Blimey Scott, Always ensure to pack a flask of fresh coffee with you and a few snacks for when you get delayed. and always carry a flagon of Whisky with you in case of snakebite... and furthermore always carry a small snake.
Thank you very much for your videos. I get anxious travelling sometimes and find some stations confusing and stressful. I like seeing where you have to go and what you have to do in order to make the journey. Makes everything easier!
Pre-pandemic I used to use the Enterprise a lot. For all its faults, the staff on the train were brilliant. If you travelled frequently enough, they'd recognise you and you'd exchange especially warm greetings. Generally the peak hours trains were very busy and if you sat in a four seat and table, you'd find yourself talking to the most interesting people. I can't remember any delays, of more than ten or twenty minutes. As another commenter said, first class was a real step up. Table service for the duration of the journey. Delicious cooked breakfasts and coffee. A pleasant background burble of conversations. I used NIR a lot as a schoolboy and I don't know if the staff ever got the recognition they deserved for keeping the services going as best as they could throughout the Troubles.
In 1949 the enterprise took 2 hours 15 minutes to do the journey 2022 it takes 2 hours 10 minutes to do the journey, now that’s progress eat your heart out Eurostar and well done NIR
It can't get any faster unless you want to drill a tunnel through the mornes and build a bridge over carlingford lough effectively cutting off Warren Point for the sea truck
Hi scott the reason for changing trains at portadown is to return that set back to dublin for servicing as all loco maintenance is done by IE. Also the buffet is located in coach C and only recently reopened after covid restrictions were lifted
Hello.i remember hearing about that.YES.you are very right.oh.your very brave.doing all of what you do.just for all of your views.and fans.oh.iam a big fan and viewer.thank you Mr.Scott.please keep up the good work.and please keep being safe and well.thanks for everything.take good care.
Just watched the video, brilliantly shot! Btw the Café bar is toward the DVT end of the train, coach C. Also the Enterprise is not the flagship service of Ireland, the Cork-Dublin MK4's are. Just some information for you my friend and hope the journey was good. Personally I think all Intercity trains in Ireland should be of the same standard as the Enterprise in terms of seat comfort. The MK4s are great but the Enterprise is just a new level.
Fun fact about Enterprise: As a student in Belfast I used to take the train to and from Ulster University. Once while travelling with a friend I referred to the train to Dublin as “Enterprise”. My friend scoffed and said “Ha! I think you’ve been watching too much Star Trek!” He refused to believe that the cross border rail service was called “Enterprise”. Even after I showed him a timetable with “Enterprise” clearly written at the top of the page, he STILL refused to believe me.
Hi Scott, just seen the enterprise train video you did, It was good to see trains and stations haven't changed. The biggest shock I got was when you entered at lanyon place the guy who walked pass you with blue coat, jeans and glasses was my ex, and he hasn't changed either 😂 lol
The Enterprise is NOT the premier service in Ireland. That accolade belongs to the Dublin to Cork service operated by Irish Rail. This service runs hourly from 6.00 to 21.00 and reaches speeds of 100MPH. Takes 2hrs 30mins to do 160 miles. Most cities in the Republic of Ireland have better and faster services to Dublin than Belfast does. Brian Deasy
@@katbryceYou are not comparing like with like Katrina, a more realistic comparison is Glasgow to Aberdeen which both have populations similar to Dublin and Cork.
Distance from Dublin to Cork is approx 260km but distance from London to Paris is approx 455km so its obvious that there will be a faster train, and Ireland is way smaller compared to France or the UK so we dont need high-speed rail in Ireland@@katbryce
The station was renamed in 2018 due to it not being the central station in Belfast, in fact the other big station Great Victoria is more central But even this station is on the edge of the city ( Belfast is a small city after all, both stations are a 17 minute walk from each other ) and is getting replaced with a newer rail and bus station which is getting build at the back of Great Victoria and will be named Belfast Grand Central Station
Funny to see you stop off at my local station Portadown. Northern Ireland used to be full of railway lines and stations but these were lifted decades ago as motorway was seen as the future. Now we'd give anything to have them back! Next time you come back to NI you should give the Transport Museum in Belfast and Down Heritage railway a visit!
I remember the old station in Portadown, a huge imposing building which was fine to use and there was a large engine shed there as well. From Portadown you used to be able to catch a train to Enniskillen and L/Derry but the one brain cell Gov at the time lifted the lines and ruined every town along its route.
@@oscarosullivan4513 Think it was more down to getting rid of all the railways but the man doing the report Bennet had recently returned from Boston who had shut all the railways and he noted the chaos it created so he told the Gov you have to keep one line open, the old Derry line was chosen because it was allegedly more expensive to run as it had more stations etc
When I was young in County Antrim in the 1980s I had no idea how badly done trains were on the island of Ireland. The crappiness seemed normal. Enterprise is still a load of cobblers in train terms in the context of how trains work elsewhere but it's impressive in its local context.
