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Enterprise (train)
Encyclopedia
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Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
and in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
and is jointly operated by Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann is the national railway system operator of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann . It operates all internal intercity, commuter and freight railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and, jointly with Northern Ireland Railways, the...
(IE) and NI Railways (NIR).
History
The Great Northern Railway (Ireland)Great Northern Railway (Ireland)
The Great Northern Railway was an Irish gauge railway company in Ireland.The Great Northern was formed in 1876 by a merger of the Irish North Western Railway , Northern Railway of Ireland, and Ulster Railway. The Ulster Railway was the GNRI's oldest constituent, having opened between Belfast and...
(GNR(I)) introduced the service as the "Enterprise Express" on 11 August 1947 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
Border checkpoint
A border checkpoint is a place, generally between two countries, where travellers and/or goods are inspected. Authorization often is required to enter a country through its borders. Access-controlled borders often have a limited number of checkpoints where they can be crossed without legal...
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. Apparently the name of the train comes from "the enterprising approach" that the GNR(I) took to make journeys more convenient for passengers despite the requirement for customs checks. The initial service ran between station and Dublin Amiens Street station, which was renamed in 1966.
In October 1950 the service was extended beyond Dublin to Kent Station in Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
. This proved unsuccessful and the Cork link ceased in September 1953 when the governments of the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland nationalised the GNR as the Great Northern Railway Board (GNRB). The Cork service's unpopularity may also have been due to the six and a half hour journey time.
On 1 October 1958 the GNRB was dissolved and its assets and liabilities were split between Córas Iompair Éireann
CIE
-Organizations:* Cambridge International Examinations, an international examination board* Cleveland Institute of Electronics, a private technical and engineering educational institution — the International Commission on Illumination...
(CIÉ) and the Ulster Transport Authority
Ulster Transport Authority
The Ulster Transport Authority ran rail and bus transport in Northern Ireland from 1948 until 1966.-Formation and consolidation:The UTA was formed by the Transport Act 1948, which merged the Northern Ireland Road Transport Board and the Belfast and County Down Railway...
(UTA) — the predecessors of the current operators, Iarnród Éireann (IE) and Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) respectively. Following the completion of the Belfast Central Line Project, the Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
terminal moved to the new Belfast Central
Belfast Central railway station
Belfast Central is a railway station serving the city of Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is one of the four stations located in Belfast City Centre, the others being Great Victoria Street, City Hospital and Botanic....
station in April 1976.
The service was upgraded in September 1997 with a new timetable and new coaching stock from French train makers De Dietrich Ferroviaire
De Dietrich Ferroviaire
De Dietrich Ferroviaire is a French manufacturer of railway rolling stock based in Reichshoffen, France. It was formed as a division of the De Dietrich group, which has a ....
(now Alstom DDF). At this point the service, which had operated under either the IÉ or NIR brands, was branded separately as Enterprise.
The service has suffered disruption over the years, particularly during the Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
, when it was regularly halted by bomb threats. These became so frequent and caused such considerable disruption to the service that a campaigning group, the Peace Train Organisation
Peace Train Organisation
The Peace Train Organisation was a campaign group set up in 1989 in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in response to the repeated bombing of the Dublin to Belfast railway line by the Provisional IRA....
was formed in 1989. Since the Northern Ireland peace process
Northern Ireland peace process
The peace process, when discussing the history of Northern Ireland, is often considered to cover the events leading up to the 1994 Provisional Irish Republican Army ceasefire, the end of most of the violence of the Troubles, the Belfast Agreement, and subsequent political developments.-Towards a...
, however, such disruption has diminished. Renewed investment in recent years has seen the line upgraded to continuously welded track capable of 145 km/h (90.1 mph) running along the southern part of the route, as part of Iarnród Éireann's rail network upgrades. However, these speeds are not reached on the northern part of the route.
Timetable times vary between 1 hour 53 minutes (with one intermediate stop) and a more typical 2 hours 15 minutes (with four intermediate stops), an average speed of 97 kilometre per hour respectively.
The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland
Railway Preservation Society of Ireland
The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland is an Irish railway preservation group operating in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1964. The Society has its headquarters at Whitehead, County Antrim, Northern Ireland and a base at Mullingar, County Westmeath...
runs a Steam Enterprise in the summer months to exchange its Dublin-based engine with its Whitehead-based engine.
