IRISH Rail customers are set for a major U-turn as train services have reverted to the old timetable.
Iarnród Éireann said trains will return to the previous schedule from October 14.
The revised timetable had added more intercity services, but it is believed to have led to more congestion and delays on routes into Dublin’s Connolly Station.
Some adjustments were already made on September 16.
Irish Rail said that while evening punctuality had improved, it was clear that the changes in timetable were still affecting morning commutes.
The transport service has since acknowledged the disruptions of the past few weeks and apologised to passengers, with spokesperson Barry Kenny admitting they “got it wrong.”
During an appearance on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, he apologised for the issues caused by the new schedule.
‘Very sorry’
He said: “We got it wrong and we are genuinely very, very sorry to our customers, it’s been very disruptive in recent weeks for customers.
“People build their work, their education, their childcare around their travel with us and we have let them down. We’re sorry for that.
“The changes we made on September 16 did improve the situation in the evening peak but the issues were continuing in the morning.”
From October 14, trains running to and from Connolly Station before 10am will revert to the pre-26 August timetables – with just a few minor tweaks.
This includes trains that previously terminated at stations like Pearse, Grand Canal Dock, and Bray – with Irish Rail adding that the changes will cut down on the need for transfers at Connolly.
Changes to the Belfast-Dublin service include the 6am and 7am trains, which will now arrive at 8.23am and 9.20am respectively.
The 7.50am Dublin Connolly to Belfast service will also now depart at 7.40am to ease congestion at Malahide.
In line with the changes, departures from Drogheda will also be updated.
Some evening commuter services that currently start from Pearse Station or Grand Canal Dock will now begin from Bray and Dun Laoghaire instead.
There will also be changes to departure times for various DART, Northern, Maynooth, and Phoenix Park Tunnel commuter trains, as well as one Dublin to Rosslare service.
The increased services on the Galway, Waterford, and Belfast lines, introduced under the new timetable, will remain unchanged, and there will be no adjustments to the weekend timetable.
Irish Rail has apologised for the disruption caused by the August timetable and said they regret the impact it had on passengers.
They added: “In accommodating increased services on the Dublin to Belfast route, and managing overall capacity in the city centre area, the changes had a disproportionate negative impact on commuting punctuality and overall journey times, for which we are sorry.”
Full details of the changes will be available to customers from Monday, October 7.
