TRAIN passengers on the new Enterprise service will still not be able to attend meetings in either Dublin or Belfast at 9am, after Translink announced its latest timetable.
The timetable, due to begin on April 10, makes few alterations to the existing service, with the first train set to leave Belfast at 6.45am and arriving in Dublin at 9am - just five minutes earlier on either side than the current timetable.
Last December, consultation proposals for a new timetable showed that there were discussions over a new early morning service to leave Belfast at 6.15am and arrive in Dublin at 8.41am, but this has been definitively shelved.
For passengers heading in the opposite direction, the earliest they will arrive in Belfast will be 9.45am, with no change to the current times.
Although the last train from Monday to Saturday will leave Dublin at 8.50pm, as is currently the case, it is predicted to arrive in Belfast five minutes later than the existing service, according to the Translink website.
The last service departing Belfast on weekdays and Saturdays will leave at 8.05pm, an hour and ten minutes earlier than the final service provided during recent months when upgrade work was being carried out on the Enterprise service.
The number of journeys between the two main cities on the island remains unchanged, with eight trains in either direction between Monday and Saturday and five services each way on Sundays.
Journey times on the Enterprise service range between two hours, and two hours and 20 minutes.
The same journey takes around two hours and 25 minutes by bus, and less than two hours by car.
Chris Conway, Translink Group Chief Executive, said, "We have taken the feedback from the consultation exercise on board and in our passengers' interests protected journey times and frequency.
"In addition, this new timetable is more resilient, while also facilitating the essential track improvement work currently on-going between Knockmore and Lurgan.
Mr Conway said the new Enterprise services had "received excellent feedback."
He said: "All Enterprise services will be operated by our newly refurbished trains; this is great news for our customers.
"We have received some excellent feedback on the high levels of comfort and features such as the power sockets for mobile devices allowing for more productive time on board. In addition, the new catering options are being well received.
The Translink head added: "We are also continuing to explore opportunities with Irish Rail for further enhancements to the Enterprise timetable."
In January The Irish News reported that the refurbished Enterprise train service had been banned in the Republic following two incidents in which doors opened unexpectedly mid-journey.
The trains later resumed service after safety restrictions were lifted.
The four new trains, upgraded at a cost of £12 million, had been due to be in service by the end of 2015.