Autumn 2009 Disruption
On 21 August 2009 20 m (21.9 yd) of the Broadmeadow estuary viaductBroadmeadow viaduct
The Broadmeadow viaduct, in Ireland, carries the main Dublin to Belfast railway across the Broadmeadow Estuary, about 13 kilometres north of Dublin, just north of Malahide. It is approximately 180 metres long and it is a section of a longer crossing constructed as an embankment...
, north of Malahide, collapsed, causing serious disruptions to Northern Commuter and Enterprise services. During the disruption the Enterprise service operated between Belfast Central and Drogheda, with buses connecting Drogheda with Dublin Connolly. The line across the estuary reopened on 16 November with full services resumed between Dublin Connolly and Belfast Central.
Services
Passengers can travel First Class ("First+") or Second Class ("Enterprise Class"). Additional to a trolley service there is a Dining Car ("Café Bar") serving food and drink. First+ offers a full three course menu serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. First+ extras also include air conditioning, tinted windows, adjustable blinds and individual reading lamps.Current fleet
Each Push-pull trainPush-pull train
Push–pull is a mode of operation for locomotive-hauled trains allowing them to be driven from either end.A push–pull train has a locomotive at one end of the train, connected via some form of remote control, such as multiple-unit train control, to a vehicle equipped with a control cab at the other...
set consists of seven coaches and a 201 Class
IE 201 Class
The Iarnród Éireann 201 Class locomotives are the newest and most powerful diesel locomotives operating in Ireland, and were built between 1994 and 1995 by General Motors. They are model type JT42HCW, fitted with an EMD 12-710G3B engine of 3200 hp, weigh 112 tonnes and have a maximum speed of...
locomotive. Originally, the 28 coaches were delivered as four sets of seven, but entered service as three sets of eight, while a total of four locomotives, two from each operator, were allocated to Enterprise. The coaches were manufactured by De Dietrich Ferroviaire
De Dietrich Ferroviaire
De Dietrich Ferroviaire is a French manufacturer of railway rolling stock based in Reichshoffen, France. It was formed as a division of the De Dietrich group, which has a ....
, while the locomotives are from GM-EMD; ownership of the rolling stock is jointly shared between both operators, however coach maintenance is provided by NIR and the locomotives are maintained by IE. The coaching stock is based on the Class 373
British Rail Class 373
The British Rail Class 373 or TGV-TMST train is an electric multiple unit that operates Eurostar's high-speed rail service between Britain, France and Belgium via the Channel Tunnel...
EMU stock used by Eurostar
Eurostar
Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Paris and Brussels. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between England and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel....
, with the interiors identical. However, unlike the EMU stock, which is articulated and permanently coupled, the stock used by Enterprise is ordinary coaching stock.
Head end power
Head end power or electric train supply is a rail transport term for the electrical power distribution system on a passenger train. The power source, usually a locomotive at the front or “head” of a train or a generator car, generates all the electricity used for lighting, electrical and other...
to the train; unlike IÉ's Dublin-Cork services, which operate with the locomotive operating with a generator control car
Control car (rail)
A control car is a generic term for a non-powered railroad vehicle that can control operation of a train from the end opposite to the position of the locomotive...
that provides power for lighting and heating the train, the Enterprise fleet is equipped with an ordinary control car, which has no power generating capability. This means that the locomotive has to provide all the power for the train, both motive and generating. Extended operation in this mode causes damage, so four further locomotives were allocated to Enterprise from the central IÉ fleet. However, this still required locomotives to be used in HEP mode. So, in May 2009, the Minister for Regional Development in Northern Ireland requested an estimate for the provision of generator functions for the existing rolling stock so that head-end power mode would no longer be needed. The withdrawal of IÉ's Mark 3
British Rail Mark 3
British Rail's third design of standard carriage was designated 'Mark 3' , and was developed primarily for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train...
coaching fleet saw a large number of generator vans become available. One of these was tested with the Enterprise set stranded at Inchicore
Inchicore
-Location and access:Located five kilometres due west of the city centre, Inchicore lies south of the River Liffey, west of Kilmainham, north of Drimnagh and east of Ballyfermot. The majority of Inchicore is in the Dublin 8 postal district...
following the Broadmeadow Viaduct
Broadmeadow viaduct
The Broadmeadow viaduct, in Ireland, carries the main Dublin to Belfast railway across the Broadmeadow Estuary, about 13 kilometres north of Dublin, just north of Malahide. It is approximately 180 metres long and it is a section of a longer crossing constructed as an embankment...
collapse. This vehicle, along with four others, was then earmarked for conversion to operate with the De Dietrich stock coaches.
