Ireland - December 2005

Following our August visit, we returned to Ireland before the timetable change for some loco-haulage, before being replaced by DMUs. The Intercity trains between Dublin and Cork will be push-pull Mark 4s from 2006, I included photos of the new coaches on test. Orders are placed for 120 DMU vehicles for other Intercity routes which are due in 2008. Both companies have cancelled ferries at the same time because Stena line have had technical difficulties and Irish Ferries had a dispute so we weren't able to go until Friday 2nd December. I had to replan this trip due to the ferries being stuck at Holyhead. We did not manage a trip to Tralee due to because of the DMU takeover so we saw more beet than we expected.

  1. 2nd Dec - Limerick Junction including beet
  2. 2nd Dec - Mark 4 testing at Limerick Junction
  3. 2nd Dec - Limerick and Ennis
  4. 3rd Dec - Kildare
  5. 3rd Dec - Waterford
  6. 4th Dec - Portarlington to Ballina
  1. 4th Dec - Claremorris and Hells Kitchen
  2. 5th Dec - Kildare to Mallow
  3. 5th Dec - Limerick Junction
  4. 5th Dec - Mallow
  5. 6th Dec - Limerick Junction
  6. 6th Dec - Dublin Connolly and home

The trains which I travelled on are:

Date Time From To Arrival Loco / Other details

2 December

 07:50 Bangor Holyhead08:21 Virgin Voyager
08:55 Holyhead Dun Laoghaire 10:34 Stena Explorer
11:48 Dun Laoghaire Connolly 12:12 DART
13:00 Heuston Limerick Junction 14:41 210
16:30 Limerick Junction Limerick 17:00 Commuter
19:25 Limerick Ennis 20:05 149+187
20:10 Ennis Limerick 20:50 149+187

3 December

 06:45 Limerick Kildare 08:34 080
10:05 Kildare Waterford 15:21 225
14:50 Waterford Kildare 16:52 203
17:46 Kildare Portarlington 18:02 084

4 December

 09:47 Portarlington Athlone 10:39 205
10:55 Athlone Manulla Junction 12:27 084
12:32 Manulla Junction Ballina 13:00 085
14:25 Ballina Manulla Junction 14:51 085
14:53 Manulla Junction Claremorris 15:08 084
16:13 Claremorris Castlerea 16:42 074
19:13 Castlerea Portarlington 20:43 231

5 December

 07:52 Portarlington Kildare 08:11 212

08:58

 Kildare Mallow 10:57 231

11:22

 Mallow Limerick Junction 12:00 210

14:41

 Limerick Junction Mallow 15:16 206

17:37

 Mallow Cork 18:08 214

6 December

07:00

 Cork Limerick Junction 07:56 229

09:59

 Limerick Junction Heuston 12:05 213

13:54

 Connolly Dun Laoghaire 14:18 DART

16:05

 Dun Laoghaire Holyhead 17:44 Stena Explorer

18:34

 Holyhead Bangor 19:12 Arriva Trains Wales