Why do train companies always announce that at final stations their ‘train will terminate’? It’s the train journey that terminates. (Unless they only use their trains once.)
I live in Dumfries and Galloway and have used the Stena ferry from Cairnryan for cheap day return ferry trips to Belfast a few times (eg out 0730, return 1930 - takes under 2 hours) Last time I went, I visited Belfast Lanyon Place station and noticed there are cheap day return train fares to Dublin (eg out 1030 return 1520, 2 hour trips). So a day trip to Dublin with a few hours to have a mooch round the city centre is quite possible for me by ferry and train from Scotland - something I hope to do this Summer. 9
The problem with Ni train’s was the lack of investment due to the security situation they were a easy target and checking the whole network was impossible yes the security forces checked the railway line’s (I personally did it ) but one later child could leave a box on the line which would close it in the interest of public safety and rightly so but the year’s of delay means the island of Ireland as a long long way to catch up sad but true
I took the Enterprise train on a return Belfast/Dublin trip in 2012 and hot meals were served plus plenty refreshments. Although hardly a super-fast service, it was pleasant enough. I guess the 2020-2021 pandemic has given them an excuse to curtail the level of service previously enjoyed.
Absolutely true. There are no food services on Irish trains currently due to "staffing issues" i.e. all contract staff were sacked during covid and new staff aren't attracted to poverty wages on offer in this period of hyperinflation.
What makes most locomotives break down are malfunctions. Sometimes due to poor maintenance, sometimes bird strikes during take off. I find there is no excuse for not being able to exchange a voucher attached to your ticket for a cup of coffee, after spending a required amount first. Perhaps you could have asked for a cup of tea, had the refreshment bar been open. However, I enjoyed the way you held your composure during these unexpected setbacks. Love your videos Scott.
Yes it used to be called Central station. The Enterprise train has left there for decades but the station hadn’t Improved much.over that tine. The train itself is not that fast because of the track which needs improving greatly
Café is normally in coach C. I know they had limited or no catering for a while post Covid, so it may not have been operating when you took it. Or they may not have bothered for the late service. Enterprise now runs hourly Mon-Sat, and has gone from 8 trains a day to 16, though the number of services using the dedicated Enterprise sets has reduced from 8 to 7. There's no Café car on the non-Enterprise services, which are run by Irish Rail or NIR DMUs. Last train from Belfast now leaves at 21:00. Hopefully they will be tendering for a new Enterprise fleet soon. Since there is a plan to electrify the route, it will probably be bi-mode so it can run on diesel or battery until electrification is complete.
Yep, 2018 they changed the name of Belfast Central - seems odd taking away 'Belfast' from the name of the main station in Bel........! You were lucky having a loco hauled set - better than the CAF DEMUs I had last time on that route. I have seen a few changes with the Enterprise since 1979 but railways in Ireland have been transformed in the last few decades. At 1m 50 secs, that female voice sounds like one used extensively on stations in England/Scotland/Wales - was an Ulster accent considered too difficult for tourists to understand? Must be plenty of suitable local voices they could have used even if synthesised.Thanks for sharing your vid.
Ah Translink, the bane of travel. Anyone else have the misfortune to try to access their website? Timetables are all PDF format. Great if you're in a hurry on your phone. That's if you are fortunate enough to find the one you want. Did I mention that it's for both trains and the hundreds of bus routes throughout the province. And it's not exactly clear which is which sometimes. But that doesn't matter anyway as times are all arbitrary anyway. It's whenever they can be arsed to turn up. Which they don't always. Quite often.
Definitely I am used to the self-service ones - in GB once I had to go to the counter because the machine did not like my card. It wasn't even a long journey - my explanation was that "I need PlusBus". And once I made a mistake in Ireland, had to buy a completely new ticket, and was surprised how cheap a Wexford to Dublin single was compared with a comparable UK journey.
Hi Scott, nice video, even if you couldn’t get a coffee!! Interesting complaints as well. Many years ago, I worked for an Italian company. The Italians went on a day trip to Dover and, when they came back, they complained to Head Office that the White Cliffs weren’t white enough!!!
The train ser ice and stations in NI are awful. Its quicker and cheaper usually to get the bus to Dublin. And yes it used to be called Central Station but apparently tourists were getting confused as it isn't Central Belfast, Great Victoria Street is so they renamed it.
The bus is often around 30 min quicker .I prefer the train though .Its clean comfortable and i can bring my bicycle along .It has good WiFi and you can walk around ,and has a decent toilet .
@@anthonydowling3356 I have only been to Dublin once which was by train and it was so uncomfortable! Been via coach to Dublin Airport and I much preferred it myself as easier to sleep as no loud stop announcements along the way lol.