| Class | Image | Type | Top speed | Number | Routes operated | Built | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mph | km/h | ||||||
| 201 Class IE 201 Class The Iarnród Éireann 201 Class locomotives are the newest and most powerful diesel locomotives operating in Ireland, and were built between 1994 and 1995 by General Motors. They are model type JT42HCW, fitted with an EMD 12-710G3B engine of 3200 hp, weigh 112 tonnes and have a maximum speed of... |
 |
diesel locomotive Diesel locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel... |
102 | 164 | 8 | Dublin Dublin Connolly railway station Dublin Connolly, commonly called Connolly station , is one of the main railway stations in Dublin, Ireland, and is a focal point in the Irish route network. Opened in 1844 as Amiens Street Station, the ornate facade has a distinctive Italianate tower at its centre... - Belfast Belfast Central railway station Belfast Central is a railway station serving the city of Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is one of the four stations located in Belfast City Centre, the others being Great Victoria Street, City Hospital and Botanic.... |
1994–1995 |
| De Dietrich stock |  |
Passenger Passenger A passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination.... Rolling stock Rolling stock Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons... |
90 | 145 | 28 | Dublin Dublin Connolly railway station Dublin Connolly, commonly called Connolly station , is one of the main railway stations in Dublin, Ireland, and is a focal point in the Irish route network. Opened in 1844 as Amiens Street Station, the ornate facade has a distinctive Italianate tower at its centre... - Belfast Belfast Central railway station Belfast Central is a railway station serving the city of Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is one of the four stations located in Belfast City Centre, the others being Great Victoria Street, City Hospital and Botanic.... |
1996 |
In the event that an Enterprise set is unavailable, either NIR's "Gatwick" stock
British Rail Class 488
The British Rail Class 488 are unpowered trailer sets, converted from Mark 2F coaches for the Gatwick Express service from London Victoria railway station to Gatwick Airport....
rake of coaches or an IÉ set can be used on the service. Additionally, both NIR and IÉ have equipped six each of their newest DMUs (C3K
NIR 3000 Class
The Class 3000 is a class of diesel multiple unit in service with Northern Ireland Railways.-History:At the beginning of the 21st century, the majority of rail services in Northern Ireland continued to be operated using Class 80 DEMUs, which had been in service since the mid 1970s, and were...
and 22000
IE 22000 Class
The 22000 Class "InterCity Railcar" is a Diesel multiple unit type in service with Iarnród Éireann in Ireland.In a new departure for Iarnród Éireann they will be the first railcars to have been built specifically to serve on InterCity routes and are capable of up to 100 mph .-History:In 2005,...
) to each other's specifications so they may also be used on this route in the event of a breakdown.
Future fleet
Both Iarnród Éireann and Northern Ireland Railways have for some time maintained an ambition to introduce hourly services between Dublin and Belfast. However, it would be necessary to procure new, faster rolling stock in order to achieve the required improvements in frequency and speed. In 2005, they investigated the possibility of procuring new rolling stock when seven 125 mph (55.9 m/s) capable Class 222British Rail Class 222
The British Rail Class 222 is a diesel-electric multiple unit high-speed train capable of . Twenty-seven units have been built by Bombardier Transportation....
DEMUs built for the British network
Rail transport in Great Britain
The railway system in Great Britain is the oldest in the world, with the world's first locomotive-hauled public railway opening in 1825. As of 2010, it consists of of standard gauge lines , of which are electrified. These lines range from single to double, triple, quadruple track and up to twelve...
became available for use as one of the possible options, which also included the procurement of additional 22000 Class
IE 22000 Class
The 22000 Class "InterCity Railcar" is a Diesel multiple unit type in service with Iarnród Éireann in Ireland.In a new departure for Iarnród Éireann they will be the first railcars to have been built specifically to serve on InterCity routes and are capable of up to 100 mph .-History:In 2005,...
DMUs as part of IÉ's order. What is recognised is that new rolling stock would most likely be a type of multiple unit
Multiple unit
The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelled carriages capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one driving cab. The term is commonly used to denote passenger trainsets consisting of more than one carriage...
rather than locomotive pulled, similar to IÉ's eventual plans for its Dublin-Cork services. This will remove the problems suffered by the 201 Class locomotives when using head-end power mode.
