Irish Rail’s decision to revert to its pre-August timetable from this week has adversely affected intercity services on the Dublin–Belfast route, passengers have said.
Under the timetable introduced by Irish Rail on August 26th, morning peak journey times from Belfast were shortened by at least five minutes. But these gains have now been lost, with the return of the old timetable.
Additionally, a key evening services to Belfast, the 4.50pm Enterprise service from Dublin Connolly which previously enjoyed a non-stop service to Dundalk, is now stopping at Drogheda.
John Connor who commutes to work in Dublin from Newry said “the primary goal of renewed investment in the Dublin to Belfast service was to serve two cities, now it is being used to supplement a commuter service between Dublin and Dundalk”.
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Mr Connor said the first intercity train to Dublin in the morning leaves Belfast at 6am and is full by the time it reaches Newry. “It is the only cross-Border train scheduled to arrive in Dublin Connolly before 9am,” he said.
Despite being full, the train then stops at Dundalk and Drogheda to pick up more commuters, he said. “There are three trains that leave Dundalk before the Enterprise that also collect passengers in that station,” he said.
“Drogheda has six trains before the Enterprise in the morning and a train just seven minutes afterwards. If the Enterprise train did not stop at these locations [Drogheda and Dundalk] it would be a faster and safer connection,” he said.
Lorraine Bell, who commutes to work in Dublin on the 7.53am service from Newry, said punctuality was a problem on the service. “It never is just 9.20am in Dublin, it is always nearer half past”, she said.
Beyond the restoration of the old timetable on Monday, there are other issues troubling commuters on the Belfast-Dublin route.
Ms Bell said there was an inconsistency with ticketing as it was possible to book a ticket and reserve a seat on the Irish Rail website – but not if your journey was starting form the North.
“Irish Rail will refer you to Translink to book a journey but Translink does not allow you book a seat”, she said.
Another cross-Border passenger Clare Pierce said parking was so costly at Belfast that she drives from Bangor to Newry where she joins the service at 7.53am. Ms Pierce told The Irish Times she too had noted the afternoon return service at 4.50pm now stops at Drogheda and was “very crowded”. She said rather than suffer it she sometimes went shopping in Dublin and waited for the next train at “almost seven o’clock”.
In contrast, Johnny Irwin who also travels to Dublin from Newry for work said he thought it was “a great service”. “There are only three stops to Dublin”, he said. While the 4.50pm train home can be very crowded, Mr Irwin said he “can usually get a seat”.
Irish Rail spokesman Barry Kenny said if the service had not reverted to the pre-August timetable on Monday “the 6am service from Belfast would have arrived in Dublin at 8.15am.” He said the 7am service would have arrived at 9.15am. “Now, those times are 8.23am and 9.20am [respectively],” he said.
Mr Kenny said the August 26th timetable had discommoded “thousands” of commuters on the northern line, whose service had now been put back to what it was pre-August. This had to be seen against the “few hundred” who suffered “very slightly longer journey times” on the intercity service he said.
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