There was issues with catering on trains jn Ireland as the contract was up and they struggled to find another provider after covid. Its vack on the Enterprise and one or two other trains now.
Good video...though not sure that the Enterprise train is actually supposed to be the "Flagship train on the Island of Ireland"? @10:01 Where did you hear that?. Cork-Dublin or Galway-Dublin surely far better?
Hi Scott and thanks for another enjoyable video. Some thoughts on having to change trains mid-journey after the earlier engine failure of one of them. The Enterprise service is jointly operated by the rail companies from both sides of the border - Translink and Irish Rail. Each company owns individual elements of kit used to provide the service. What I suspect necessitated the train swap was the need for each train set to finish the day in its correct base location for overnight maintenance and inspection, and possibly crews finishing at base. Due to the earlier failures, the trains may have been running out of schedule and likely finished in the wrong locations without the swap.
Thanks for the video, Scott! Only feedback I'd offer is that the travel comments just didn't fit your material... keen to hear you, not others! I couldn't help contrasting the local flair of the on-train announcements, with those at Belfast Central (call it what they will) - entoned with the plummy irrelevance of somebody hundreds of miles away overseas. Noteworthy that while ScotRail have squandered immense sums installing bilingual signage to reflect the heritage of the land - though not its modern occupants - NIR seems intent on doing the precise opposite!
That was correct, It was called Central. However they changed the name, thinking it would change the Doom and Gloom look of the pathetic station. Same old excuse for Portadown.
Yes they change the station name, because Belfast is getting a brand new transport hub at Great Street Victoria Station. The Enterprise service is to put it medley is not fit for purpose it takes far to long for the journey, the trains themselves are great and can go alot faster the problem is the track it needs upgraded. Great video 👍
If they did upgrade the track, and the trains were faster. Then more people would use the train. Also I think they would need to change the timetable with in the Dublin area, so that the Belfast train, is not slowed down by the Dart trains and other slower trains.
Nice one mate, yeah Translink pathetic service all round reguarding times etc, the last train from Dublin/Belfast and vice versa 7-30pm......why not midnight or 1 am?? in this day and age?
Originally, before ticket vending machines, you had the option of receive ticket by post or collect at ticket office. When ticket vending machines were installed the receive by post option was withdrawn. On the ticket vending machines you either insert the card you used to pay for the tickets or enter your reservation number. And when booking online you have the option of having either your name or reservation number on the display above your seat.
Yas, been looking forward to this! EDIT: Awesome video Scott from the other international train ex UK (I would never have worked that out, seriously) And loved the bonus of more Thomas Cook complaints 🤣
Proper carriages . What a pleasant change from the Stadler semi tram stock with their near vertical seat backs and short seats on the London services from Norwich. Nice lighting ,nice pattern moquette seat covers and good internal layout for luggage etc. Glad to see Steve caught your recording. In his country the HST services to Inverness are a good copy. For those times when we can see little in outside at night the Thos Cook complaints are ideal. I hope that you can manage the service to Cork for comparison.
Having travelled on the Enterprise while on a visit to Ireland, I was so disappointed that the train crawled it's way between the two cities. It's possible to drive from Dublin to Belfast in an hour and a half, or less, depending on traffic. That Ireland's premier train takes over two hours is the reason there were only 50 people on the train. Thanks for your videos.
Not true at all. At that time of the night this train is rarely busy..... Try getting on between 8am and 5.20 pm trains coven the 7pm train and its sometimes standing room only. And as for an hour amdca half on the road..... I've travelled many a time by road and always takes just under 2 hours depending on traffic. Maybe get your facts right next time before posting rubbish.
i notice most night trains take longer on their travels. for instance the 'Caledonian Express' leaves London at 9.15 pm each evening and only gets to Crewe before midnight then Edinburgh Waverley at 03.50. bit of a trek considering how quick the Azuma gets from Waverley to Kings Cross. years ago the night trains stopped to drop off mail, newspapers, eggs.....but i suppose if i paid for a sleeper i would want a long sleep not a quick dash?
@@claireEire Times on the Enterprise haven’t improved from when the service started in August 1947. I live in Downpatrick and it takes me two hrs to get to Dublin by road,30mins Downpatrick to Newry and 90 mins from Newry to Dublin with one stop on the motorway. Today the Enterprise is a glorified commuter service.
I’ve been on that train and a couple of weird things I found out 1/ that station won an Architectural award ! I know, just shows money talks ! 2/ It was decided to run an express, after all who wants to get off at those obscure stations ! Nobody! Everyone wants a direct train but the Irish government insisted it stop, so stops had to be included both sides! Bonkers
Hi Scott, your vlogs are informative, entertaining and cleverly humorous in places. Keep up the good work. 👍🏼 PS. Do you ever visit Dumbarton? …either that or you have a twin here. 🙂
I live in Dumbarton. Not the Dumbarton in Scotland but a small district outside the village of Roxburgh, Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand. Just a scattering of houses and quite a few orchards. All the streets in the village are named after places/rivers in Scotland. The main street is even named Scotland street.
