‘It is sloppy' – train delays criticised as Irish Rail data lays bare extent of rail punctuality problems
The data released under freedom of information shows that last October, the 5.40am Cork to Dublin train had 26 trips in total.
Of those, just three arrived in Dublin on time and two were early. Of the 21 that were late, 15 were late by five minutes or more.
A train is only considered to be late by Irish Rail if it arrives 10 or more minutes after its scheduled arrival time, a metric set by the National Transport Authority (NTA).
If people don't trust the train to be on time, they will take the car
Fianna Fáil MEP for Ireland South Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, who compiled the data, said Irish Rail's own punctuality figures are 'flawed and designed to hide tardy timekeeping'.
Ms Ní Mhurchú, who is a negotiator on passenger rights in the European Parliament, has called for a switch to the metric used in Switzerland, whereby a train is deemed late if it arrives three or more minutes after it was scheduled.
'When a train is late, it is late. Clearly some delays are minor delays. That doesn't excuse them. We need to engender the same mentality in our rail services that the Swiss have. Be on time, every time,' she said.
'If people don't trust the train to be on time, they will take the car. That is why we cannot be happy with a 75pc or 80pc punctuality rating.
'It is sloppy and unnecessary at a time when we need people to trust in their national train service.
'Trains in Switzerland are reaching over 93pc punctuality rates and they only classify a train as on time when it reaches its destination within three minutes of its scheduled arrival – unlike Irish Rail who are allowing 10 minutes leeway before considering a train to be late.'
There was a more positive timekeeping record for the 5.45am Tralee to Dublin service, Ms Ní Mhurchú said, with just two arrivals late by more than five minutes out of 18 journeys in January last year.
In the same month, the 8.49am Tipperary to Dublin train was late 11 times out of 26 journeys and late by five or more minutes on four of those occasions.
Last December, the 5.59am Wexford to Dublin service was late 13 times out of 15 trips.
An Irish Rail spokesperson welcomed Ms Ní Mhurchú's comments and said Swiss governments have prioritised rail investment, while for decades Ireland 'saw dramatic under-investment in its rail network'.
'Iarnród Éireann's punctuality performance measures are determined by the National Transport Authority (NTA), under our Public Service Contract (PSC) with the NTA, and any changes in these measures are a matter for the NTA,' they said.
'Under the current PSC contract, the NTA determines punctuality on the Iarnród Éireann network to be measured on the following basis: Dart, Dublin Commuter and Cork Commuter Routes on time or within five minutes of time; Intercity and Regional Routes on time or within 10 minutes of time.
'The current investment programme and our ambitions under the All-Island Strategic Rail Review will – amongst other measures to improve frequency, capacity and speeds – see more double-track and four-tracking, and we welcome Ms Ní Mhurchú's support for the scale of that ambition.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Irish Examiner
Fogarty Forum: If players want replays, the GAA should bring them back
Funny how things work out almost as if planned. Four months ago, Cork GAA chief executive Kevin O'Donovan stood up at Annual Congress in Donegal and said his county were in favour of replays applying to All-Ireland finals after 70 minutes but not provincial finals following extra-time. This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in Subscribe to access all of the Irish Examiner. Annual €120€60 Best value Monthly €10€4 / month Unlimited access. Subscriber content. Daily ePaper. Additional benefits.
