A service which allows commuters to find out DART timetables via text message may be of limited value because of ongoing problems with "real time" displays in stations, a rail users lobby group has claimed.
According to the group, Platform 11, it frequently receives complaints that estimated times of arrival for DART trains displayed in stations are inaccurate and misleading. This is due to delays on the DART line which are not always updated on the displays.
Íarnród Éireann, however, says it is happy the text service and station displays are working well. The Dartxt service, launched last May, allows customers to send a text to a special number and receive a reply with the times of the next DARTs arriving at their station in both directions. The service costs 30 cent for each text.
However, because it is linked to real-time displays in stations, customers may find the information they are provided with is out of date, or incorrect, according to Platform 11. "Before Dartxt was even launched, we had discussions and complaints that the real-time display was inaccurate," Mr Derek Wheeler, spokesman for the group, said.