Irish Rail New Proposed Timetable - August 2024

It looks like enhanced Dublin-Belfast services are being facilitated by converting Dublin-Dundalk services into Enterprise services and extending them onwards to Belfast. So essentially there's no increase in frequency south of the border and if any of those existing Dublin-Dundalk services make any intermediate stops other than Drogheda then those stations will actually lose frequency as a result.

as per usual, Irish Rails solution to not being able to run trains on time is to further pad the timetable. Some trains now have 13 minutes to get from Greystones to Bray, a non-stop 9 minute journey in the current timetable!

Example - the morning Gorey-Dublin-Dundalk service which I regularly get from Greystones (i got it today and it ran bang on time - admittedly that's the exception, but it shows they can do it).

Current

Dept Greystones 07:48

Stops Bray/DL/Blackrock/LR/GCD

Arr Pearse 08:41

Proposed

Dept Greystones 07:45

Stops Bray/DL

Arr Pearse: 08:42

So despite removing 3 stops, it'll depart earlier and arrive later, taking an extra 4 minutes.

What's the padding for, they're not running any extra trains in the gap created and the train behind isn't going to run any quicker either. It's just to finesse their currently terrible punctuality stats, it's doesn't benefit passengers in any way.

and that's the supposed "express". The Dart that follows it is one of the busiest services on the whole network and now that the Commuter no longer serves Lansdowne or GCD, there will be extra people packing into the Dart at Greystones and Bray.

About time we got a later service on the Dublin-Galway line, still way behind Europe for late evening trains but better at least than before

As someone who travels reasonably often by rail from Dublin to both Waterford and Galway, I'm really happy with these new later train additions.

Those times were added back in the December timetable changes, but yes it's due to open during the summer (potentially earlier than August)

I'm not sure what else you're expecting when there's nowhere for the DART to be overtaken (sensibly at least, I'd have to see the DL track layout for sure) when it runs at f-10. No matter how much you try, the best that the InterCity can shave off is about 8' against the DART timings, that is, the DART frequency minus a minute at Bray (departing a minute ahead of a DART) and a minute at Pearse (arriving a minute behind the previous DART).

I had a quick glance through both versions of the DART and Northern Commuter Drafts and it appears that peak hour Bray to Drogheda/Maynooth Commuter services are being removed.

Had a look at the timetable there god it’s still woefully sparse, a bare minimum service. Surely they could add some more and have them at least link with the Dart at Greystones to add to the timetable and leave the existing ones as direct to Connolly. The neighbouring Waterford line is super frequent by comparison

I think you mean the Longford commuter service - the Sligo train still starts at Connolly.

There aren’t.

The additional services will be a mix of IÉ ICR operated, following the set reformation process completing, and Translink CAF operated.

That’s the only way it can happen.

I did mean the Longford service. My mistake!

For me personally later is more important than day time frequency. I would like to get the train from Limerick to Galway or Waterford a lot more than I do but it's the rushing for the very early last train that puts me off. Cork isn't much better with an 19.25 last train to Limerick.

There are 2 options for the new Enterprise service but all I can see is a few extra minutes added on to Malahide-Connolly in option 2 for a couple of services.

Why offer almost identical options or have I missed something?

deleted.

lads what is going on with posts not quoting with my post?

is it just me having this issue?

forget it i give up, posts not quoting again.

deleted.

I'm not sure the backlash would be as big as the media makes it out to be. There will always be a vocal minority opposed to any change but surely most people aren't going to mind spending a few minutes changing trains in return for a much more frequent service.

It might be sensible for IrishRail to trial the Greystones changeover on weekends to get passengers used to the idea.

given that the change is for change sake and is about ideology and providing minimal service and capacity to the line, the reality is that yes sufficient people will be opposed to this unnecessary change as they will realize that better can be delivered, and enough of us will get the message out there that this is a service proposal based on stifleing growth of the line.
essentially, this is a form of the discredited no growth models as practiced in britain on both the welsh and borders and northern railways franchises in the past.
wasting time trialling something that will fail to get passengers used to something they aren't interested in, that is ideology based, is a waste of everyone's time.
the only reason people are supporting this nonsense is ideology, the same reason it would be implemented, people who don't use the services forcing more **** services on a line that has always had **** services because shur that is the way it has always been done.
even if it was the case that it was just a vocal minority opposed and from what i see that's not the case, they are right because they can see this for what it actually is and they know better can and will ultimately be delivered.

There isn't really a driver shortage any more.

That's incorrect. There's enough drivers for a weekend PPT service, and enough for Rosslare, as well as other Intercity routes. It's not a lack of drivers that's curtailing the services you mentioned.

I do indeed. 😂

And of course the IT headline sells it as a big negative without saying that was the option commuters picked or the reason why they picked it.

The news article outlining the changes and rationale for other changes not happening is online now too:

https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/news/New-Timetable-2024