Irish Railway Record Society

IE 2007 TIMETABLE

Denis McCabe

The annual timetable change took place on 14 January 2007 and the new timetable is valid until 8 December 2007. This year’s timetable features a move to an hourly regular interval service on the Dublin-Cork line provided by new CAF Mk IV rolling stock. Dublin-Limerick services are upgraded with more Mk III trains. Cork and Kerry Friday-Only and Saturday-Only services are no longer provided.

Extra time has been added to schedules to allow for speed restrictions for the Cherry Orchard-Hazelhatch four-track scheme on the Dublin-Cork line. New stations at Docklands, and Adamstown are shown as opening during the currency of the timetable.

Minor changes are not noted in the review below.

DUBLIN - CORK

Down (Dublin-Cork) Monday-Saturday trains are at 07:00, 08:00, 09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00, 18:00, 19:00, 20:00 and 21:00. However the up direction trains feature a gap in morning services. Trains depart Cork at 05:15, 06:30, 07:30, 09:30, 10:30, 11:30, 12:30, 13:30, 14:30, 15:30, 16:30, 17:30, 18:30, 19:30, and 20:30. There is also a railcar connection from Cork to Mallow at 08:30 to connect into the 07:15 Tralee-Dublin. This new frequent service means that Fridays and Saturdays-Only trains are no longer provided between Dublin and Cork .

All Cork trains are formed by fixed formation 8-car CAF Mk IV trains consisting of a driving trailer with two generators for heating and lighting, a City Gold (First), a catering vehicle and five standard class carriages. They operate in push-pull mode with a 201-class locomotive.

The stopping pattern is varied with intermediate stations not benefiting from regular interval departures throughout the day. Most trains have three intermediate stops. The general pattern is that every train serves Mallow, every second train serves Limerick Junction or Charleville and most serve Thurles, although this is not consistently applied. However, some also serve Portlaoise, while the early morning 05:15 Cork-Dublin serves all stations Cork-Portarlington as a commuter service to Dublin , arriving in Heuston at 08:25. Intermediate stations north of Thurles are generally served by a new approximately two-hourly service of through Dublin-Limerick trains formed by Mk III rolling stock. These generally serve all stations between Kildare and Thurles except Monasterevan and Ballybrophy (some stop).

The fastest trains are those with two intermediate stops at 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00 Dublin-Cork at 2 hours 45 minutes and the 06:30, 12:30, 14:30 (with 3 stops), 18:30 and 20:30 (with 3 stops) Cork-Dublin, an average speed of 60-mph. Journey times for three stops are generally 2 hours 50 minutes, which is 15 minutes slower than existed in the late 1980s. For example, the 17:30 Cork-Dublin was slowed by 6 minutes in 2005, a further 3 minutes in 2006 and is now slowed by a further 5 minutes to arrive at 20:20. This train used arrive at 20:05 and was a good timekeeper.

Dublin-Cork Sunday trains are at 10:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00,16:00, 17:00, 18:00, 19:00 and 21:00 with a connection from Mallow to Cork out of the 08:10 Dublin-Tralee. Up direction departures are at 08:30, 10:30, 12:30, 13:30, 14:30, 15:30, 16:30, 17:30, 18:30 and 19:30. Journey times and variable stopping patterns are similar to weekdays.

MALLOW - CORK - COBH

There is an unprecedented level of service between Mallow and Cork , with no less than 30 trains per direction on each weekday. This is up from 23 trains last year. For example Mallow-Cork morning trains are at 07:00, 07:30, 08:00, 08:30, 09:00 and 09:20, with evening Cork-Mallow trains at 15:30, 16:00, 16:30, 16:55,17:30, 17:55, 18:30, 18:55 and 19:30.

Sunday trains are only slightly increased in frequency with 16 trains in each direction.

There are no major changes in Cork-Cobh services.

DUBLIN - LIMERICK - ENNIS

There is a significant increase in frequency, provided by both through services using the Direct Curve at Limerick Junction and by connections to/from Limerick Junction. Through trains are formed by Mk IIIs and operate approximately two-hourly but with gaps, and the overall pattern is not regular interval. There is a new train departing Limerick at 05:35, arriving in Heuston at 08:00. This and connections into Cork-Dublin trains results in a better than hourly early morning service from Limerick to Dublin . Gaps include no departures from Dublin between 18:00 and 20:00 and no through Limerick-Dublin trains between 07:35 and 12:35. Limerick-Limerick Junction trains approach hourly regular interval at xx.55 between 06:55 and 19:55, except at 18:50 instead of 18:55 and then at 21:05 and 22:00. They are varied in the opposite direction.

Weekday down (Dublin-Limerick) through services using the Direct Curve (D) and by changing at Limerick Junction (J) are at: 07:00 (J), 08:00 (J), 09:25 (D), 10:00 (J), 11:25 (D), 12:00 (J), 13:25 (D), 14:00 (J), 15:25 (D), 17:05 (D), 17:25 (D), 18:00 (J), 20:00 (J) and 21:00 (J). Journey times are generally 2 hours 23 - 26 minutes for through services and 2 hours 12 - 15 minutes via Limerick Junction, with the 17:05 down taking 2 hours 15 minutes. On Fridays, this train runs through to Ennis.

Up trains are at 05:35 (D), 06:35 (D), 06:55 (J), 07:35 (D), 07:55 (J), 09:55 (J), 11:55 (J), 12:35 (D), 13:55 (J), 14:15 (D), 15:55 (J), 17:35 (D), 17:55 (J) and 19:55 (J). Journey times are generally 2 hours 25 minutes, with the 07:35 taking 2 hours 15 minutes, an average speed of 57-mph.

