three fewer trains.

the service is undoubtedly slow compared to other systems, particularly between Dun-laoghaire and Dalkey. I get that it's in a cutting and is a twisty section of track but it's far slower than (say) the Tube which has even more restricted space.

But the stations are so frequent and close together there's not much gain to be made from making them quicker. Something could surely be done about the glacial dwell times though.

I don't know if this has been mentioned about dart+ west before. But spare a thought for anyone blind who would've heard this text read out on their screen reader software.