Train services far from tired 'off the rails' cliché

From Barry Kenny

Your news report and features concerning Iarnród Éireann (News, 11 April) contain a myriad of misleading, selective and unbalanced reportage and analysis, which cannot go unchallenged.

The Kildare Route Project, in four-tracking the line between Cherry Orchard and Hazelhatch will have multi-generational benefits for decades to come and beyond. It is economic illiteracy of the highest order to describe the €350m investment (not €420m as stated) as evidence of "a culture of waste" when the long-term benefits of higher capacity infrastructure are clear. Your reporter Ken Griffin ignores the fact that we are now renewing the original two lines and that the arrival of new carriages from next year will give scope for Kildare Route expansion in a very short timescale.

Indeed, the whole tenor of Griffin's article is to ignore the improvements delivered on our network over recent years. The "massive increases in service frequency" and punctuality which has "risen sharply" ? Mr Griffin's words from his questions to me in researching the article over two months ago ? are, amongst many other benefits, dismissed in favour of petty cribbing at our support for a charity event.

For example, reopened lines to Midleton and between Limerick and Galway, an unmatched record in delivering major capital projects on budget, advanced planning on Dart Underground, and station facilities and environments enhanced, are among many developments deemed unworthy of comment in desperation to use the hackneyed "off the rails" pun.

Mr Griffin seems to believe that Iarnród Éireann can inhabit a fantasy world where the effects of recession, including reductions in annual subvention of over €34m in three years, and revenue and demand falls due to reduced economic activity, can be ignored.

We have matched supply with demand, in order to ensure operating costs are controlled, and have maintained service frequency levels as far as possible – the opposite of a "culture of waste". Indeed, we have introduced additional trains on some routes, including extra services on the Waterford, Galway and Mayo routes as recently as November 2009. More capacity is planned on Dart and commuter routes with the city centre resignalling project and Dart Underground, but current services are catering for the demand that exists at this time. Standing and full loading exist on all urban rail systems. Do major urban systems in London, Paris, or the infamous loading in Japanese railways – acknowledged as among the most efficient and safest in the world – gain the moniker "careering off the rails" or "perennially dysfunctional" as a result?

Notwithstanding the description by Mr Griffin of 25-year-old trains as "modern", we very clearly stated at the outset of our Intercity fleet renewal programme that our intention was to bring our Intercity fleet from the oldest in western Europe to the newest, with all the resulting quality and comfort benefits. We achieved this in a four-year period, and the customer response has been hugely positive.

Regarding our 25-year-old Mark III fleet, as Mr Griffin was told, the fleet has been placed in storage pending an upturn in passenger numbers in the future. We would still envisage in the future potential use for some Mk IIIs – for example on an expanded Dublin/Belfast service. Customer feedback confirms to us that customers do care that trains are modern, with up-to-date standards of facilities, comfort and accessibility, which our new Intercity fleets deliver, with fleet reliability and punctuality benefiting accordingly.

Barry Kenny,

Manager, Corporate Communications,

Iarnród Éireann,

Connolly Station, Dublin 1

April 18, 2010

Comments

#1 David McGlynn Parks commented, on April 18, 2010 at 10:18 p.m.:

The last sting of a dying wasp methinks?

#2 Derwent Pottington Smyth commented, on April 18, 2010 at 11:01 p.m.:

Yahh!

These MkIII's are a wonderful international curio.

They are the very last of the BREL Mark III coaching stock to have been built and have been kept in surprisingly good condition by the chaps in CIE.

This class of rolling stock has been extensively upgraded in the UK which make the CIE examples the only ones in their original condition.

They currently serve for 1 in every 2.5 intercity passenger movements in the United Kingdom today, I am amazed that you Irish consider them largely surplus to requirements and that you have destroyed so many.

#3 Rio Pathfinder commented, on April 19, 2010 at 12:16 a.m.:

Its the tool again, only with yet another name. Can you stop with the trolling you sad waster. All this pretending to be a UK trainspotter. I'll ask the question again as you didn't answer on my previous one on the previous article "Is there a point to this".

Or is this just so you can tell people on Boards.IE how funny you are?

Or to prove to certain people on Board.IE that "British Train spotters are trying to influence IE decision making". The irony being you're not even British.

Any chance of a sensible answer, or is it just going to be another dumb name and more rubbish?

#4 Vicount Maxwell Pimm commented, on April 19, 2010 at 8:33 a.m.:

"Regarding our 25-year-old Mark III fleet, as Mr Griffin was told, the fleet has been placed in storage pending an upturn in passenger numbers in the future."

