#iarnrod-eireann — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #iarnrod-eireann, aggregated by home.social.
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Stadler liefert erstmals Züge für Irland - mit Diesel-Elektro-Batterie-Antrieb
#Bahnverkehr #Belfast #Dublin #Eisenbahn #Flirt #IarnródÉireann #Intercity #Irland #Mobilität #Nordirland #NorthernIrelandRailways #Stadler
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Request to Iarnród Éireann to move from X
I’ve posted a number of items recently (e.g. here) about why public institutions in Ireland (and anywhere else, for that matter) should not be using X. I noticed today a message on BlueSky containing the following clear and compelling letter from a number of commuter organizations to Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann), which can be found here but which I’m taking the liberty of sharing in full here to amplify.
–o–
We are writing as rail and commuter advocacy groups across Ireland, to request that Iarnród Éireann move its real-time service updates regarding cancellations and delays from the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to your own website and official channels.
Currently, passengers seeking up-to-date information about service disruptions must have an active X account to view these critical updates. This creates several significant problems:
Accessibility Concerns: Requiring passengers to maintain an account on a third-party social media platform to access essential public transport information creates an unnecessary barrier. Many passengers, particularly elderly travellers or those who choose not to use social media, are effectively excluded from receiving timely service updates.
Platform Concerns: Recent controversies surrounding X, including serious issues with child safety and content moderation failures involving Grok AI, make it an increasingly inappropriate platform for a state-owned public service to rely upon as its primary and in some cases, only communication channel. Iarnród Éireann should not require its customers to engage with a platform facing such significant ethical and safety concerns. Dublin City Council have this week stopped posting on the platform because of these concerns.
Service Reliability: Relying on a third-party platform also creates vulnerability. Changes to X’s policies, accessibility, or availability are beyond Iarnród Éireann’s control and could impact passengers’ access to vital travel information. EU and Irish law limiting access to these platforms for under 16’s could be introduced in the coming years which would remove the ability for young people to receive up to date journey information.
I would respectfully suggest that Iarnród Éireann implement real-time service updates (including information on delays/cancellations/amendments) directly on irishrail.ie , along with TFI Live and the Irish Rail app, where they can be freely accessed by all passengers without requiring any third-party account. This information is essential public service data and should be universally accessible.
Recommendations for Improved Service Communication
Beyond relocating updates to your own platform, we would like to suggest several improvements to how disruption information is communicated to passengers:
Clear Alternative Transport Information: When disruptions occur, guidance on alternative transport options is often vague or incomplete. For example, announcements stating “Dublin Bus will accept tickets” leave passengers uncertain whether LUAS, Go-Ahead, or LocalLink services are also available. Clear, specific information about all accepted alternative services would significantly reduce passenger confusion and stress during disruptions. Additionally, when a delay does occur, stating ‘operational issues’ does not allow commuters to determine the length of disruption. Commuters could utilise alternate modes of transport in the event of disruption, but cannot make the decision on whether to do so or not without clear information from Iarnrod Éireann. Other international providers have recently switched to a more detailed information provision in the events of issues or delays. For example, Dutch Railways, instead of saying ‘operational reasons’ now say ‘a fallen wire, or broken down train’ that allow passengers to more accurately determine whether to find alternative transport or to wait. It may also be useful to include a scale, letting the customer know whether or not the incident is minor, notable, or major where possible.
Visual Aids and Information Hierarchy: Reading lengthy blocks of text to understand service disruptions is inadequate, particularly for passengers trying to quickly assess their options whilst at stations or en route. Disruption information would benefit greatly from visual aids such as maps showing affected sections, clear headings, and structured information that allows passengers to quickly grasp the extent and nature of disruptions. A balance must be struck between providing sufficient detail and maintaining clarity.
Integration with Journey Planning Tools: Iarnród Éireann maintains a GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification) data feed that enables real-time information to be pushed to the TFI Live app and third-party applications such as Google Maps or Transit. We strongly encourage Iarnród Éireann to utilise this capability fully, ensuring that disruption information reaches passengers through the multiple platforms they already use for journey planning.