Just found this video, your correct about the name but the station is bit better now there’s a Starbucks now used to be wee shop also closed and never open again after Covid 👍
It was called Central until fairly recently and I didn't realize that it had been renamed.The other one is Great Victoria but that doesn't do Dublin trains.
Yes, it used to be Belfast Central, but they didn't rebuild the station, they just tidied it up and renamed it to keep it in line with the a few banks and major call centres who set up shop next door - also, why do you keep saying it's a night service as if it's a sleeper, it was like 8pm if that..
7:45 WHAT? There was NO egg-slicer? No EGG-SLICER?? STOP THE TRAIN - NO - STOP THE WORLD - I WANNA GET OFF! No egg-slicer? So THAT'S what caused Planet Earth to stop rotating? Sheesh!
Yes it was called Belfast Central to be honest its not very Central. I remember in 1998 the Enterprise went into Great Victoria St which was far better and more central
It wasn't named central beause of its location, it was due to private sector investors back in the Victoria era. The Enterprise will be re-locating to the new hub, Grand Central when it opens.
Ireland, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the train, Enterprise. Her ongoing mission, to connect Belfast and Dublin, Boldly going, where many people have gone before.
Is it expensive to travel on this service as there was only 50 people on board and can you get a rover ticket for Irelands railways as i Live on the uk Mainland
There's 4day trekker tickets( 110 for 4 consecutive days) and an explorer ticket ( 5 days travel within a 15days 160€ for that one) Look at Irish Rail's site for the various options
![NIGHT FERRY FROM DUBLIN [Ghost Ship]: Stena Line to Holyhead - my first overnight ferry since 1986.](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/fEkvNZfj2JY/mqdefault.jpg)
Blimey Scott, Always ensure to pack a flask of fresh coffee with you and a few snacks for when you get delayed. and always carry a flagon of Whisky with you in case of snakebite... and furthermore always carry a small snake.
Thank you very much for your videos. I get anxious travelling sometimes and find some stations confusing and stressful. I like seeing where you have to go and what you have to do in order to make the journey. Makes everything easier!
Pre-pandemic I used to use the Enterprise a lot. For all its faults, the staff on the train were brilliant. If you travelled frequently enough, they'd recognise you and you'd exchange especially warm greetings. Generally the peak hours trains were very busy and if you sat in a four seat and table, you'd find yourself talking to the most interesting people. I can't remember any delays, of more than ten or twenty minutes. As another commenter said, first class was a real step up. Table service for the duration of the journey. Delicious cooked breakfasts and coffee. A pleasant background burble of conversations. I used NIR a lot as a schoolboy and I don't know if the staff ever got the recognition they deserved for keeping the services going as best as they could throughout the Troubles.
In 1949 the enterprise took 2 hours 15 minutes to do the journey 2022 it takes 2 hours 10 minutes to do the journey, now that’s progress eat your heart out Eurostar and well done NIR
It can't get any faster unless you want to drill a tunnel through the mornes and build a bridge over carlingford lough effectively cutting off Warren Point for the sea truck
and Irish Rail.
@@Listenerandlearner870 and Irish rail what?
@@stevewilliams1819 both companies run the Enterprise.
@@Listenerandlearner870 oh yeah
Hi scott the reason for changing trains at portadown is to return that set back to dublin for servicing as all loco maintenance is done by IE. Also the buffet is located in coach C and only recently reopened after covid restrictions were lifted
Hello.i remember hearing about that.YES.you are very right.oh.your very brave.doing all of what you do.just for all of your views.and fans.oh.iam a big fan and viewer.thank you Mr.Scott.please keep up the good work.and please keep being safe and well.thanks for everything.take good care.
Just watched the video, brilliantly shot! Btw the Café bar is toward the DVT end of the train, coach C. Also the Enterprise is not the flagship service of Ireland, the Cork-Dublin MK4's are. Just some information for you my friend and hope the journey was good. Personally I think all Intercity trains in Ireland should be of the same standard as the Enterprise in terms of seat comfort. The MK4s are great but the Enterprise is just a new level.
Very nice trains in Dublin and in the Republic of Ireland. I would love to go visit Dublin and Ireland as I never been there before.
Hi Andrew nice to see you here
Me too from Australia, I hope to come to the UK in 2023.
@@darylcheshire1618 eh Dublin and Republic of Ireland is not in the Uk.
Sorry I was intending to visit the UK and I would visit Dublin then, I could have worded it more precisely.
I 💙🇨🇮
Have visited many times.
