Public transport in Dublin. Chaos - close to breakdown?

[Howth Head]

Is it my imagination or am I reading about major delays on trains/Luas etc on an almost daily basis? I'm hearing from friends and colleagues stuck on DARTs between stations for the last few hours this evening (Thursday 28/11) Seemed to be something similar yesterday and earlier this week.

Added to that, the M50 seems to be on a knife-edge, with almost daily incidents causing serious delays and tailbacks.

Traffic on the main routes into Dublin and even within leafy suburbia is increasingly at a standstill at junctions and crossroads (with cycle lanes and the shutting down of left turning filter lanes appearing to be the main cause.)

I'm also seeing large crowds regularly left standing at bus stops on the N11 (e.g Cornelscourt) in the mornings as packed buses go past without stopping. It seems to be just as bad at major stops towards town - Brewery Road for example always seems to have crowds waiting as busses sail past full. (Can't wait to see the confusion and chaos that'll inevitably arise when the postponed new routes kick in during January!)

Apols for the Dublin-centric focus here - I believe traffic in Galway and Cork is no picnic either.

DART, commuter services resume following signalling fault

DART and commuter services have resumed subject to delays after a major signalling fault was resolved.

www.rte.ie

Traffic and travel: Motorists face delays on M50 as some Irish Rail services running late

There may be delays building up to Dublin’s M50 this morning following a crash.

www.independent.ie

Traffic and travel: Crash on M50, black ice warnings and train delays at Connolly Station

Just before 8am there was a collision on M50.

www.independent.ie

 

[odyssey06]

The new Bus Connects 'network' seems more brittle than the old. Many of the busiest commuter routes have lost departures at peak hours to serve orbitals etc. The orbitals and night buses are welcome but should not have come at the expense of the core routes.

As for the DART, when I used to commute to city centre, I switched to buses in the morning. They took a few minutes longer but I avoided the once a week network crippled for reason X and being well late for work because of it. LUAS seems similar to DART in that respect.

 

[Leo]

Is it my imagination or am I reading about major delays on trains/Luas etc on an almost daily basis?

If you are reading this online then the algorithm is just feeding you what you are more likely to click on and what gets them advertising revenue. Most of the transport services publish metrics, if services were anywhere close to breakdown then it would be very easy to point to such metrics, but of course those in the business of producing click-bait aren't interested in producing articles showing performance of late is quite similar to that of recent years. There's not many clicks to be had in headlines like 'Transport system performing much as it did last year'

 

[Howth Head]

If you are reading this online then the algorithm is just feeding you what you are more likely to click on and what gets them advertising revenue. Most of the transport services publish metrics, if services were anywhere close to breakdown then it would be very easy to point to such metrics, but of course those in the business of producing click-bait aren't interested in producing articles showing performance of late is quite similar to that of recent years. There's not many clicks to be had in headlines like 'Transport system performing much as it did last year'

These are headlines in national newspapers and the national broadcaster - as well as information from friends, colleagues, family etc on their increasingly delayed commutes. Hardly just down to "clickbait."

And I'll be experiencing the gridlock around Deansgrange and Stillorgan later today while playing "spot the cyclist..."

Trains running late again this morning...

Commuters delayed after crash on Dublin’s M50 and Irish Rail delays

There has been a crash on the M50 southbound which may cause delays for commuters.

www.independent.ie

 

[Leo]

These are headlines in national newspapers and the national broadcaster - as well as information from friends, colleagues, family etc on their increasingly delayed commutes. Hardly just down to "clickbait."

So point me to some articles claiming that the transport system 'is close to breakdown' or even supporting that hypothesis?

Crashes and delays are nothing new, reporting on same is nothing new. Now, you may well be reading more about it, but that's your choice. There's nothing to suggest a deterioration in the punctuality of public transport here overall. We compare well with our European neighbours.

 

[Peanuts20]

I was at the Dublin Chamber of Commerce dinner a couple of months ago, the President of the CoC was talking about the need for more infrastrucutre investment in Dublin due to increased population etc.

My own thoughts are that the investment needs to go into other cities. For example, there is a lot of talk about the cap on Dublin Airport numbers. Rather then spend money on more runways and terminals there, perhaps there is a case for investing in perhaps Waterford Airport. If 250k people could travel out of Waterford a year instead of travellling up and down to Dublin, then that would take a 6 figure amount of car journeys a year off the M50.

I genuinely believe though there is a need for an outer outer relief road for Dublin

 

[Leo]

My own thoughts are that the investment needs to go into other cities.

Probably no surprise the Dublin Chamber wouldn't be proposing that . A longer term plan to scale significantly more employment around one or more of the other cites is needed to shift population first. Significant investment in any of the regional airports will only follow demand. Waterford airport is the wrong side of Waterford and its catchment is too small, for the vast majority, Dublin remains a more convenient location.