Pearse Station

emmagean

Anyone who has been at Pearse station lately will notice the new 'automated' ticket machines in operation at the station.

On Platform 1 (northbound platform) there are approximately 20 of these machines in place and on Platform 2 (southbound platform) there are about 7 (maybe 8....correct me if I'm wrong).

This is despite the southbound platform being the most heavily congested by a long shot at peak hours in my opinion.

This morning for example I got off a train at platform 2 and began to queue to put my card in one of the machines. 4 of them were out of service. People looking to get on the train that I had just got off were also trying to put their cards into the same machines to get onto the platform. Suffice to say it was chaos. I'd be surprised if people didnt miss the train as a result.

Before these automated machines were put in place there used to be one or two Iarnrod Eireann staff manning a manual ticket check downstairs. Now there are 3 staff overseeing the machines. Where's the logic in that??

I'm all for progress but when progress pushes us back in time then it doesnt make any sense.

jaffa20

You know there is a subway undergroud connecting platform 1 and platform 2. I didn't realise until one day i had to take it because the entrance to platform 2 was closed. This way, you can just cross over to the other platform and voila,more automated machines for you to chooe from.

Rawr

I didn't notice that subway myself for years, as I usually stuck around the west-end of the platform to board my train. It is quite handy, especially if you've got to head over to the bathrooms on the other platforms.

Tipsy Mac

It's great, they actually need more people employed at the station then when they manually took the tickets. Also I have noticed they have signage all over the place advising that automatic ticketing has been introduced, yet on the northboung platform there's a guy checking the tickets, I deliberately ignore him and walk past, hopefully he tries to stop me some day and I will tell him where to go

BluntGuy

If the ticket machines were in any way efficient there would be a need for only ONE person to be supervising the machines. I don't see why three are needed. Is it because they are afraid they'll break very easily. You did mention that four machines were out of service this morning. It's these hideous inefficiencies that stop us from truly moving forward.

Run_to_da_hills

BluntGuy wrote: »

If the ticket machines were in any way efficient there would be a need for only ONE person to be supervising the machines. .

Anywhere else in the world YES but not in Ireland

godtabh

BluntGuy wrote: »

If the ticket machines were in any way efficient there would be a need for only ONE person to be supervising the machines. I don't see why three are needed. Is it because they are afraid they'll break very easily. You did mention that four machines were out of service this morning. It's these hideous inefficiencies that stop us from truly moving forward.

Because people arent used to them maybe and they are there to help out

BluntGuy

kearnsr wrote: »

Because people arent used to them maybe and they are there to help out

To be fair, ticket machines shouldn't be amazingly difficult to use.

KC61

BluntGuy wrote: »

To be fair, ticket machines shouldn't be amazingly difficult to use.

That is true, but it is quite amazing that with even the simplest changes how people get flustered.

It would be normal practice across service industries to temporarily increase staffing when changes, such as this, take place.

Bluetonic

KC61 wrote: »

That is true, but it is quite amazing that with even the simplest changes how people get flustered.

It would be normal practice across service industries to temporarily increase staffing when changes, such as this, take place.

No point in trying to explain it, people just like to have a moan, and when that moan is about Irish Rail it's even better.

Rawr

Don't forget that you'll still need staff there to deal with passengers with damaged or malfunctioning tickets which, although valid, won't get you through the barrier.

I expect when people get used to them in Pearse, you'll only need one staff member on them.

dereko1969

also remember that given the number of people with social welfare travel passes there will always need to be someone allowing these people through, it may actually catch out a few old people who usually just touch their pocket when getting on a bus or leaving a station, they will now probably have to show their pass

Victor

Social welfare pass holders need to buy tickets on Irish Rail.

I understand all social welfare passes are being reissued with RFID.

BluntGuy

Well my problem wouldn't be that the staff are THERE. It's what they're DOING. I have seen on numerous occassions in many places of work, situations where you have ten staff members allocated to a job that only requires three or four and not nearly enough for other jobs. It really is frustrating to see.

I'm not suggesting that is the case here, but I can't help feeling that the extra staff would be better placed elsewhere in the station. Having three of them all crowded around 'automatic' ticket machines when they could be doing something else is quite an embarrassing thought. Ticket machines are quite easy to use, a good set of instructions on each machine and ONE staff member overseeing the operation would suffice. (Although some people have pointed out that it may be reduced to one staff member as people get used to the new system.)

icdg

Machines on Platform 1 were finally switched on today.

Incidently, Pearse's station hall looks a lot bigger now that everything is cleared out of it. I guess this is a lot how it looked prior to the early 1980s?

KC61

BluntGuy wrote: »

Well my problem wouldn't be that the staff are THERE. It's what they're DOING. I have seen on numerous occassions in many places of work, situations where you have ten staff members allocated to a job that only requires three or four and not nearly enough for other jobs. It really is frustrating to see.