🇺🇸💙🇨🇮
Fun fact about Enterprise: As a student in Belfast I used to take the train to and from Ulster University. Once while travelling with a friend I referred to the train to Dublin as “Enterprise”. My friend scoffed and said “Ha! I think you’ve been watching too much Star Trek!” He refused to believe that the cross border rail service was called “Enterprise”. Even after I showed him a timetable with “Enterprise” clearly written at the top of the page, he STILL refused to believe me.
The rail service predates the TV show by 2 decades!
@@_MadflyI don’t doubt that!
Hi Scott, just seen the enterprise train video you did, It was good to see trains and stations haven't changed. The biggest shock I got was when you entered at lanyon place the guy who walked pass you with blue coat, jeans and glasses was my ex, and he hasn't changed either 😂 lol
I don’t see anyone with a blue coat, jeans and glasses.
@@wrightgemini1 you had ur back to him
The Enterprise is NOT the premier service in Ireland. That accolade belongs to the Dublin to Cork service operated by Irish Rail. This service runs hourly from 6.00 to 21.00 and reaches speeds of 100MPH. Takes 2hrs 30mins to do 160 miles. Most cities in the Republic of Ireland have better and faster services to Dublin than Belfast does. Brian Deasy
100mph 🤯.
London to Edinburgh and London to Cardiff are 140mph. London to Paris is 320km/h(199mph).
@@katbryceYou are not comparing like with like Katrina, a more realistic comparison is Glasgow to Aberdeen which both have populations similar to Dublin and Cork.
@@katbryce so what. Talking about trains in Ireland
Distance from Dublin to Cork is approx 260km but distance from London to Paris is approx 455km so its obvious that there will be a faster train, and Ireland is way smaller compared to France or the UK so we dont need high-speed rail in Ireland@@katbryce
@@katbryceno they go up to 125mph tops London-Scotland
London Paris goes 300km/h or 186mph
The station was renamed in 2018 due to it not being the central station in Belfast, in fact the other big station Great Victoria is more central
But even this station is on the edge of the city ( Belfast is a small city after all, both stations are a 17 minute walk from each other ) and is getting replaced with a newer rail and bus station which is getting build at the back of Great Victoria and will be named Belfast Grand Central Station
Love your Thomas Cook customer complaints ❤😂😂😂😂😅😅😅
Funny to see you stop off at my local station Portadown. Northern Ireland used to be full of railway lines and stations but these were lifted decades ago as motorway was seen as the future. Now we'd give anything to have them back! Next time you come back to NI you should give the Transport Museum in Belfast and Down Heritage railway a visit!
And they didn't even build most of the motorways!
I remember the old station in Portadown, a huge imposing building which was fine to use and there was a large engine shed there as well. From Portadown you used to be able to catch a train to Enniskillen and L/Derry but the one brain cell Gov at the time lifted the lines and ruined every town along its route.
Sectarianism apparently played a role in the shutting of most of the ex GNRI lines
@@oscarosullivan4513 Think it was more down to getting rid of all the railways but the man doing the report Bennet had recently returned from Boston who had shut all the railways and he noted the chaos it created so he told the Gov you have to keep one line open, the old Derry line was chosen because it was allegedly more expensive to run as it had more stations etc
@@davidcorbett62 It is Northern Ireland after all
Another great wee video Scott , thank you 👍
When I was young in County Antrim in the 1980s I had no idea how badly done trains were on the island of Ireland. The crappiness seemed normal. Enterprise is still a load of cobblers in train terms in the context of how trains work elsewhere but it's impressive in its local context.
To be fair the trains in NI are not that crap
@@nicolaramoso3286 Did you ever travel on an NIR train to Portrush in the 1980s?
Why do train companies always announce that at final stations their ‘train will terminate’? It’s the train journey that terminates. (Unless they only use their trains once.)
I live in Dumfries and Galloway and have used the Stena ferry from Cairnryan for cheap day return ferry trips to Belfast a few times (eg out 0730, return 1930 - takes under 2 hours) Last time I went, I visited Belfast Lanyon Place station and noticed there are cheap day return train fares to Dublin (eg out 1030 return 1520, 2 hour trips). So a day trip to Dublin with a few hours to have a mooch round the city centre is quite possible for me by ferry and train from Scotland - something I hope to do this Summer.
9
Very good to see you travel ferry and trains keep up the good work Tom
Another fantastic Vlog Scott I continue to enjoy watching your Vlogs keep up the good work
The problem with Ni train’s was the lack of investment due to the security situation they were a easy target and checking the whole network was impossible yes the security forces checked the railway line’s (I personally did it ) but one later child could leave a box on the line which would close it in the interest of public safety and rightly so but the year’s of delay means the island of Ireland as a long long way to catch up sad but true
I took the Enterprise train on a return Belfast/Dublin trip in 2012 and hot meals were served plus plenty refreshments. Although hardly a super-fast service, it was pleasant enough. I guess the 2020-2021 pandemic has given them an excuse to curtail the level of service previously enjoyed.
