MkIV Refurbishment

[226 Abhann na Suire]

Irish Rail announced today that they’re refurbishing the CityGold carriages on their MkIV sets. Looking very well I have to say but I presume that a similar upgrade - better lighting, wireless charging, more sockets and leather seat covers - is going to befall the standard class coaches too…? Anyone heard anything?

[thewanderer]

The February gallery comes to an end with the first refurbished first class MK4 carriage being released back to service today on the 1600 Dublin Heuston - Cork. Initial customer feedback from those who were lucky to travel on the first service with the refreshed interior was positive with many noting it was a vast improvement over the old interior which had been starting to look tired after 18 years of service. The main highlights of the refresh include new leather seats, new tables with USB & wireless phone charging, refreshed disabled toilet, recoated grab handles and a deep clean of the interior. The refurbishment program will continue in 2024 to complete all eight carriages by year end. As there is only one spare first class carriage the refurbishment of the interior will take place alongside other maintenance requirements.

Click https://thewandererphotos.smugmug.com/2024-Photos/February-2024/i-NrB87Kk to see images from Thurles and Limerick Jct. today including the new interior. As the 1st class was sold out leaving Heuston today, it was particularly busy so hopefully I'll manage to get some more detailed interior photos during a layover in the coming days. 

 

2 hours ago, 226 Abhann na Suire said:

Irish Rail announced today that they’re refurbishing the CityGold carriages on their MkIV sets. Looking very well I have to say but I presume that a similar upgrade - better lighting, wireless charging, more sockets and leather seat covers - is going to befall the standard class coaches too…? Anyone heard anything?

 

As far as I understand after checking, there are no current plans to refresh the standard class accommodation which will continue to get the same interior during overhauls.

Edited February 29 by thewanderer

[DERAILED]

Wouldn't it be nice if IE gave the Mk IV's a bold new, serviceable livery too - something simple like, or identical to, that used by Belmond? Incidentally, no word when they are going to upgrade 1st class on the Rosslare line?

[DJ Dangerous]

9 hours ago, DERAILED said:

Wouldn't it be nice if IE gave the Mk IV's a bold new, serviceable livery too - something simple like, or identical to, that used by Belmond? Incidentally, no word when they are going to upgrade 1st class on the Rosslare line?

 

How about a bold, new, serviceable livery, that's also been tried and tested?

Like, all-over orange with a black band and twin white stripes!

[226 Abhann na Suire]

10 hours ago, thewanderer said:

As far as I understand after checking, there are no current plans to refresh the standard class accommodation which will continue to get the same interior during overhauls.

Ahh ok, it’s a slight. shame, but I suppose the MkIV’s are definitely still very comfortable and they’re probably right not to, money could be spent elsewhere like refurbishing the 29k’s

10 hours ago, DERAILED said:

Incidentally, no word when they are going to upgrade 1st class on the Rosslare line?

And I think the lines other than the Belfast and Cork lines aren’t going to be getting a first class service any time soon, whether or not there’s a market for it, and while some 22k sets have a declassified ‘Premier’ coach with a bit of extra legroom and a table lamp, the requirements for a service with the likes of catering (the dreaded word we don’t say in this country) and the like, just won’t - in my uneducated opinion - be realistically produceable on every route, at the moment anyway unfortunately. 

[GSR 800]

51 minutes ago, 226 Abhann na Suire said:

Ahh ok, it’s a slight. shame, but I suppose the MkIV’s are definitely still very comfortable and they’re probably right not to, money could be spent elsewhere like refurbishing the 29k’s 

29k reflooring is currently underway. 

13 hours ago, 226 Abhann na Suire said:

Irish Rail announced today that they’re refurbishing the CityGold carriages on their MkIV sets. Looking very well I have to say but I presume that a similar upgrade - better lighting, wireless charging, more sockets and leather seat covers - is going to befall the standard class coaches too…? Anyone heard anything?

Upgrading is always good, IIRC there are no plans to replace the Mark 4s in the near future. I imagine if they are it will be with DEMUs rather than 22ks. I am unsure about the cream colour scheme, new carpeting for the floors would have refreshed the carriages significantly.

 

[Westcorkrailway]

1 hour ago, GSR 800 said:

29k reflooring is currently underway. 