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
"A country can't fight on empty stomachs": the importance of a mobile bakery in Ukraine
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Felicity Spector, a London-based TV news journalist and food influencer, wanted to help, not least because her paternal grandparents left Dnipro for London in the early 1900s, forced into exile by the wave of pogroms sweeping the Russian Empire. Not wanting to just be 'sitting at home, thinking, 'This is awful',' she got practical. Having been in touch with a Kyiv-based bakery for a potential news item, Spector subsequently found out 'that their warehouse had been bombed and they'd lost all their equipment and spare ingredients: Everything'. Her passion for food blogging meant she knew many London bakery owners, who, she felt, might have old or unused equipment they'd be willing to donate. Her hunch was bang on. 'Anna, who ran the bakery in Kyiv, gave me a list, and within 48 hours I'd found all of it.' A friend put Spector in touch with charity Sunflower Aid, 'and they said, 'OK, let's fill up the vans with all this stuff and drive to Ukraine'.' Spector provided 'the in-car entertainment' as they drove from London to Kyiv with the equipment and supplies, which the bakery then used to make free bread for people in need. While in Ukraine, she heard about Bake for Ukraine, a non-profit run by volunteers. 'It was working with very small bakeries, making free bread for communities that needed it. I thought, 'Wow'. I really wanted to do what I could for them, so that's how that relationship started.' Bake for Ukraine was co-founded by Odesa-born food writer and chef Maria Kalenska, who is, Spector says, 'Very passionate about spreading knowledge about Ukrainian bread culture.' Ukraine has long been known as the 'bread basket of Europe', with its blue-and-yellow flag symbolising the country's endless golden wheatfields under a vivid blue sky. 'They've always had amazing quality wheat, rye, and sunflower seeds, so, obviously, you make bread,' Spector says. 'Ukraine has a history of bread-making and many traditions and holidays are marked by specific breads.' When Spector met Kalenska, the Ukrainian was searching for a mobile bakery. The power cuts of the winter of 2022 had highlighted the need for flexibility in getting bread to people enduring prolonged blackouts and Kalenska had a specific vehicle in mind: A Swiss military mobile bakery built during the Cold War, 100 of which had been donated by a charity to Ukraine 20 years ago. Most had since been stripped for parts, but Kalenska located one in good condition near to her home city of Odesa. Spector set up a JustGiving page, which, in a matter of days, had reached £15,000 (she later discovered that British food critic Jay Rayner had posted the link on his Sunday food column, 'one of the many acts of incredible kindness we've witnessed on our bakery journey'). Spector travelled to Izmil with the Bake for Ukraine team to purchase the truck. They brought everything needed to bake test loaves of bread, including a precious sourdough starter of Kalenska's. Eleven hours after they arrived — sourdough takes time — they were tucking in to buttery, warm slices of bread, with the rest of the day's loaves packed up, ready to be donated to a local national guard unit. It would still need to be transported and serviced, but the mobile bakery was ready. A SYMBOL OF UKRAINIAN IDENTITY Spector has since travelled to Ukraine many times, using up all her holidays and taking unpaid leave to volunteer with Bake for Ukraine. She has documented many of her encounters in her book, Bread & War, 'a collection of stories about people who work or volunteer in food and how they've kept the country going during the full-scale war'. Bake for Ukraine's refurbished mobile bakery is based in Mykolaiv — a war-torn city that's still subject to kamikaze drone attacks — where it supplies bread to villagers close to the front line. The mobile bakers make sourdough palyanytsya, a bread that's become 'a kind of symbol of Ukrainian identity', says Spector, explaining that due to phonetic differences between the Ukrainian and Russian languages, Russians cannot pronounce the word for the traditional Ukrainian round loaf. At the beginning of the invasion, 'palyanytsya' became a shibboleth, a way of identifying enemy agents. If you couldn't say it, you were under suspicion; if you could, you were likely trustworthy. Kalenska told Spector she chose 'palyanytsya' for the mobile bakeries because of its heritage. 'She said 'We know this is our part of our soul. This is who we are. We are honouring the wheat and we're making something which is really beautiful'.' It's also practical: The bread, a rich recipe of flour, milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt, keeps for more than a week and receiving it is emotional for people living in devastated regions. Bread and War by Felicity Spector In Bread & War, Spector writes, 'On one trip to a badly damaged village, a woman was so delighted to see some proper Ukrainian palyanytsya that she held it to her face for several minutes, smelling and kissing the loaf over and over again.' The legacy of the Holodomor, the Stalin-induced famine of the 1930s, means in Ukraine that bread is never wasted, Spector says. 