Absolutely true. There are no food services on Irish trains currently due to "staffing issues" i.e. all contract staff were sacked during covid and new staff aren't attracted to poverty wages on offer in this period of hyperinflation.
The Northern Irish version of Julie Berry has a lovely voice. And thank you for the video too, of course.
The announcements at Belfast are the same as in England. Anne. Even in Scotland we get a local accent
What makes most locomotives break down are malfunctions. Sometimes due to poor maintenance, sometimes bird strikes during take off.
I find there is no excuse for not being able to exchange a voucher attached to your ticket for a cup of coffee, after spending a required
amount first. Perhaps you could have asked for a cup of tea, had the refreshment bar been open. However, I enjoyed the way you held
your composure during these unexpected setbacks. Love your videos Scott.
Yes it used to be called Central station. The Enterprise train has left there for decades but the station hadn’t Improved much.over that tine. The train itself is not that fast because of the track which needs improving greatly
Note to a certain Tory mp it is not because it is locomotive hauled.
Hi Scott, I was on that train at Christmas to visit the markets and shopping.
Great video, very interesting and informative.well done.
Café is normally in coach C. I know they had limited or no catering for a while post Covid, so it may not have been operating when you took it. Or they may not have bothered for the late service.
Enterprise now runs hourly Mon-Sat, and has gone from 8 trains a day to 16, though the number of services using the dedicated Enterprise sets has reduced from 8 to 7. There's no Café car on the non-Enterprise services, which are run by Irish Rail or NIR DMUs.
Last train from Belfast now leaves at 21:00.
Hopefully they will be tendering for a new Enterprise fleet soon. Since there is a plan to electrify the route, it will probably be bi-mode so it can run on diesel or battery until electrification is complete.
Yep, 2018 they changed the name of Belfast Central - seems odd taking away 'Belfast' from the name of the main station in Bel........! You were lucky having a loco hauled set - better than the CAF DEMUs I had last time on that route. I have seen a few changes with the Enterprise since 1979 but railways in Ireland have been transformed in the last few decades. At 1m 50 secs, that female voice sounds like one used extensively on stations in England/Scotland/Wales - was an Ulster accent considered too difficult for tourists to understand? Must be plenty of suitable local voices they could have used even if synthesised.Thanks for sharing your vid.
Ah Translink, the bane of travel.
Anyone else have the misfortune to try to access their website?
Timetables are all PDF format.
Great if you're in a hurry on your phone.
That's if you are fortunate enough to find the one you want. Did I mention that it's for both trains and the hundreds of bus routes throughout the province. And it's not exactly clear which is which sometimes.
But that doesn't matter anyway as times are all arbitrary anyway. It's whenever they can be arsed to turn up.
Which they don't always.
Quite often.
Definitely I am used to the self-service ones - in GB once I had to go to the counter because the machine did not like my card. It wasn't even a long journey - my explanation was that "I need PlusBus". And once I made a mistake in Ireland, had to buy a completely new ticket, and was surprised how cheap a Wexford to Dublin single was compared with a comparable UK journey.
Oh the benefit of nationalisation
Hi Scott, nice video, even if you couldn’t get a coffee!! Interesting complaints as well. Many years ago, I worked for an Italian company. The Italians went on a day trip to Dover and, when they came back, they complained to Head Office that the White Cliffs weren’t white enough!!!
Thanks for the video Scott, I hate travelling at night personally, but glad you do so many overnights to show what it's like!
Pity you couldn't see your River Boyne crossing at Drogheda. The view from the Viaduct bridge is excellent...
Great update, I often had to travel that train in the late 70's, it was a shitwaggon!
Disappointing that the station announcements are standard national rail voice and not local Ulster accent!
The train ser ice and stations in NI are awful. Its quicker and cheaper usually to get the bus to Dublin. And yes it used to be called Central Station but apparently tourists were getting confused as it isn't Central Belfast, Great Victoria Street is so they renamed it.
The bus is often around 30 min quicker .I prefer the train though .Its clean comfortable and i can bring my bicycle along .It has good WiFi and you can walk around ,and has a decent toilet .
@@anthonydowling3356 I have only been to Dublin once which was by train and it was so uncomfortable! Been via coach to Dublin Airport and I much preferred it myself as easier to sleep as no loud stop announcements along the way lol.
There was issues with catering on trains jn Ireland as the contract was up and they struggled to find another provider after covid. Its vack on the Enterprise and one or two other trains now.
I love to have coffee ☕ when travelling on a train.
Sorry late love your Adventures you are the Best 😁😁👍
No cafe service but did they have an egg slicer?
I’m not sure if catering services have returned since the pandemic. Also, it’s more like an evening train than a night train.