On Sundays, there is a similar pattern of through and connecting services. Down through services are at 11:25, 13:25, 15:25, 18:25, 19:25 and 21:25. Up trains have a 2-hourly regular interval service departing Limerick at 08:35, 10:35, 12:35, 14:35, 16:35 and 18:35.

Ennis-Limerick has nine weekday trains. However, connections to Dublin in the morning have deteriorated due to changes in the Cork-Dublin stopping pattern at Limerick Junction. Ennis-Limerick trains are at 06:45, 08:00, 10:05, 11:50, 13:30, 15:05, 17:05 18:45 and 20:20. However there is no Dublin connection from the 08:00, 10:05 and 20:20.

Weekday Limerick-Ennis trains are at 06:00, 09:20, 11:05, 12:45, 14:20, 16:20, 18:00 and 19:30, with all except the 06:00 having connections from Dublin. The 19:30 on Fridays is a through train from Dublin .

The fastest Ennis-Dublin journey time is the 06:45 and 13:30 at 3 hours 05 minutes. Dublin-Ennis journey times are generally 3 hours or 3 hours 05 minutes.

Sunday Ennis-Limerick departures are at 07:50, 09:45, 11:45, 13:50, 15:45, 17:40 and 19:10. All provide connections into through Limerick-Dublin trains at Limerick except the 19:10, which also requires a change at Limerick Junction. Sunday Limerick-Ennis trains are at 07:00, 09:00, 10:50, 12:30, 14:40, 16:40, 18:25 and 20:55, with all except the first two having connections from Dublin. Dublin journey times in both directions are between 3 hours 05 minutes and 3 hours 20 minutes.

Ennis-Limerick journey time remains at 40- minutes despite the completion of track re-laying and installation of colour light signals at level crossings. The journey time In the 1903 timetable was 42-minutes and was 36-minutes in the 1966 timetable.

CORK - LIMERICK

The new hourly service on the Dublin-Cork line has allowed a big improvement in Cork-Limerick services via connections at Limerick Junction. Cork-Limerick services are at 06:30, 07:30, 09:30, 11:30, 13:30, 15:30, 17:30 and 19:30. Limerick-Cork services are at 07:55, 08:55, 10:55, 12:55, 14:55, 17:55, 18:50, 21:05 and 22:00. Journey times are between 1 hour 28 minutes and 2 hours 06 minutes Cork-Limerick and 1 hour 50 minutes and 2 hours 02 minutes Limerick-Cork.

DUBLIN / CORK - TRALEE

Frequency of weekday services between Tralee and Dublin is increased to eight per day each way with the addition of a 19:15 Tralee-Dublin and a 20:00 Dublin-Tralee service. All involve a change to/from a railcar at Mallow, except the through 07:15 Tralee-Dublin and 18:30 Dublin-Tralee formed by Mk IIIs Connections have a waiting time in Mallow of between 5 and 13 minutes, with most at 13 minutes. The altered early morning Tralee-Dublin service departs Tralee at 05:25 and arrives in Dublin at 09:15. Existing additional Fridays and/or Saturdays-Only trains are abolished.

Dublin-Tralee services are at 07:00, 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00, 18:30 and 20:00. Tralee-Dublin services are at 05:25, 07:15, 09:15, 11:15, 13:15, 15:15, 17:15, 19:15 and 21:15 to Cork only.

Trains are further slowed this year with the fastest services being the 05:25 Tralee-Dublin at 3 hours 50 minutes and the 20:00 Dublin-Tralee at 3 hours 53 minutes. However, nearly all Tralee-Dublin services take 4 hours or 4 hours 05 minutes and Dublin-Tralee service take 4 hours 03 minutes. The fastest Dublin-Tralee time in the late 1980s was 3 hours 35 minutes with the same stops.

On Sundays, Dublin-Tralee trains are 08:10 (through), 10:00, 13:00, 15:00, and 19:10 (through). There is also a 07:55 Mallow-Tralee. Up trains depart Tralee at 07:15 11:15, 13:45 (through), 15:15, 17:15, 17:45 (through) and 19:15 to Cork Only.

The 08:10 down and 17:45 up are through trains worked by a Mk III push-pull and the 07:15 Tralee-Mallow, 09:25 Mallow-Tralee, 13:45 Tralee-Dublin and 19:10 Dublin-Tralee are worked by a Mk III.

Tralee-Cork services take between 1 hour 56 minutes and 2 hours 35 minutes and Cork-Tralee services take between 2 hours 05 minutes and 2 hours 33 minutes. The connection times at Mallow range from 3 to 33 minutes.

DUBLIN - WATERFORD

There are no major changes but trains are generally slowed down. The fastest train is the 07:35 Waterford-Dublin at 2 hours 30 minutes, which is 37 minutes slower than planned in the Government’s Operational Programme for Transport 1994-9. The 18:25 Waterford-Dublin is even slower this year at 3 hour 1 minute, an average speed of 37 mph. It sits for 7 minutes in Ballyhale Loop and 13 minutes in Muine Bheag for crossings. On Sundays, the 13:30 and 18:30 Waterford-Dublin are advanced by 30 minutes. Waterford departures are now at: 09:30, 13:00, 14:30 and 18:00.

The remainder of this article appears in IRRS Journal number 162, published February 2007.