'Nobody would throw away even a crust of bread, because their grandparents said 'No, you can't, we had to eat grass. We would never waste anything. You can't throw away bread. It's valuable'.' The mobile bakery was producing 200 loaves of nutritious sourdough daily, but thanks to a recent volunteer from the Netherlands bringing a new, more efficient mixer, the output of loaves has doubled. A US grant means the volunteers can be paid, Spector says, and two more refurbished mobile bakeries are just about ready to go, thanks to fund-raising efforts by Stateside bakeries. Ukrainians aren't 'sitting around' waiting for Westerners to come and help, though. 'They're getting on with it,' Spector says. 'There's this really strong community spirit. Obviously, there's this terrible thing that's happening, but it has brought people together, and even though they are living through horrific times, lots of people somehow find the energy to do something for someone who's even worse off.' FORGET ABOUT WAR FOR A MINUTE Felicity Spector, author of Bread and War: 'I feel really invested in continuing to be there and to be helping as much as I can. I love seeing my friends and the sense of being connected with them.' One such person is Natalia, whom Spector met at the end of 2022 while travelling on a charity mission with Dmytro, a drummer with pop group Antytila. (The group, who gave up their musical careers to enlist, collaborated with Ed Sheeran on a remix of his hit, 2Step, to raise money for the charity they set up in 2014, when Crimea was illegally annexed by Russia.) Natalia, who'd run a small shop and café before the war, had begun making simple food for the Ukrainian troops who'd stopped for coffee at the remote outpost in the Dnipropetrovsk region on their way to the front line. Her volunteer-run kitchen now feeds 2,000 to 3,000 people daily, and also provides washing machines, so muddy, weary soldiers can launder their clothes. Natalia, whose son is serving in the army, told Spector, 'I want them to be able to sit next to each other and talk to each other over some food. They can forget about war for a minute and just have something nourishing that's been made by hand.' Bread & War is replete with such stories of resilience and hope, struggle and sustenance, innovation, and tradition. Spector is bringing copies with her when she returns to Ukraine in a few weeks' time. 'I want to give a book to everybody who has helped me out,' she says. 'I feel really invested in continuing to be there and to be helping as much as I can. I love seeing my friends and the sense of being connected with them.' There are many more Ukrainian stories for her to tell. Bread & War by Felicity Spector, published by Duckworth, is out now Read More Louise O'Neill among writers pushing the boundaries of theatre at Cork Midsummer Festival
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Irish Independent
Letters: Railway's starring Swiss role can offer Ireland some much-needed inspiration
What struck me most of all was the amazing engineering feats regarding transport infrastructure there. The number of tunnels is unbelievable. You can drive from one valley to the next, not by going over the mountain but by going through it, and this is repeated time and again. The railways are on another level, literally. We travelled on the Jungfraubahn, which tunnels its way through the mountains to the summit 3,454 metres above sea level. The station at the summit is actually in the mountain. On another day we were driving and were informed by our GPS that a particular road was closed because of weather conditions. No problem. We just drove to a railhead, drove the car on to a train, stayed in the car, travelled about 10km in a tunnel and drove off at the other end. Fantastic. Alas, like all good things the holiday came to an end. Arriving at Dublin Airport we waited in the open in cool weather for a bus to crawl through the city to our destination. We have a main line railway that is about 6km from Dublin Airport and a Luas line (Broombridge) about 7km from same. Bearing in mind the Swiss built the Jungfraubahn over 100 years ago, is there any chance that our politicians could build the badly needed rail link? I hold my breath in anticipation. Brendan Langley, Ranelagh, Dublin 6 Less talking and more action on Gaza, please Madam — The Government needs to stop merely condemning the genocide that is happening in Gaza and take decisive action. Planes carrying arms to Israel should not be allowed to land in Ireland or fly through Irish airspace. Draconian sanctions involving a unilateral ban on the import of all Israeli products should be activated immediately, even if this means breaking ranks with a sleepwalking Europe. War crimes are happening in plain sight on a daily basis and the Irish Government is greatly shamed by its passive approach to this ever deteriorating situation. The Government is not listening to its people on this issue. Colman Collins, Galway Trump is helping to render Gaza a hell Madam — Home is where the heart is, and throughout its history the United States of America has been a home from home for the Irish and many other nationalities. But now I think this sentimental idea about the US is changing. Donald Trump and his government may extol the praises of the US through songs such as God bless America, my home sweet home, but that same government is, through its continuing support for the state of Israel, depriving the men, women and children of Gaza and the West Bank of their home sweet home — indeed, it is helping to make it a hell on earth. This