InterCity in Éireann
Ah, the comfort and convenience of modern rail travel. Whizzing silently through the countryside, lounging in soft plush seating, with coffee, drinks and snacks served at your side ...
... or so it would seem. In other countries. Not in Ireland.
I have never ridden a train in Ireland (apart from suburban and light railways.) But the hulking behemoth that I see lumbering into Connolly station occasionally, straight out of the 1970s, spewing filth and pestilence in the air, does not endear me to the idea.
For comparison: On the left hand side, you see a current German InterCity train. On the right is an Irish InterCity, photographed a couple of weeks ago at Connolly Station:
This is a CIE 071 class locomotive that is still in regular service. Ireland's rail network is not electrified (apart for the suburban railway between Howth and Bray), so all trains are diesel trains. Even the "Enterprise" express between Dublin and Belfast is a diesel. In covered stations like Connolly, even breathing is challenging at times due to the diesel exhaust of the trains. I don't even want to imagine what riding one is like.
... or so it would seem. In other countries. Not in Ireland.
I have never ridden a train in Ireland (apart from suburban and light railways.) But the hulking behemoth that I see lumbering into Connolly station occasionally, straight out of the 1970s, spewing filth and pestilence in the air, does not endear me to the idea.
For comparison: On the left hand side, you see a current German InterCity train. On the right is an Irish InterCity, photographed a couple of weeks ago at Connolly Station:
This is a CIE 071 class locomotive that is still in regular service. Ireland's rail network is not electrified (apart for the suburban railway between Howth and Bray), so all trains are diesel trains. Even the "Enterprise" express between Dublin and Belfast is a diesel. In covered stations like Connolly, even breathing is challenging at times due to the diesel exhaust of the trains. I don't even want to imagine what riding one is like.