Upgrading is always good, IIRC there are no plans to replace the Mark 4s in the near future. I imagine if they are it will be with DEMUs rather than 22ks. I am unsure about the cream colour scheme, new carpeting for the floors would have refreshed the carriages significantly.

 

 

If cork is getting 29s then the re-flooring and intirior has to be almost gutted! 
 

Long live the mark 4s. There not perfect but there my favourite! 

[GSR 800]

2 minutes ago, Westcorkrailway said:

 

If cork is getting 29s then the re-flooring and intirior has to be almost gutted! 
 

Long live the mark 4s. There not perfect but there my favourite! 

AFAIK seats on 29ks aren't being replaced, "all" that's being done is floors, cleaning and replacing graffitied seat backs

[226 Abhann na Suire]

 

52 minutes ago, GSR 800 said:

AFAIK seats on 29ks aren't being replaced, "all" that's being done is floors, cleaning and replacing graffitied seat backs

More sockets would be nice for the 29k’s, similar to what they’re doing on the MkIV’s, I think they’re only at the carriage ends at the moment, but I suppose we can only hope for so much. Plus the journey times are far less than that of their current stamping grounds so if they didn’t already have them, the case for their addition is even smaller. Seats aren’t too bad in fairness, a bit better than the current Cork commuter offering! Still I think the 2600’s have 10 times the character of the 29k’s, I’ll be sad to see them go, despite how rattly and noisy they are!

 

On a side note, does anyone know a) the timeframe for this work, and b) what will befall the displaced 2600’s… more branch line services around Limerick, Galway and Waterford? Hardly scrapped at the ripe young age of 30…???

Edited March 1 by 226 Abhann na Suire

[DoctorPan]

3 hours ago, DJ Dangerous said:

 

How about a bold, new, serviceable livery, that's also been tried and tested?

Like, all-over orange with a black band and twin white stripes!

That colour scheme is toxic in the eyes of the public! 

[Noel]

Catering needs a big upgrade, with hot meals on board once again. Especially for same day return trip folk, working in Cork or Dublin for the day before returning home. If IE don't up their service levels sadly more and more folk may defect to the faster motorways where there is hot decent food available.

[hurricanemk1c]

1 hour ago, Noel said:

Catering needs a big upgrade, with hot meals on board once again. Especially for same day return trip folk, working in Cork or Dublin for the day before returning home. If IE don't up their service levels sadly more and more folk may defect to the faster motorways where there is hot decent food available.

Passenger numbers are back to near pre-Covid levels particularly on Intercity routes, so think you're mistaken there. If the lack of catering was such an issue that would not have happened

[Niles]

26 minutes ago, hurricanemk1c said:

Passenger numbers are back to near pre-Covid levels particularly on Intercity routes, so think you're mistaken there. If the lack of catering was such an issue that would not have happened

Quite. I regularly travel on a route that still hasn't regained catering and it can be difficult finding a seat at times.

[DJ Dangerous]

2 hours ago, Noel said:

Catering needs a big upgrade, with hot meals on board once again. Especially for same day return trip folk, working in Cork or Dublin for the day before returning home. If IE don't up their service levels sadly more and more folk may defect to the faster motorways where there is hot decent food available.

 

Have you any cost/benefit figures on catering services?

Initial start-up cost, operating costs, cost of infrastructure required on trains and at stations, insurance costs, licencing costs, plus the occasional lawsuit when some Negative Numpty says that they got food poisoning?

Vs. Increased income to cover the costs and turn a profit?

 

2 hours ago, DoctorPan said:

That colour scheme is toxic in the eyes of the public! 

 

Boooooooooo!

Booooooooooooooooo!!!!!

[Westcorkrailway]

21 minutes ago, DJ Dangerous said:

 

Boooooooooo!

Booooooooooooooooo!!!!!