is a great disappointment to those of us who have admired the US in the past. On his accession to office for the second time, the author of How to Get Rich and Think Big and Kick Ass: In business and life said Gaza could be the Riviera of the East, thus disclosing his mercenary way of thinking and his scant regard for the plight of others. Trump has the power to stop the war, first by ending the supply of arms to the Israelis. But he will not do that. Whither democracy when the great democratic institutions, the United Nations, the European Union, the international courts, have failed to impose their influence and authority on this interminable political catastrophe? Palestine should be home to Palestinians. Instead, it is a no man's land. This is disgraceful. Anthony McDonagh, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan Why no coverage of Hamas terrorism? Madam — This country now has an obsession with Gaza to the point of mania. We are being inundated with accounts and stories about the Gaza Strip. Many of these are not balanced, garnishing legitimate criticism from the Israeli ambassador to Ireland Dana Erlich. Coverage and analysis of Hamas terrorist activity is hardly mentioned, which gives a highly unbalanced and biased view of what is going on. It is important we have routine objective coverage rather than campaigning journalism. Maurice Fitzgerald, Shanbally, Co Cork Chilling programme on nursing homes Madam — As an 82-year-old man, I watched the RTÉ Investigates programme about nursing homes for the elderly with absolute horror. Two words, 'nursing' (the most caring of professions) and 'home' (one's sanctuary and most sacred of places) put together to create a hell for ourselves, our spouses, parents and grandparents at the end of our days. Nursing homes are staffed by sons, daughters and grandchildren of elderly people, yet some choose to ignore the consequences of their actions. How can management not keep a constant supply of sanitary products and bed sheets for elderly residents they are being paid handsomely to care for? It beggars belief. John K Ryan, Tipperary Madam — The Poor House, the Magdalene Laundries, the psychiatric institutions and now the nursing homes. It is a modern-day scandal. Is this what is facing the elderly, sick, frail and vulnerable people needing care and those struggling to find compassionate care for them in 2025? This is happening at a time of so-called oversight, supported by increased technology and corporate-speak. Excellent journalists have highlighted this appalling scandal, clear for all to see, and it must be acted on. Shame on us for allowing this to happen. Alice Leahy, Alice Leahy Trust, Dublin 8 Act has destroyed the rights of women Madam — Ciara Witts (Letters, June 1) complains that John Boyne doesn't explain what the problems are with the Gender Recognition Act 2015 (GRA). Allow me to explain. By permitting a man to legally become a woman, the GRA destroyed the rights of women and girls to single-sex spaces (toilets and changing rooms), services (domestic violence refuges, rape crisis services) and sports (including contact sports). We're now in the position of having to fight to regain these hard-won rights. It takes just one man to make these spaces, services and sports mixed-sex, and all he needs to do is fill out a form and pay €10. Imagine a law that allowed white people to declare they are black or adults to declare they are children. There would rightly be uproar. Yet women are supposed to accept that any man can say he's a woman, or be called a bigot. If that's not misogynistic, I don't know what is. E Bolger, Dublin 9 Declan Lynch is now king of columnists Madam — For quite some time before his departure, Gene Kerrigan was considered by many of us as the king of Sunday Independent columnists. But it's time now, I think, for a new monarch to be crowned, so step forward Declan Lynch. Each week, he provides us with erudite and often witty musings on current affairs, both local and foreign; last week's column on Elon Musk was another example of his wonderful writing skills. It must be acknowledged that Declan foresaw — and wrote about — the massive danger that Donald Trump would present to democracy, both in the United States and worldwide, long before other commentators. Long may he reign. Jim Hickey, Mount Pleasant, Waterford Irish people living in fear in US is so sad Madam — The piece by Ali Bracken recently on how many Irish immigrants who have lived in America for decades are now living in fear of being deported was a sad and upsetting read. Irish-American families are being torn apart and living in fear because of Donald Trump's cruel and inhumane policies in the 'land of the free'. It is so sad to hear of Irish expats being treated like common criminals. These people go out to work every day and pay their taxes to the state, raise their families and contribute voluntarily to better the communities in which they live. The Irish helped to build America by serving in its military and building railways, motorways and skyscrapers over many decades. This would never happen under presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Clinton, Bush or Biden, who knew the value of the Irish men and women who helped to build America to become the world leader it is today. Tom Towey, Cloonacool, Co Sligo Put a bell on your bike to keep all safe Madam — It is wonderful to see the new greenways along our rivers and canals. As