AN urgent warning has been issued to Irish Rail passengers over “reduced capacity” on a number of busy routes for MONTHS.
Iarnród Éireann has announced reductions in train capacity for services between April 22 and October.
This change will affect a number of commuter and intercity routes, including services from Portlaoise, Kildare, Maynooth, Drogheda and Limerick.
In a statement, transport bosses said the reason for the reduced capacity is to allow for maintenance and other necessary work on trains with the aim of improving service quality by autumn.
They also said the changes come as hybrid working patterns have reduced commuting, especially on Mondays and Fridays.
They said: “Iarnród Éireann is advising customers of reductions in train size on a limited number of specific services over the coming months.
“This is to facilitate maintenance and other works on a number of trains during that time, to enable us to deliver a better service and maximise fleet availability from autumn onwards.
“Current demand levels have been analysed and reviewed to identify trains where a reduction in capacity is possible.
“In particular, changed travel patterns associated with hybrid working have been considered, with a greater number of services having reduced capacity on Mondays and particularly Fridays, when fewer people are now commuting to workplaces.”
Iarnród Éireann added that most services will remain unaffected and that capacity will continue to be monitored to meet demand.
And they’ve apologised to commuters who will be impacted by the changes.
They added: “While the vast majority of trains and routes are unaffected, we will continue to keep demand levels under review to ensure sufficient capacity is being provided on individual services, and we apologise to customers for any inconvenience caused.”
Some changes include the reduction in train capacity on Monday and Thursday services, such as the 1708 Connolly to Hazelhatch, which will drop from six intercity carriages to four.
Other services, such as the 1753 Hazelhatch to Grand Canal Dock on Friday, will also experience reductions from six intercity carriages to just three.
Also on Fridays, there are even more capacity reductions, including the 0658 Newbridge to Grand Canal Dock, which will decrease from six intercity carriages to three.
Train services such as the 0712 and 0840 on Friday from Maynooth to Connolly will also see a reduction, dropping from eight commuter carriages to four.
Friday services such as the 1751 Maynooth to Connolly and 1803 Drogheda to Grand Canal Dock will see similar cuts.
On Mondays to Fridays, the 1555 Hazelhatch to Connolly will see cuts from four intercity carriages to three.
Weekend services are also affected, with the 0525 Limerick to Heuston service cutting back from six intercity carriages to three on Saturdays.
The Sunday 1535 Heuston to Limerick service will reduce from six intercity carriages to four, as will the 2110 Heuston to Limerick service.
Weekday services such as the 0620 Portlaoise to Heuston and 0812 Newbridge to Heuston will also experience cuts, reducing from six intercity carriages to four.
To see the full list of services affected by the changes, check out their website at www.irishrail.ie.