New timetable, yet "cyclist could beat Belfast/Derry train"

[jamesontheroad]

Despite a new and "improved" timetable following major track improvements between Belfast and Coleraine, NI Railways have actually added 45 minutes to the morning train from Belfast to L'Derry !

The new timetable: http://www.nirailways.co.uk/future/NIR_3_O.asp

Source: http://www.derryjournal.com/journal/Cyclist-could-beat-Derry-train.5685054.jp

Cyclist could beat Derry train
Published Date: 29 September 2009
By Staff reporter

The early morning Belfast to Derry rail service is now Europe's slowest inter city train, it has been claimed.

Rail lobby group Into the West say a revised timetable, which came into effect yesterday and which was designed to bring commuters into Derry before 9am, is nothing short of a "joke."

"We have serious concerns over the timetable and believe the whole thing has been done in haste," Into the West spokesman Jim McBride told the 'Journal' yesterday.

He said those concerns centred on both journey times and speeds and on a lack of consultation prior to the timetable being introduced.

The new early morning train leaves Belfast at 6.20am to arrive in Derry by 9am. Under the previous timetable the trains departed at 6.55am to arrive in Derry at 9.10am.

Mr McBride said the new service fails passengers.

"It is an absolute joke. Passengers are going nowhere fast. The journey now has an average speed of around 30mph. What we have is the slowest inter city train in Europe. A journey time of 2hours 40 minutes is unacceptable. We are also seriously concerned that while the passengers charter states four weeks notice must be given of timetable changes this was introduced over four days," he said.

Mr McBride said the lobby group have submitted revised proposals to Translink which he believes would greatly improve the current service.

The lobby group have also outlined their concerns to Transport Minister Conor Murphy.

In a letter sent yesterday, Dr Martin Melaugh told Minister Murphy: “Into The West has had a look at the timetable and produced a timing path that would have this train leave Belfast at 6.55am and arrive into Derry at 8.57am (two hours and three minutes). Perhaps someone in your Department, with a responsibility for public transport, could ask NIR why they don't run the train on this schedule.

”This morning was the first day of the new timetable and the train was delayed (beyond the five scheduled delays; including 15 minutes at Coleraine) and did not arrive into Derry until 9.18am.”

Dr Melaugh said a club cyclist could get to Derry quicker than the Belfast train

A spokeswoman for Translink said the early morning train now takes thirty minutes longer due to "infrastructure constraints".

"We are currently reviewing the complete Derry line timetable, within the context of the complete network. Passengers travelling between Coleraine and Belfast will benefit from journey time reductions of 10 to 15 minutes.

"We are working hard to deliver additional trains and track renewal, speed and signalling upgrade work between Coleraine and Londonderry which will allow us to increase frequency, speed journeys and get trains into Derry earlier in the morning," she said.

 

[SWT Driver]

What they moaning about, the Irish have just done what all of the mainland TOC's have been doing for the last 5 years, which is loading the timetables to the point where trains have so much time built into their schedules that they rarely fall outside of the "Charter" constraints therefore meaning that they don't have to payout compensation.

It's called a CON, just like the party that privatised the network. The CONservatives, the biggest bunch of CONs & CON artists going.

 

[emoaconr]

What they moaning about, the Irish have just done what all of the mainland TOC's have been doing for the last 5 years, which is loading the timetables to the point where trains have so much time built into their schedules that they rarely fall outside of the "Charter" constraints therefore meaning that they don't have to payout compensation.

It's called a CON, just like the party that privatised the network. The CONservatives, the biggest bunch of CONs & CON artists going.

Not that I advocate the Tories (far from it!), but NIR is state owned, which is why this case is rather bemusing. NIR is providing a public service and therefore should be all for the benefit of the passenger over their profits... did BR ever do anything of the sort?

