Iron Road Aaron

Trip to M3 Parkway - Not.

ewan — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 09:17:23 +0000

Well I thought I had it figured. Park at Barberstown, walk the canal towpath to Clonsilla - allowing me to photograph the completed railway bridge over the Royal Canal and get a return ticket from Clonsilla to M3 Parkway. Of course, I made the mistake of actually trusting Irish Rail to have their ticket machines updated. But then, when you see this inside the station, preceded by the old timetable still proudly on display outside the station, what would you expect.

I have photos of the pages for stations with D (for Dunboyne), M (for M3 Parkway) and just for good measure, I took a photo of the page for P (Pace) - just in case. Not one of the pages has the new stations on it. I also decided to look at the zone tickets. After all, it is about the same distance from Clonsilla to M3 Parkway as it is to Maynooth. Therefore, common sense would suggest that the inner and outer short hop zone tickets would apply. The zone map in the ticket machine is here. But then, these haven’t been updated for the new stations on the Kildare line either, so quelle surprise.

You cannot buy a ticket to access the new line. But wait you say, board the train and pay at the other end. Obviously, you are unaware of the penalty fare system. So, a trip to M3 Parkway costs €100.

Rather than pay this fare (whatever kick I may get from travelling on a new railway, it ain’t worth €100 and a civil penalty which would cost me my professional qualification), so I was left with no choice but to see the train to M3 Parkway come and go, without me on it.

South Wexford line to close - EU looks the other way

ewan — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:04:39 +0000

When you voted for the Lisbon Treaty, you assumed that Ireland would be subject to the laws of the European Union, right? Wrong. Where is the EU now that the State needs to be forced to sell rolling stock and provide open access to our railway network to third parties to interested in operating the South Wexford Line.

The new EU president was referred to as a damp rag by UKIP MEP Nigel Farage. I would go further than that. Herman Van Rompuy isn’t even fit for use as toilet paper.

To those accountants in IR who have massaged the figures to load the line with network costs based on the misuse of full overhead absorption costing, a complaint of professional misconduct awaits you in due course.

Useless bastards in RSC object to sky diving operation

ewan — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:47:50 +0000

The Nenagh Guardian has reported that those useless gobshites in the Railway Safety Commission, staffed by the man who told me, in writing, in his Department of Transport days, that railway safety was nothing to do with him, when I wrote about the ARROW safety problem, are objecting to a sky diving operation in Nenagh because someone could fall in front of a train.

A second train could have passed into an occupied section because the train occupying the section failed to register its presence with the defective signalling system still in use on Irish Rail. But of course, this is Ireland where the State is above the law. Forget about McKenna and Coughlan or the country’s status as a republic. We are the State and we will do as we please. You will do as we say, not as we do. Another pack of pricks to be incarcerated in Mountjoy when the true republic is established.

Irish Rail to sell rolling stock

ewan — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:34:19 +0000

The Belfast Telegraph has a report about Irish Rail looking to sell surplus rolling stock. I assume that Deutsche Bann or whoever is looking to run the South Wexford Line will be allowed to buy them.

Not so smart cards

ewan — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:01:53 +0000

The Irish Independent has reported on the latest cretinous move in the long running saga of public transport smartcards. Going forward, anyone acquiring an annual bus and rail ticket, will be given two smartcards, one for the bus and the other for the train. Of course, hell wil freeze over before Dickweed Dempsey will admit that the reason there is no smartcard for Dublin (and never will be) is that Dublin Bus put the smartcard readers on the buses and not at the stops.

Difflin Lake Railway

ewan — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 20:23:59 +0000

I have known of the existence of this railway for many years - yesterday I headed up to Raphoe in Co. Donegal to travel on it. Sir Gerry Robinson is obviously minted - anyone who can build a private railway in the grounds of his house on this scale is not short of a bob or two. I have taken photographs (mainly of the railway - after all, I don’t trainspot), however, to be generous to the trainspotters, I did take a few of the diesel engine hauling a train.

I have setup a page for the railway on my website here. All photos can be accessed off this.

RPA’s cretins win the battle of Broadstone

ewan — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:40:15 +0000

There was an advertisement today in connection with the RPA seeking a light railway order to encompass the Broadstone Line trackbed.The cretins have won out over the more sensible heavy rail proposal from Irish Rail.

Ireland - the country that never learns.

Elevated railway system for Dublin

ewan — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:04:05 +0000

I am in Chicago currently and have noticed that a considerable part of their Metro system runs above ground elevated on metal girders (think the Loop Line all over Dublin).

As an efficient use of space, it is second to none, requires less disuption to traffic to build and provide visually appealing public infrastructure.

I can only imagine the response of Frank McDonald of the Irish Times to my suggestion. Probably give the man a heart attack. Of course, that could be seen as an ancilliary benefit!

Singled out on Red LUAS

ewan — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:16:04 +0000

Went into Dublin today to do some shopping and as I usually do, I parked in Rialto and got the LUAS over. Having tagged on with my smartcard, I got on the citybound tram. There were 3 CSOs on the tram, one issuing a penalty fare and who then proceeded to escort another person off the tram at Heuston Station.

One of the other two CSOs them came down the tram and asked for my ticket. No one between me and where he had been was checked. Why was I singled out? Sorry to have disappointed you by having a tagged on smartcard. Fill your quota on someone else.

Irish Rail Station information

ewan — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:49:36 +0000

Every once in a while Irish Rail does something right, or more correctly, someone in Irish Rail does something right. And then what is done is not updated such that it quickly becomes wrong. The fare calculator section of their website is a case in point, not having all stations in the Dublin suburban area listed.

Separately, there is a section on Irish Rail’s website giving station information. Except that it does not to appear to be kept up to date. Whilst they managed to add the new station at Clongriffin on the DART line, Carrigtouhill and Midleton in Cork not to mention the stations on the Ennis to Athenry line are not listed. In addition, the statement describing Hazelhatch & Celbridge station as being 1km from Celbridge village is blatantly wrong. I measured it using the site www.mapmyrun.com. It is 2.25km. Must do better.