Location-Specific Disruption Guides: For locations where service disruptions occur regularly, Iarnród Éireann should provide dedicated journey planning resources. For instance, a guide explaining “My train has broken down in Greystones, what services can I access from here and where can I find further disruption information?” would be invaluable. Such resources would empower passengers to make informed decisions quickly during stressful situations.
We would appreciate your consideration of this matter and look forward to your response.
South East on Track, Cork Commuter Coalition, Dublin Commuter Coalition, Galway Commuter Coalition.
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Accessibility Upgrade at Maynooth Railway Station
In these turbulent times I think it’s a good idea to stay grounded and pay attention to the small things in life that can make a difference. On that note I thought I’d share a picture of the new accessible footbridge and lifts at Maynooth railway station:
The new bridge and lifts, seen from the Mullen Bridge, looking in the direction of Kilcock.These works took over a year to complete and were finished before Christmas, but I only just got round to taking a picture. The previous footbridge was rather rickety and had quite steep steps which made it difficult to get across between the platforms. It was also uncovered; the new one provides shelter from the elements. Moreover, without any lifts any person in a wheelchair would have to leave the station, go all the way up to the Mullen Bridge on one side of the track, cross the bridge, go all the way back down and enter the station again on the other side of the tracks.
Usually the trains heading to Dublin leave from the platform on the right (Platform 1) and those from Dublin arrive on the left (Platform 2), but this isn’t always the case. In fact when I’m travelling back on the late train from a concert in Dublin it seems to be random whether it arrives at Platform 1 or 2. It doesn’t make much of a difference for me getting home, though. Platform 2 is marginally closer to my house but the station is only 5 minutes’ walk anyway.
The new bridge took such a long time to construct because foundations needed to be laid for the towers containing the lifts and the station itself widened to accommodate them. Lifts are quite expensive to maintain and one quite often sees on the electronic signs in the station warnings that lifts in various places are out of order. I hope it’s a long time before we see a sign that the lifts at Maynooth aren’t working!
The new bridge was built next to the old one, on the side towards the viewer in the photo above, but when the new one was finished the old one was dismantled. I for one am not sorry it has gone. Anyway, the new bridge is a welcome improvement for Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) users. Unfortunately Irish Rail persists in making its only service announcementd via Xitter, for which I can see no justification. Thanks, Irish Rail, for the Accessibility Upgrade at Maynooth, but you need to get of X. Now.
#IarnródÉireann #IrishRail #MaynoothRailwayStation #X #Xitter
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WH Davis to expand UK workforce http://dlvr.it/TMykqJ #IarnródÉireann #IrishRail #Railfreight #RailNews
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WH Davis to expand UK workforce http://dlvr.it/TMykkN #IarnródÉireann #IrishRail #Railfreight #RailNews
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#IarnródÉireann is still my favourite phrase in #Irish that I hear in regular life. So many vowels! #Mastodaoine
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Britain’s wagon maker wins Irish order http://dlvr.it/TKcT3C #IarnródÉireann #IarnródÉireannIrishRail #Ireland #Railfreight
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Ireland within reach of Limerick – Foynes freight railway renewal http://dlvr.it/TKRhyC #Foynes #IarnródÉireann #Infrastructure #Ireland
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If you're getting any #IarnródÉireann trains across Ireland, note that you can't book a seat when you get to the station any more - you can only do it over the phone or online, at least an hour in advance #IrishRail
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Views are being sought on planned changes to the Iarnród Éireann timetable coming up in August of this year. It includes an uplift in services on the cross-border Enterprise service between Dublin and Belfast.
Details here: https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/news/Timetable-Consultation-2024 #Ireland #Railway #IarnródÉireann -
New train map just dropped? #Dublin #IarnródÉireann
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Cork to Dublin #rail accelerated to 2h14 in "New #IarnródÉireann timetable to include ‘fastest scheduled service’ between #Cork and #Dublin"
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via #IrishRail:
"Speed restriction of 50mh/80kh in place across the entire rail network this morning due to weather alerts. All services are currently operating on all routes. However, delays to services are expected."
More: https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/news/storm-debi-impact-on-rail-services
🚂
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It's worth ringing Iarnród Éireann just to hear the gorgeous voice of the "please dial one for…" guy on the machine #Gaeilge #SaicsBearla #IarnródÉireann
