(Dublin) Donnybrook’s New GTs on 11 & 54A [25Aug2013]

Donnybrook Garage has taken delivery of the first twenty of the eighty Volvo B9TL / Wright Gemini buses on order for Dublin Bus this year.  Further deliveries are now in progress to Ringsend.

Here we see some of the Donnybrook batch in action on routes 11 and 54A.

 

Above: GT88 seen from the front and rear in Suffolk Street, Dublin, on Saturday 24 August 2013.

The buses are built to Wright’s Gemini II specification, however Dublin Bus has requested that they have the older style of Gemini I front panelling for commonality of spares with their earlier Wright deckers.

Route 11 switched over to GT operation from Friday 23rd August.

Above: GT84 is seen at Fortfield Drive, near Kimmage, heading outbound.

Originally the 54A was a cross-city route and came south just as far as this point, however over the years it has lost its northside section, while being continually extended to the south, the extensions allowing it to remain viable while the main 54 service was discontinued.

GT82 is seen at the same spot, heading inbound.

The buses are the first in the fleet to carry the new Irish style of registration with a three digit year prefix rather than two – so instead of being 13-D, these buses are 132-D to signify that they were delivered in the second half of the year.

As of 2009, the company no longer pays for registration numbers to coincide with fleet numbers.

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Stocking Lane [May 2013]

Dublin Bus Volvo B7TL/ALX400  AV247 of Ringsend is seen starting the steep climb up Stocking Lane at the foot of the Dublin Mountains.

RPA Tenders Structural surveys for LUAS A1 Citywest/Saggart branch

 

The long-awaited building of the spur from the LUAS Red Line, linking the existing line to Citywest and Saggart is coming closer, with the announcment by the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) that they are seeking qualified consultants to perform structural survey work on properties bordering the new line.

The go ahead to construct the line depends on the finalising of a Railway Order, but work such as the surveying can go ahead in the meantime, and starting this process now will reduce the pre-construction wait after the order is granted.

Full details of the RPA tender are below.

 

Title:	Luas A1_170 Structural Condition Surveys
Published by:	Railway Procurement Agency
Publication Date:	24/10/2008
Application Deadline:	07/11/2008
Notice Deadline Date:	07/11/2008
Notice Deadline Time:	12:00
Notice Type:	Tender
Has Documents:	Yes
Abstract:	RPA now seeks the services of an experienced structural engineering consultant to carry out structural condition surveys of buildings and structures along the Luas line A1 boundary. Line A1 is a 4.2 km proposed spur to the existing Luas Red Line currently operating between Tallaght and Connolly Station. RPA completed its pre-application consultations with An Bord Pleanála in August 2007 in relation to the proposed line and has submitted a Railway Order Application in December 2007. Following the display period of the draft Railway Order Application, an Oral Hearing was held on the 11 March 2008 in An Bord Pleanála Offices, Marlborough Street and was concluded in one day. The Railway Order, if granted by An Bord Pleanála, will provide the powers necessary to construct, operate and maintain the line, subject to funding confirmation. Luas Line A1 is the first RPA project for which a Railway Order will be sought under the new statutory framework introduced by the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act 2006 It is RPA’s intention to ensure that all existing buildings / structures and boundaries that may be affected by the Light Rail Works are protected from damage due to these Works. In order to determine the condition of existing buildings / structures and boundaries a condition survey will be carried out along the length of the line. RPA now seeks the services of an experienced structural engineering consultant to carry out these structural condition surveys.

Evening Buses Withdrawn from Belfield

Route 10 at UCD Belfield

 

Dublin Bus has curtailed services on routes 3 and 10 to avoid serving the Belfield campus of University College Dublin after 8.30pm, according to this report on the RTE News website.

The withdrawal of services followed reports of unruly behaviour, mobbing of buses and an alleged attack on an inspector.

 

Belfield morning shots

Some shots taken at the main bus station at UCD Belfield in the morning peak, Friday 17th October 2008.

All photos can be seen fullsize by clicking on them

Bus Eireann Scania/Irizar SC263

AV25 has arrived in as a 70B

Route 17 is still Olympian operated. RV443 is seen heading for Blackrock

AV43 has arrived into Belfield as a euro-duty 25X

. . . and departs for town as a 46A

AV303 on duty 10/10 with another 10 behind it. Note the contrasting James Bond ads.

Minister disputes Patton Flyer claims

Comments in Dail by Transport Minister claim operator applied for licence in 2007, not 2006

Patton Flyer links Dalkey to Dublin Airport

Further interesting information has emerged in the long-running saga of the Patton Flyer coach service in Dublin, which the Department of Transport says is being run without a licence.

The service, which links Dalkey and Blackrock to Dublin Airport via the Eastlink and the Port Tunnel runs hourly and is seen to be carrying healthy loadings. DoT officials say they reported the operator to the Gardai in August 2007 for operating without a licence, though what action has been taken as a result is unclear.

Back in March, we reported on claims that a very long delay in dealing with a licence application had forced the coach company to start the service without a licence. According to the operator, they had submitted an application in 2006, without reply.

Now recent comments on the record of the Dail (Irish parliment) by Transport Minister Noel Dempsey seem to dispute this version of events, as according to the Minister the operator only applied for the licence in early 2007.

Below is the full text of the minister’s Dail response when questioned.

Apart from the date of the application, this answer is interesting in that it confirms that the reason for the licence not being granted is, as long suspected, the prior application for a licence by Aircoach, whose Greystone to Dublin Airport service only meets the Patton Flyer along part of the route.

 23. Deputy Seán Barrett asked the Minister for Transport  if he will grant a licence to a bus service (details supplied) to operate a scheduled bus service between Dalkey and intermediary points such as Glasthule, Dún Laoghaire and Monkstown with Dublin Airport which are not served by an alternative bus operator; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32450/08]

Minister for Transport (Deputy Noel Dempsey): My Department received an application on the 20 February 2007 from the operator to whom the Deputy refers, for a licence to operate bus passenger services between Dalkey and Dublin Airport. At that time, my Department had on hands a prior application for bus services on a similar route, and in accordance with administrative procedures, applications were dealt with in date order. That prior application was finalised in December 2007 and a licence has issued to that operator for the provision of bus passenger services between Greystones and Dublin Airport.

In the case of the service referred to by the Deputy, on the 16 July 2007 my Department was made aware that the operator concerned had commenced the operation of an unlicensed bus passenger service between Dalkey and Dublin Airport. My Department immediately contacted that company and advised that failure to cease the operation of the service in respect of which a licence had not been issued under the Road Transport Act 1932, is an offence under section 7 of that Act. It is also a prerequisite before the making of an offer of a licence that in accordance with road traffic and safety legislation the applicant provides my Department with Garda approvals for all proposed bus stops along the route and holds a Road Passenger transport Operations Licence.

While there is a strong passenger demand for a service between Dalkey and Dublin Airport, my Department would only be prepared to make an offer of a licence to Patton Flyer if that company demonstrates that it would be prepared to operate in conformity with the law.