Good video...though not sure that the Enterprise train is actually supposed to be the "Flagship train on the Island of Ireland"? @10:01 Where did you hear that?. Cork-Dublin or Galway-Dublin surely far better?
Overnight train for a 2h journey:-p that is a good one ☝️
Its not overnight .The last train of the day leaves Belfast at 20.05 and arrives in Dublin at 22.15
Another good video 😊
Hi Scott and thanks for another enjoyable video. Some thoughts on having to change trains mid-journey after the earlier engine failure of one of them. The Enterprise service is jointly operated by the rail companies from both sides of the border - Translink and Irish Rail. Each company owns individual elements of kit used to provide the service. What I suspect necessitated the train swap was the need for each train set to finish the day in its correct base location for overnight maintenance and inspection, and possibly crews finishing at base. Due to the earlier failures, the trains may have been running out of schedule and likely finished in the wrong locations without the swap.
Great video there buddy. I only just found your video mate.
Thanks for the video, Scott! Only feedback I'd offer is that the travel comments just didn't fit your material... keen to hear you, not others!
I couldn't help contrasting the local flair of the on-train announcements, with those at Belfast Central (call it what they will) - entoned with the plummy irrelevance of somebody hundreds of miles away overseas. Noteworthy that while ScotRail have squandered immense sums installing bilingual signage to reflect the heritage of the land - though not its modern occupants - NIR seems intent on doing the precise opposite!
That was correct, It was called Central. However they changed the name, thinking it would change the Doom and Gloom look of the pathetic station. Same old excuse for Portadown.
I remember seeing loads of Guinness stock at Dundalk. There used to be a brewery there that turned to a bottling plant. I think it has since closed.
Yes they change the station name, because Belfast is getting a brand new transport hub at Great Street Victoria Station. The Enterprise service is to put it medley is not fit for purpose it takes far to long for the journey, the trains themselves are great and can go alot faster the problem is the track it needs upgraded. Great video 👍
If they did upgrade the track, and the trains were faster. Then more people would use the train. Also I think they would need to change the timetable with in the Dublin area, so that the Belfast train, is not slowed down by the Dart trains and other slower trains.
A Tory MP travelled on the train. What did he blame. The fact it is a push pull coaching stock with locomotive train not the infrastructure.
I recommend you do the journey again and earlier in the day back then services on board limited due to post covid back to normal now
Yes you are right Scott it used to be called Belfast Central
Nice one mate, yeah Translink pathetic service all round reguarding times etc, the last train from Dublin/Belfast and vice versa 7-30pm......why not midnight or 1 am?? in this day and age?
You really think that there is any demand for a Dublin Belfast service at midnight??? def would run at a loss
@@JohnMitch spend a full day in either city, pubs etc
keep up the great videos scott!! 😃😃😃
They are calling the new bus/rail station in Belfast behind the Europa hotel the Grand Central
Those Thomas Cook complaints though! Delivered perfectly!
Very good vlogging style
Ahhh changing trains... Remember it well, on the Belfast to Dublin route... But not for good reasons during The Troubles....
Done that journey daytime between Newry - Dublin Connolly, when staying with friends in NI. It puts our services over here to shame,doesn't it?
Originally, before ticket vending machines, you had the option of receive ticket by post or collect at ticket office.
When ticket vending machines were installed the receive by post option was withdrawn.
On the ticket vending machines you either insert the card you used to pay for the tickets or enter your reservation number.
And when booking online you have the option of having either your name or reservation number on the display above your seat.
Nice one Scott 👍👍
Yes, the station in Belfast used to be Belfast Central.
Yas, been looking forward to this! EDIT: Awesome video Scott from the other international train ex UK (I would never have worked that out, seriously) And loved the bonus of more Thomas Cook complaints 🤣
Proper carriages . What a pleasant change from the Stadler semi tram stock with their near vertical seat backs and short seats on the London services from Norwich. Nice lighting ,nice pattern moquette seat covers and good internal layout for luggage etc. Glad to see Steve caught your recording. In his country the HST services to Inverness are a good copy. For those times when we can see little in outside at night the Thos Cook complaints are ideal. I hope that you can manage the service to Cork for comparison.
Yes you're spot on
did you do this journey the same day as the glasgow to belfast on hannon coaches?
Obviously looking at the number of passengers, that train is losing money heavily !
Having travelled on the Enterprise while on a visit to Ireland, I was so disappointed that the train crawled it's way between the two cities. It's possible to drive from Dublin to Belfast in an hour and a half, or less, depending on traffic. That Ireland's premier train takes over two hours is the reason there were only 50 people on the train. Thanks for your videos.
Not true at all. At that time of the night this train is rarely busy.....
Try getting on between 8am and 5.20 pm trains coven the 7pm train and its sometimes standing room only.
And as for an hour amdca half on the road..... I've travelled many a time by road and always takes just under 2 hours depending on traffic.