more and more people are using them, a public awareness campaign to encourage cyclists and pedestrians to 'be sound' to each other is being considered by Dublin City Council. Possibly a 'be heard' campaign would be more appropriate. The growth in cycling is great, but I would implore bicycle owners to have a bell fitted to their machines. A lot of bikes and scooters, some of which can cost thousands of euro, are very fast and silent and do not have a bell or a buzzer to warn people of their approach. The road traffic regulations of 1963 clearly state that 'a bell which can be heard from a reasonable distance must be fitted to all bicycles'. So, cyclists, comply with the law and keep yourself and other people safe. Brian Lube, Co Meath Airbnbs did not cause Irish housing crisis Madam — Eoin O'Malley's suggestion last Sunday that all Airbnbs should be taxed out of existence makes me worry for the hard-working hosts — the majority — who are only trying to keep a roof over their heads. It isn't just that we want some return on investment, but also on our weekly labour as we provide comfortable, reasonably priced short-term accommodation for foreign tourists, contract workers, our neighbours' relatives and Irish families on holiday. We make use of available space in a flexible, sustainable way that benefits the local economy. Our annexes and cottages and remote holiday homes didn't cause the housing crisis, and we can't solve it. Susan Devane, New Ross, Co Wexford Eilis O'Hanlon is one brave journalist Madam — In my view, Eilis O'Hanlon is the best and bravest female journalist in print media today. In her insightful article last week she noted that Morning Ireland, Claire Byrne and Drivetime only briefly referred to the recent UK ruling that defined 'woman' under equality law as a biological female. I was not surprised that this highly significant ruling was practically ignored by the news and current affairs programmes on RTÉ and in the print media. The fact remains that a man with XY chromosomes can never change to be an XX chromosomal woman, and the UK Supreme Court was simply confirming this medical truth. Dr Pat Mc Grath, Monkstown, Co Dublin Joni Mitchell said it best — let's listen up Madam — The death of one of Ireland's oldest breeding white-tailed eagles last week is another blow to efforts to save what is left of our disappearing biodiversity. Over the past five years, several white-tailed eagles have been poisoned or shot. The reintroduction of this magnificent bird to Ireland was a cause for celebration, but the project appears to be floundering. The sad fact is that nature is held in contempt by a sizeable body of people on this island. Since the gorse fire ban officially came into force in March, fires have raged through at least five counties. Pollution is rampant and habitats are being destroyed at such a rate that you'd think we wanted to be rid of them. Pesticides are used with abandon, killing precious honey bees already battling to survive the ravages of climate change and modern agriculture. And then there's the abhorrent example set by the State, which yearly licenses the capture of thousands of our native hares for coursing. What kind of message does that send out to the public about the value we place on wildlife conservation? During the Covid lockdown, many of us rediscovered the attractions of nature. We connected with a world that lay, largely unheeded, all around us. Some of us may need reminding that, in the words of the Joni Mitchell song, 'You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone'. John Fitzgerald, Callan, Co Kilkenny Here is a confession: I don't like Guinness Madam — I was intrigued to read Leslie Ann Horgan's recent editor's letter in Life Magazine (June 1), in which she recounted having her first pint of Guinness at the age of 24 — her very first alcoholic drink. As a 70-year-old Irishman, I thought I might offer a contrasting tale: I have never had a pint of Guinness. At 16, working on a building site in Birmingham, I bought a bottle of Guinness with my first pay — which, incidentally, was more than my father was earning at the time back home in Northern Ireland. I took a sip, found I didn't like the taste, and I've never touched it since. A small, perhaps unremarkable fact, but in Ireland such abstinence from the national drink almost feels like a confession. Enda Cullen, Tullysaran, Co Armagh Give up demanding a capital M for mass Madam — Mary Lally requests 'Again, please give us a capital M for mass' (Letters, June 1). The reason lower case is used when writing 'mass' is that the original Latin word is 'missa' from 'mission' — sending out the faithful to be apostles. Mass is lower case, whereas Eucharistic, meaning celebration, does have an upper case E. Rules of grammar take precedence in the media. By no means is this, nor should it be taken, as demeaning in any way. Declan Foley, Melbourne, Australia Students are more than sum of results Madam — Now that this year's Leaving Certificate exams have begun, may I offer some words of advice? These students have taken many lessons and now face tests. However, in life it is most often the other way around. The tests of life come first, followed, if we are lucky, by some lessons. These tests — call them the slings and arrows of life — will reveal the individual character of each member of the class of 2025. Finally, they are all much more than the sum of their results. Good luck to them.