Why were they put up for sale then?

#5 Anto McStrikejunkie commented, on April 19, 2010 at 8:38 a.m.:

Right lads. Tools down!

They gym at Harristown Depot one of the video displays on the new threadmill is wonky and represents a danger to all CIE staff.

Larkin Larkin!!!!!!!

#6 Next Dart (whenever Deco feels like it) commented, on April 19, 2010 at 9 a.m.:

"We would still envisage in the future potential use for some Mk IIIs – for example on an expanded Dublin/Belfast service."

Really! You have destroyed dozens of them by leaving them to the mercy of vandals. Superb modern coaches - perhaps the most modern of their kind in the world. The only time you cleaned them up and put them "in service" is when trainspotters asked for them and INSTANTLY an entire rake of them was refurbished and put into service for a day out for the trainspotters.

On ever possible level CIE/Irish Rail management continue to do favours for trainspotters while their own bread and butter customers are ignored or considered a pest. It has always been like this. CIE/Irish Rail managment and staff cannot do enough to keep the trainspotters happy. Because that's their priority. They do not want to run a modern railway network which is customer focussed. That's too much like hard work.

Running a few steam trains or restored diesels and nothing else is their perfect rail system. You constantly see images of CIE/IE staff on these events with huge smirks of joy on their faces. Meanwhile they are rude, surly and unhelpful to some poor bloke who just wants to get to work on time.

CIE/Irish Rail are a sick joke beyond comprehension and I look forward to watching to rotten relic go down in flames.

Here's to the post CIE/Irish Rail future:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-a...

#7 Blythe Saint-Claire Freemason commented, on April 19, 2010 at 11:45 a.m.:

Excuse me, but I agree with Rio Pathfinder! What is the point of claiming CIE/Irish Rail management care more about the needs of trainspotters than their regular commuters. This is racist - everyone knows that CIE/Irish also care more Irish trainspotters more than they regular passengers.
As long as they know that personal requests from the Mainland take priority!

To assert that Irish Rail do not indulge Irish Trainspotters with carraiges they deny to commuters is offensive. They clearly do. They have refurbished an entire consist of the superb Mk3s they dumped on the scrap heap when they went on spending money on new railcars from Korea and Japan. I believe the entertainment these train builders in the Orient lay on for visiting railway officials with tax payers money to spend is akin to Royal treatment. No wonder Irish Rail managers have such an affection for the British Class System of yore. Sure don't they live like Kings when they go to these factories - FIRST CLASS!!

Irish Rail Management and Unions - The Spirit of the Empire!

#8 Rio Ferdinand's Cousin commented, on April 19, 2010 at 11:56 a.m.:

Recently a photo was published on a message board about an Irish Rail staff member whose job was made obsolete by automation of the signalling system.

The photo showed the signal box were he goes to "work" in everyday which he converted into a gym because his job has been automated. So he lifts weights all day in a single box which keeps the rain and cold off him and serves no other function.

This is the kind of carry on which goes on in CIE while Barry Kenny talks about them not being immune to the recession. There are THOUSANDS of cases like this within CIE unions where entire familes are employed to drink tea and look for something to strike or develop a victim complex about.

There are also scores of office staff/managers in CIE/Irish Rail who are paid huge salaries and bonuses to sit in a office surfing the net all day.

Yet instead, they close down the South Wexford railway...because they claim it is uneconomic.

Barry Kenny you are famous only because the railways in this country suck ass. If they worked you would not be a household name. This "rebuttal" above is more of the same self-serving rubbish which is given by CIE instead of professional public transport and meaningful services.

CIE/IE have had 70 years too long.

#9 Derek Wheeler commented, on April 19, 2010 at 1:45 p.m.:

A 350 million investment on the KRP with no extra trains looks to the ordinary man on the street like a waste.
Poor line speeds that cannot and will not compete with motorways looks to the ordinary man on the street like a waste.
Despite all the investment Irish Rails customer service remains diabolical. To the ordinary man on the street thats a waste.
Despite all this investment busy stations like Sallins in Co. Kildare are in a very poor state with no definate date for upgrade. To the ordinary man on the street thats a waste.
It isn't petty to "crib" about a charity train when the rolling stock has been reintroduced at a cost to the tax payer and the charity has absolutely no relevence whatsoever to Ireland. In fact it doesn't even have a registered office or back account in this country. To the ordinary man on the street, thats a waste.

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