Been often told the same thing DJ. In fact I had a chat arguably the man responsible for the change of colour, the head of IE when green Was introduced. Years of the trains being dirty late and unreliable had cast a poor image on the nance CIE which lived in to the livery virtually never changing since the 1960s and 1970s. Besides many still claim that CIE splitting up was possibly the first steps of a possible privatisation attempt like the uk anyway! 
 

think about it. Before the Dart there was the CIE push pull sets. Lovely to look at but anyone who actually traveled on them will tell you yhe 8100s Completley changed the game. And the new branding contributed to its success differintiating from CIE (some would say that stands for Cycling is easier!) and the push pull sets that preceded them 

 

At least we have the retro livery 071 and 073….and possibly more time come

I suppose 112 counts as retro too

Edited March 1 by Westcorkrailway

[DoctorPan]

Working folk don't care about catering compared to seating and plug availability. I can't expense 1st class tickets and I could expense food as a per diem, there's far more appealing options then train catering, trolley or galley form. 

When I was commuting long distance my peers view was why would I want to eat on the train? I just want to get from A to B reliably. And from my peers and colleagues who still commute on the Cork line, they much prefer ending on the ICR diagrams than the MK4s ones even for the longer distance, the ICR better ride quality make for a far more attractive user experience.

[minister_for_hardship]

Likewise I don't think the public really care all that much what colour scheme the trains are provided it takes them from a to b in comfort and on time at a reasonable cost. It's more image consultants trying to justify their fees and a way of hoodwinking people into thinking they have a "new" train until they hop in and find out it's the same stock with a lick of paint that still arrives late!

[minister_for_hardship]

9 hours ago, DoctorPan said:

That colour scheme is toxic in the eyes of the public! 

I don't think the Irish public outside of enthusiasts pay much attention, there are adults now who won't remember orange and black anyhow.

[DoctorPan]

10 hours ago, minister_for_hardship said:

I don't think the Irish public outside of enthusiasts pay much attention, there are adults now who won't remember orange and black anyhow.

 

You would be surprised at how endearing the BnT is in the eyes of the public as meaning poor train service. There's people who think the silver 201s are completely different locos to the the BnT 201s.

 

The general public also for instant offen still move towards the front of the train for Portarlington despite the fact that the platform has been extended for decades at this stage.

[minister_for_hardship]

41 minutes ago, DoctorPan said:

 

You would be surprised at how endearing the BnT is in the eyes of the public as meaning poor train service. There's people who think the silver 201s are completely different locos to the the BnT 201s.

 

The general public also for instant offen still move towards the front of the train for Portarlington despite the fact that the platform has been extended for decades at this stage.

Proving my point that the public are rather dense.

[DJ Dangerous]

18 minutes ago, minister_for_hardship said:

Proving my point that the public are rather dense.

 

You win the internet for today!

Just take a look at what gets posted here on the forum!

[Strimmers]

On 1/3/2024 at 4:32 PM, DoctorPan said:

Working folk don't care about catering compared to seating and plug availability. I can't expense 1st class tickets and I could expense food as a per diem, there's far more appealing options then train catering, trolley or galley form. 

When I was commuting long distance my peers view was why would I want to eat on the train? I just want to get from A to B reliably. And from my peers and colleagues who still commute on the Cork line, they much prefer ending on the ICR diagrams than the MK4s ones even for the longer distance, the ICR better ride quality make for a far more attractive user experience.

just to add to this spent 3 years travelling mallow to cork every day for college which varied between mk4s, ICRs and 2600s where all my mates who were non enthusiasts all much preferred the ICRs something as simple as there being usb ports to charge from largely made a difference in their eyes as apparently bringing a wall block around in 2019 was outdated

[hurricanemk1c]

On 1/3/2024 at 9:28 PM, minister_for_hardship said:

I don't think the Irish public outside of enthusiasts pay much attention, there are adults now who won't remember orange and black anyhow.

When I was commuting from Portlaoise to Heuston there was still plenty of comments "the old orange and black trains were terrible". This would have been about 10 years after the last Mark 3 was withdrawn. Still high in public mind in many areas. I mean, there's still grudges held from which side of the Civil War families held

[K801]

Pity the 1st class Mk4 doesn't have 7 windows and 56 seats 

[Joe Early]

Hi-
I'd like to check out an upgraded City Gold carriage.
For Dublin->Cork is there any way to tell which services have City Gold. I've often used this service only to find that it has those awful Premier carriages instead.
There is information here https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/rail-fares-and-tickets/first-class-travel#premier-services but I've found it to be unreliable in the past.