 

[yorkie]

Where's Derry? Anyway...

http://www.londonderrysentinel.co.uk/news/New-rail-timetable-a-joke.5676629.jp

New rail timetable 'a joke'
Published Date: 24 September 2009

A PROPOSED new rail timetable from Belfast to Londonderry has been branded a "joke" by a Londonderry railway campaigner.
Speaking on behalf of the North West railway lobby group, Into The West, Jim McBride, pointed out that early morning commuters will now face a longer journey time than before under the new timetable.
Regional Development Minister, Conor Murphy, recently intervened with Translink on the new revised train timetables for the Londonderry line as anger erupted in the North West at the disclosure early morning trains would not arrive in the city until 9.30am - 20 minutes later than before.
His intervention led to new proposals which he said would lead to improvements for rail users and ensure a train will arrive in Londonderry by 9.00am.
But details of the revised timetable - due to take effect from September 27 - have now been released and reveal that early morning commuters from Belfast to Londonderry face an extra 25 minutes wait in Coleraine.
As a result passengers will have to leave Belfast at 6.20am to arrive in Londonderry by 9am. Under the current timetable they can leave at 6.55am and arrive in the city at 9.10am.
"The new service is a bit of a joke," said Mr McBride. "It doesn't add up. It's supposed to be an upgraded line but passengers face an extra 25 minutes on the train for the same journey. Why do passengers have to wait in Coleraine for 25 minutes at eight in the morning."
Mr McBride said investment in the form of more passing loops is required on the Londonderry to Belfast line to significantly reduce journey times and improve the service

 

[Drsatan]

He presumably means Londonderry

 

[tbtc]

Typical reporting.

The overall service improves (fifteen minutes faster etc), but because *one* journey a day will be slower people start complaining as if the overall thing is a backwards step...

Personally, I'd have thought that the most important peak journey would be the one *to* Belfast for morning commuters (do that many people really commute in the other direction?) though.

Whilst I'm not excusing the changes to this early morning service, it's frustrating that once again the media are reporting the one negative thing and not the overall positive story

 

[jamesontheroad]

Personally, I'd have thought that the most important peak journey would be the one *to* Belfast for morning commuters (do that many people really commute in the other direction?) though.

The article draws on a letter written by a North West campaign group, which has long been concerned with the focus that Belfast receives. Londonderry / Derry / Stroke-City (whatever, it's the same occasionally beautiful walled city) has long played second fiddle to Belfast, and its people - of both communities - regard the city with pride. I suspect that while a faster journey to Belfast is indeed welcomed, it is being seized upon as indicative of a general age-old prejudice against the city that getting from Belfast to Derry has not received the same attention.

There are more track renewal plans in the works, and hopefully also a new passing loop along the single line track between Coleraine and Derry. Fingers crossed that in a few years time we'll have an average journey time between Belfast and Derry of less than two hours (in both directions ), with sufficient coaching stock on peak trains (the 4000 class trains are coming) and perhaps also a return of consistent on board catering provision.

 

[yorkie]

It's quite a slow journey at around 2 hours for only 70 miles. 'Eboracum' to 'Londinium' (if we're using old/foreign names! ) takes a similar time but is over 185 miles.

 

[mumrar]

What they moaning about, the Irish have just done what all of the mainland TOC's have been doing for the last 5 years, which is loading the timetables to the point where trains have so much time built into their schedules that they rarely fall outside of the "Charter" constraints therefore meaning that they don't have to payout compensation.

It's called a CON, just like the party that privatised the network. The CONservatives, the biggest bunch of CONs & CON artists going.

Whilst it's true that TOCs here load up timetables to cushion delays, it is not to this degree. On routes I'm familiar with this isn't the case. The timetable for Longbridge to New Street couldn't get any tighter and requires fast station duties and driving. Some of the schedules for Derby-New St non stop are very tight too at about 30 minutes.

 

[gordonthemoron]

BR always built in slack between the penultimate station stop and the destination, although perhaps not as much as todays TOCs.

 

[tbtc]

BR always built in slack between the penultimate station stop and the destination, although perhaps not as much as todays TOCs.

Good point; something a lot of people "forget"!