Future developments
Recent press reports have stated that NIR & IE plan to introduce a new hourly service. This was reiterated in a statement by Conor MurphyConor Murphy
Conor Terence Murphy is an Irish republican Sinn Féin politician.According to An Phoblacht, Murphy first became involved with the Irish Republican Army during the 1981 hunger strikes...
, the Northern Ireland Minister for Regional Development, who stated that the two companies had made a presentation to the North/South Ministerial Council
North/South Ministerial Council
The North/South Ministerial Council is a body established under the Belfast Agreement to co-ordinate activity and exercise certain governmental powers across the whole island of Ireland...
in October 2007 putting forward the case for improvements in the frequency and speed of the service. Any improvements to the service would require significant investment in track and signalling, as well as new rolling stock. In April 2008, the Minister for Regional Development stated that the major improvements to the infrastructure and rolling stock required by Enterprise would total in the region of £500 million. However, the introduction of an hourly timetable remains an ambition for NIR and IÉ; the surplus of rolling stock held by IÉ following the introduction of the 22000 Class
IE 22000 Class
The 22000 Class "InterCity Railcar" is a Diesel multiple unit type in service with Iarnród Éireann in Ireland.In a new departure for Iarnród Éireann they will be the first railcars to have been built specifically to serve on InterCity routes and are capable of up to 100 mph .-History:In 2005,...
DMUs could potentially be used to enhance the frequency of Enterprise's service. The line south of the border was upgraded to continuous welded rail in the 1990s, while NIR are in the process of making track improvements to allow for an increase in speed. Enterprise would require a minimum of seven complete trains to operate an hourly service - IÉ has a significant number of stored Mark 3
British Rail Mark 3
British Rail's third design of standard carriage was designated 'Mark 3' , and was developed primarily for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train...
rolling stock available, of which five sets are push-pull capable, while NIR has its own "Gatwick"
British Rail Class 488
The British Rail Class 488 are unpowered trailer sets, converted from Mark 2F coaches for the Gatwick Express service from London Victoria railway station to Gatwick Airport....
set that has also recently been converted to push-pull operation. In addition, the introduction of the 22000 Class has led to a surplus of locomotives that could also be utilised to meet this requirement. However, the major issue remains the capacity at , which remains stretched. The transfer of Commuter
Commuter (Iarnród Éireann)
Commuter is the brand name given to the suburban rail services operated by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland. These operate in and around the suburban rail networks of Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway, in contrast to the majority of services which are classed as InterCity...
services to , together with the opening of the Interconnector
Interconnector (rail tunnel)
DART Underground , previously known as the Interconnector, is a planned railway tunnel in Ireland, projected to run under the city centre of Dublin. The tunnel would allow for the expansion of the electrified DART and the Dublin Suburban Rail network, and connect Heuston Station with Pearse Station...
, should go some way to alleviating the capacity issues. Plans have also been mooted to transfer Enterprise's northern terminus from to Belfast Great Victoria Street, which is more centrally located and is co-located with Europa Buscentre, thus providing an integrated rail/bus journey to all parts of the island.
Currently, the Enterprise is undergoing a face-lift with the carriages being resprayed in silver with green colours, some of which can be seen at Translink's York Rd. Maintenance Depot
Yorkgate railway station
Yorkgate railway station serves the north of the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. The station opened in 1992, replacing the previous York Road station nearby.-York Road Railway Station:...
.
Complaints
In November 2007 the cross-border IBEC-CBIConfederation of British Industry
The Confederation of British Industry is a British not for profit organisation incorporated by Royal charter which promotes the interests of its members, some 200,000 British businesses, a figure which includes some 80% of FTSE 100 companies and around 50% of FTSE 350 companies.-Role:The CBI works...
Joint Business Council, in a submission to the North/South Ministerial Council
North/South Ministerial Council
The North/South Ministerial Council is a body established under the Belfast Agreement to co-ordinate activity and exercise certain governmental powers across the whole island of Ireland...
, stated that Enterprise was falling behind compared to the improvements of other international rail providers, with delays "often up to an hour" and serious reliability problems, combined with the uncompetitive journey time against making the journey by road.
In fact, after years of saying the opposite, Northern Ireland Railways have recently admitted that this train is so frequently broken down that it is no longer fit for purpose and requires £500 million of new investment to bring it up to an acceptable standard. Its average speed of 43 mph (19.2 m/s) makes it one of the slowest intercity connections in Western Europe. Given the much faster road connection to Dublin and the Enterprise's confirmed unreliability, combined with its infrequency, it has been running at a loss, as passengers switch to much cheaper and faster alternatives.