Belfast-Dublin "Enterprise" service

[anti-pacer]

I was on the Translink NI website earlier and couldn't help but think what a cr**py service this looks.

For example, journey times are not any quicker than by the X1 coach. Also, commuters/business travellers cannot get into Dublin before 0900. The return journeys in the evening peak are at 1650 and 1900, so little use to the average commuter again.

The interior of the First Plus carriages look deceptively like Eurostar, so not bad, but on the whole this looks like a wasted opportunity by IE and NIR.

 

[Cyberbeagle]

Where to begin... LOLs...

Both companies know the Enterprise is clapped out, but because it is run jointly neither side really give a damn, with each saying the opposite government should fork out for investment. And then IE lets the Enterprise doddle behind local DART services into Dublin.

Translink are discussing electricification by 2035. But not sure IE are

Oh, and south of Dundalk standard class is usually filled with local traffic (i.e. Mrs Brown characters with hordes of screaming kids) on weekends, LOLs...

 

[CallySleeper]

Agree with this. In NI & ROI I actually usually prefer the respective coach services over using the train, and this is no exception. Unless you take offer of a rail promotion the coach tends to come out cheaper than the train, and more frequent.

When I worked in Belfast and had to travel to Dublin on business, I'd always get the X1, for frequency and cost mainly. Meanwhile, my better half always prefers the Enterprise for some reason xD

 

[TUC]

There are some basic common sense things they could do like moving the 1650 departure to after 1700 to suit more commuters.

Mind you, there is scarcely more common sense used on the coach service with Translink vehicles accepting both sterling and euros but Bus Eireann only accepting euros. Truly bizarre!

 

[PFX]

I was on the Translink NI website earlier and couldn't help but think what a cr**py service this looks.

You did well to navigate their site. I suppose the NIR part isn't too bad but if you're visiting Belfast or the rest of NI and trying to find out bus info, good luck! The journey planner is a joke.

If you're not in a rush, a First Plus webfare is worth the £30 and the food in First Plus is surprisingly good and reasonable too.

For example, journey times are not any quicker than by the X1 coach. Also, commuters/business travellers cannot get into Dublin before 0900. The return journeys in the evening peak are at 1650 and 1900, so little use to the average commuter again.

One of the biggest criticisms of the service. I would have used the train many times but for the fact the timings are completely hopeless. It's very short-sighted thinking on the part of NIR and IÉ and misses out on a whole sector of potential customers.

The interior of the First Plus carriages look deceptively like Eurostar, so not bad, but on the whole this looks like a wasted opportunity by IE and NIR.

The interior design is based on that used for Eurostar. It is quite roomy and comfortable but the interior is very tired looking now and is in some serious need of a refurb (think that 1990s black, red, grey combo that seemed to be everywhere at the time). Whether or not this will happen is anyone's guess.

Given the Class 22000s appear to be taking on more and more routes, I would wonder how long the IÉ Mk 4 stock will remain in use. Perhaps it would be an ideal replacement for the De Dietrich stock on the Enterprise? All that would then be needed is a properly thought out service (and millions in track improvement...)

 

[kylemore]

I know theres lots of difficulties with the comparison (and no doubt I'm going to be told why shortly in no uncertain terms!) but I'm going to make it anyway, between Scotland and Ireland and rail transport between their respective two largest Cities.
Roughly as many trains per hour between Glasgow and Edinburgh as there are per day between Belfast and Dublin, on four routes with a range of fast, semi-fast and stopping services offering lots of travel opportunities.
Did the rot of the 1960s and 1970s in rail go further in Ireland than in Scotland or is all due to the past and present political situation?

 

[jamesontheroad]

is all due to the past and present political situation?

Many reasons.

Lack of political stability, lack of long term political vision (or rather lack of two long term political visions!) and lack of investment. The deployment of the dedicated de Dietrich rolling stock was a huge improvement over older carriages, but has ultimately limited the Enterprise. There isn't sufficient rolling stock for an hourly service, and there have been endless problems with the locomotives providing head end power.

I seem to recall there was an idea to acquire and re-guage a number of the Meridians currently working the MML in GB, but that came to nothing.

The ongoing stasis is basically down to two facts... firstly, that it will take millions to upgrade the line to support speeds competitive with road, and secondly that a new rolling stock solution is required: one that is cheaper (so likely DMU) and one that has a greater number of units to support at least hourly service.

 

[Aldaniti]

The OP may have a point but I take the view that second class rail travel is always better than first class bus travel....

 

[Con]

I know theres lots of difficulties with the comparison (and no doubt I'm going to be told why shortly in no uncertain terms!) but I'm going to make it anyway, between Scotland and Ireland and rail transport between their respective two largest Cities.
Roughly as many trains per hour between Glasgow and Edinburgh as there are per day between Belfast and Dublin, on four routes with a range of fast, semi-fast and stopping services offering lots of travel opportunities.
Did the rot of the 1960s and 1970s in rail go further in Ireland than in Scotland or is all due to the past and present political situation?

Generally, the rot set in during the fifties in both jurisdictions, with the Northern Ireland Government a bit keener on killing the railways. Ireland is a small place and there would be vested interests in keeping business on the roads.

 

[Liam]

Mind you, there is scarcely more common sense used on the coach service with Translink vehicles accepting both sterling and euros but Bus Eireann only accepting euros. Truly bizarre!

Don't BE accept Sterling on cross-border services, but at an exchange rate usually made up by the driver on the spot? This used to be the case anyway,

 

[Con]

The OP may have a point but I take the view that second class rail travel is always better than first class bus travel....

If there was a "like" function I'd give a thumbs up for that..

 

[PFX]

I know theres lots of difficulties with the comparison... but I'm going to make it anyway, between Scotland and Ireland and rail transport between their respective two largest Cities.

Difficulties, yes. There's no comparison, beyond the journey involving a train between two cities.