In Ireland, Trains are Totally the Best

I like trains. I like them because they're better for the environment than driving, they're more relaxing than planes, and they let you sit back and think, or read, or write, or whatever strikes your fancy.

Now, my only experience with trains prior to my UK and Ireland visit had been the mass transit systems in Calgary, Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto, but even those are at times quite efficient and accessible. In the UK and Ireland, they've really got it down to a science.

But before I go further, let's talk about Ireland itself. In case you don't already know, Ireland is split in half between the Republic of Ireland, with Dublin as its capital, and Northern Ireland, which remains part of the UK and has Belfast as its capital. I'll talk about the history in a later entry - or at least as best as I can; after all I'm no historian and no Irishman - but for now suffice it to say that travel between the two countries is actually quite simple despite recent events.

So, with that in mind, let's talk about the trains I've ridden so far.

First off, the stations themselves, while not universally pretty to look at, are often under-appreciated works of art like this one, Connolly Station:

I know I'm showing my Steampunk fetish here, but I really just love the look and feel of old train stations.

Now, I took two trains in Dublin. The first is the DART commuter train:

It's an IE 22000 Class diesel engine, it runs very frequently (at least on the routes that I accessed; I hear that some more remote routes are very infrequent), and the interior - which I sadly neglected to grab a shot of - is clean and comfortable. As you can see from the shot I took of Connolly station, these trains run in the city of Dublin on elevated rails, though in more remote areas of the city it is at grade. Best of all, the route is integrated with the Dublin-Belfast Enterprise service, which I'll talk about now.

I have heard horror stories about breakdowns on the Enterprise line occurring with alarming frequency, which I can't speak to. What I can speak to is my own journey, which was seamless, pleasant, and best of all - inexpensive. My ticket from Grand Canal Station to Dublin Connolly, on the DART Commuter, ran €2.10. The ticket from Dublin Connolly to Belfast Central, meanwhile, ran €12.99. Now, for someone who lives in the country, that might not be the best alternative and driving between the two cities is probably a better method but for a traveller like myself, the cost of renting a car + petrol, or worse yet flying, would be downright exorbitant compared to a pittance like that.

The train itself departed right on time, and arrived exactly on time as well. The interior was a treat, and best of all it was sparsely occupied so I had an entire 4-seat section to myself:

The ride was smooth and pleasant, with a few stops in small towns and villages along the way that each lasted maybe 2-3 minutes. I had plenty of time to sit, write, and look out the window at the countryside rolling by my window.

This is the part that really blew my mind. When we arrived in Belfast, I expected there would be some kind of customs or security check. After all, I had technically just arrived from another country. However, I instead was told I could proceed with my passport as it was - I expect this was partly because I'm a Canadian - and that I didn't have to worry about buying a ticket to continue along the city line to my final destination. I got a commuter ticket for Belfast for free as part of my Dublin-Belfast journey!

And you know something? The commuter train in Belfast was great too. I want you to do something for me. I want you to take a look at these next four pictures, and if you can, take a close look at the clock in the mid-right.

That right there is a train arriving on time to the SECOND. Calgary, time to step up your game.

And now, some stray thoughts...

Band of Note:

This street band, the Sixty-Eights (I think is what they were called...I googled it but couldn't find anything) had a pretty bitchin' guitarist. I can't get the video uploaded right now because the file is huge and I don't have the patience to compress it while I'm travelling (also, it's horribly blurred...I hadn't used the video function before and buggered it up something fierce). Suffice it to say that this guy threw down a spectacular take on the closing solo from The Dire Straits' "Sultans of Swing" that left me feeling chills.