Maybe get your facts right next time before posting rubbish.
What about the people who don't drive? Oh yes they can get the train!
i notice most night trains take longer on their travels. for instance the 'Caledonian Express' leaves London at 9.15 pm each evening and only gets to Crewe before midnight then Edinburgh Waverley at 03.50. bit of a trek considering how quick the Azuma gets from Waverley to Kings Cross. years ago the night trains stopped to drop off mail, newspapers, eggs.....but i suppose if i paid for a sleeper i would want a long sleep not a quick dash?
@@claireEire Times on the Enterprise haven’t improved from when the service started in August 1947. I live in Downpatrick and it takes me two hrs to get to Dublin by road,30mins Downpatrick to Newry and 90 mins from Newry to Dublin with one stop on the motorway. Today the Enterprise is a glorified commuter service.
An hour and half or less from Dublin to Belfast? NOT TRUE!!
Love your video's Scott
I’ve been on that train and a couple of weird things I found out
1/ that station won an Architectural award ! I know, just shows money talks !
2/ It was decided to run an express, after all who wants to get off at those obscure stations ! Nobody! Everyone wants a direct train but the Irish government insisted it stop, so stops had to be included both sides! Bonkers
I was only on that train two nights before you, we could have met
For aforigner with a uk visa what do you need to book the train ,just fare?
I missed the last train from Belfast to Dublin couple weeks ago 😂.
The best bit of this video is RUclips's interpretation of the word Portadown as "poor to die". LOL.
Hi Scott, your vlogs are informative, entertaining and cleverly humorous in places.
Keep up the good work. 👍🏼
PS. Do you ever visit Dumbarton? …either that or you have a twin here. 🙂
I live in Dumbarton. Not the Dumbarton in Scotland but a small district outside the village of Roxburgh, Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand. Just a scattering of houses and quite a few orchards. All the streets in the village are named after places/rivers in Scotland. The main street is even named Scotland street.
@@sklenars
Very Cool dude.. wow 👌
Just found this video, your correct about the name but the station is bit better now there’s a Starbucks now used to be wee shop also closed and never open again after Covid 👍
Very helpful videos
It was called Central until fairly recently and I didn't realize that it had been renamed.The other one is Great Victoria but that doesn't do Dublin trains.
I think there in the process of moving the Dublin train to Great Victoria Street
The hot stand is at the top of the train lol you should have walk up
Think dey stopped food in board owing to covid new subscriber hi from Cork Ireland 🇮🇪
why does Covid live in the food?
intercity Dublin to Cork is quite nice has food cart and goes quite fast I think fastest one in ROI
It is the fastest and still uses a locomotive and DVT with coaches.
Yes, it used to be Belfast Central, but they didn't rebuild the station, they just tidied it up and renamed it to keep it in line with the a few banks and major call centres who set up shop next door - also, why do you keep saying it's a night service as if it's a sleeper, it was like 8pm if that..
Great video
Yes, It was once Belfast Central
I think this service to and from Belfast and Dublin should be fully electrified with more reliable electric traction.
Lol. It is. Wait till ye see the test on the rail service n price
Yep you’re right,it used to be Central station.
7:45 WHAT? There was NO egg-slicer? No EGG-SLICER?? STOP THE TRAIN - NO - STOP THE WORLD - I WANNA GET OFF! No egg-slicer? So THAT'S what caused Planet Earth to stop rotating? Sheesh!
Yes it was called Belfast Central to be honest its not very Central. I remember in 1998 the Enterprise went into Great Victoria St which was far better and more central
It wasn't named central beause of its location, it was due to private sector investors back in the Victoria era.
The Enterprise will be re-locating to the new hub, Grand Central when it opens.
Ireland, the final frontier.
These are the voyages of the train, Enterprise.
Her ongoing mission, to connect Belfast and Dublin,
Boldly going, where many people have gone before.
Lovely train ride in day light.
You’re correct - Belfast Central
Interesting.
Any imgration checks there?
No, UK/Ireland have a "Common Travel Area agreement".
Is it expensive to travel on this service as there was only 50 people on board and can you get a rover ticket for Irelands railways as i Live on the uk Mainland
Its free for me ,being over 66 y .
There's 4day trekker tickets( 110 for 4 consecutive days) and an explorer ticket ( 5 days travel within a 15days 160€ for that one)
Look at Irish Rail's site for the various options
took me 35 mins to travel from Barcelona to Girona...a 60 mile journey. well thats all I will say lol
That Soviet style entrance hall is grim.
Also, what genius had the idea to change the name from central station to Lanyon Place ? 😕
It happened to me yesterday and i was in first class
I'm leaving on the midnight train to Dublin. 🎵
Think I’d prefer to go earlier arrival as Connolly station is a DUMP at night time re personal safety