Enterprise (train)
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| Franchise(s): | N/A |
| Main station(s): | Dublin Connolly, Belfast Central |
| Other station(s): | Drogheda, Dundalk, Newry, Portadown, Lurgan, Lisburn, Botanic |
| Fleet size: | 4 (5) 201 Class locomotives 28 De Dietrich Stock coaches |
| Stations: | 9 |
| Parent company: | Iarnród Éireann/ Northern Ireland Railways |
| Web site: | www.translink.co.uk/enterprise |
Enterprise is the name of the cross-border inter-city train service between Dublin Connolly in the Republic of Ireland and Belfast Central in Northern Ireland and is jointly operated by Iarnród Éireann (IE) and Northern Ireland Railways (NIR).
201 Class locomotives are used to haul the service. The coaches were manufactured by De Dietrich Ferroviaire and ownership is jointly shared between both operators , however maintenance is provided by NIR. The service has had reliability issues with the 201 class locomotives which provides head end power to the train. The stress this places on the engines has led to Enterprise-liveried 201s being swapped with non-Enterprise 201s in order to minimise wear from operating in this mode.
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[edit] History
The service was introduced as the "Enterprise Express" on August 11, 1947 by the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) ((GNR (I)) in an attempt to compete with air and road transport which were challenging the railways. In particular, business travel was and is seen as an important market. Customs checks were limited to the Belfast and Dublin terminals in order to reduce journey times by ensuring that journeys were non-stop, and advanced booking was available. The service proved a success and in October 1950 was extended beyond Dublin to Cork.
However this proved unsuccessful and the Cork link ceased in September 1953 when the Great Northern Railway Board (GNRB), a joint venture between the Dublin and Belfast governments, took over the services of the GNR (I). Its unpopularity may also have been due to the six and a half hour journey time.[1]
On October 1, 1958 the GNRB was dissolved and its assets and liabilities were split between Córas Iompair Éireann (CIE) and the Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) — the predecessors of the current operators, Iarnród Éireann (IE) and Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) respectively.
The service was upgraded in September 1997 with a new timetable and new coaching stock from French train makers De Dietrich Ferroviaire (now Alstom DDF)
The service has suffered disruption over the years, particularly during the Troubles, when it was regularly halted by bomb threats. Since the Northern Ireland peace process, however, such disruption has diminished. Renewed investment in recent years has seen the line upgraded to continuously welded track capable of 90 mph (145 km/h) running. However, these speeds are not reached on the northern part of the route.[citation needed]
Journey times vary between 1-hour 55-minutes (with one intermediate stop) and a more typical 2-hours 10-minutes (with four intermediate stops), an average speed of 59 and 52 MPH (95 and 84 km/h) respectively. Many trains actually fail to meet this schedule, and journey times in excess of 2 hours and twenty minutes are common. This reduces the overall average speed to less than 48 mph, making the Enterprise one of the slowest inter-city trains in Europe.[citation needed]
[edit] Advertising and promotion
Translink has regularly promoted the Enterprise service with a '2 for 1' offer to readers of the Northern Ireland editions of the Daily and Sunday Mirrors. In January 2006, this promotion was undertaken in conjunction with a comprehensive billboard advertising campaign in Belfast, Newry and Portadown railway stations. The slogan, "Depressurise, Capitalise, Economise, Socialise...Go Enterprise; premier rail travel to Dublin," was used to encourage wide groups of customers to use the Enterprise.[citation needed] Discounted Internet booking for the service is also periodically offered by Translink.
[edit] References
- ^ A Regional History of Railways (Volume XVI, Ireland), J.W.P. Rowledge, 1995, ISBN 0-906899-63-X
[edit] Gallery
 The inside of an Enterprise train. |
 An Enterprise train at Dublin Connolly where an Irish Rail worker unloads a cargo of young chickens in boxes. |
[edit] External links
| Rail transport in Ireland | |
|---|---|
| Enterprise1 - Iarnród Éireann - Northern Ireland Railways | |
| Services: Commuter - Dublin Area Rapid Transit - InterCity | |
| 1 Operated jointly by Iarnród Éireann and Northern Ireland Railways | |
| Domestic: | Arriva Trains Wales - c2c - Central Trains1 - Chiltern Railways - First Capital Connect First Great Western - First ScotRail - Grand Central2 - GNER - Heathrow Connect Hull Trains - Island Line3 - Merseyrail - Midland Mainline1 - Northern Rail Northern Ireland Railways4 - 'one' - Silverlink1 - Southeastern - Southern South West Trains - TransPennine Express - Virgin Trains (VWC - VXC1) |
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| International: | Enterprise4 - Eurostar |
| Airport Link: | Gatwick Express - Heathrow Express - Stansted Express5 |
| Sleeper: | Caledonian Sleeper6 - Night Riviera7 |
| 1 Ends November 2007 - 2 Starts 20 May 2007 - 3 Operated by South West Trains 4 Operated on the Irish railway network - 5 Operated by 'one' - 6 Operated by First ScotRail 7 Operated by First Great Western |
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| Future passenger train operators and franchises in Great Britain | |
|---|---|
| New Franchises: | Cross Country1 - East Midlands1 - InterCity East Coast - London Overground1 West Midlands1 |
| Proposed open-access operators: |
Glasgow Trains2 - Grand Union2 - Humber & City2 - Wrexham & Shropshire3 |
| 1 Starts November 2007 - 2 Proposed - 3 Awaiting Approval | |