I'm not suggesting that is the case here, but I can't help feeling that the extra staff would be better placed elsewhere in the station. Having three of them all crowded around 'automatic' ticket machines when they could be doing something else is quite an embarrassing thought. Ticket machines are quite easy to use, a good set of instructions on each machine and ONE staff member overseeing the operation would suffice. (Although some people have pointed out that it may be reduced to one staff member as people get used to the new system.)

Whilst I totally agree with you regarding the ease of use of the machines, you would be very surprised how (and I don't want to be insulting by this) thick some people can be when faced with anything new like this, causing delays (especially at peak hour).

Better to be prepared with extra staff at their introduction and redeploy them as users get used to them.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

I've lost count of the amount of times i've seen people try to put tickets in the wrong slot trying to get in or not knowing what to do when faced with a barrier on the way out and have to stand and wait to see what someone else does.

dead air

According to the signage in Pearse, the automatic ticket checking machines are Phase 1 of Pearse Station redevelopment. Have the other stages of the redevelopment been publicly announced? The graphics on the poster depict a shiny new concourse area.

I can see a lot work has taken place on the southside of platform 2. Most noticeably is the filling in of the unused platform and the widening of platform 2. What strikes me are the three new boarded up areas on platform 2 south. They look to me like reserved spaces for stairwells and a liftshaft. Construction work appears to be continuing directly across on platform 1. As the platforms are about a storey about street level
(as you can see from microsoft maps) there should be room below to construct a new concourse in that space.

Am I right in thinking that they are developing a new concourse underneath the platforms in this area? With the clearing up of the unused land on the Pearse St side of the station, this would appear to make sense as it seems to fit the alignment of the proposed Interconnector route.

An exit on to Pearse St would make it much quicker and easier to leave the station and connect to a bus that runs down Pearse St towards College Green, Dame St and beyond. Of course at present you can just walk around the corner from the Westland Row exit, but it would definitely ease crowd control in rush hour.

I could be way off the mark, but I'm interested to keep up with the developments at the station.

P_1

I wouldn't be surprised. Of course knowing Irish Rail, this new exit will be like the one at Tara Street (ie only open 6 hours a day Mon-Fri)

BluntGuy

Sean_K wrote: »

I've lost count of the amount of times i've seen people try to put tickets in the wrong slot trying to get in or not knowing what to do when faced with a barrier on the way out and have to stand and wait to see what someone else does.

It's truly embarrassing to even think about the ineptitude of some people to grasp relatively simple concepts. Anyway, that's all I've gotta say on this matter.

Alun

BluntGuy wrote: »

It's truly embarrassing to even think about the ineptitude of some people to grasp relatively simple concepts. Anyway, that's all I've gotta say on this matter.

Agreed .. like the guy I saw once at one of the Dart stations stubbornly trying to insert a ticket in a slot just above a huge big red illuminated cross. Honestly you'd think they were being faced with the control panel of a nuclear power station rather than a simple ticket machine. Lets hope none of these people have driving licences.

loyatemu

dead air wrote: »

I can see a lot work has taken place on the southside of platform 2. Most noticeably is the filling in of the unused platform and the widening of platform 2. What strikes me are the three new boarded up areas on platform 2 south. They look to me like reserved spaces for stairwells and a liftshaft. Construction work appears to be continuing directly across on platform 1. As the platforms are about a storey about street level
(as you can see from microsoft maps) there should be room below to construct a new concourse in that space.

Am I right in thinking that they are developing a new concourse underneath the platforms in this area? With the clearing up of the unused land on the Pearse St side of the station, this would appear to make sense as it seems to fit the alignment of the proposed Interconnector route.

An exit on to Pearse St would make it much quicker and easier to leave the station and connect to a bus that runs down Pearse St towards College Green, Dame St and beyond. Of course at present you can just walk around the corner from the Westland Row exit, but it would definitely ease crowd control in rush hour.

I could be way off the mark, but I'm interested to keep up with the developments at the station.

you are right - the boxes are covering escalators and lifts to a new concourse that will give access to Pearse St and eventually allow interchange with the Underground Dart line. Pearse is looking a lot better now with the wider platforms and opened-out ticket hall. I agree though that there are not enough validators on the southbound side.

dereko1969

only 1 staff member on the southbound platform supervising the machines last evening (530) noticed quite a number of people heading for the machines with red x's displayed -they'll learn, eventually

noodler

Ticket checkers (the human variety) only really check for A ticket, Id say loads of people get through without paying. If this forces EVERYONE to pay on the DART then I am for it. I find the machines are quite efficient actually, even in peak times.

Sarcasmo2005

just a thought...

If you take the likes of the northern line, some of the trains arrive in on platform 2 and will start the journey back north-bound from that side. Given the volumes of passengers disembarking at pearse st, it might make better sense to bring the train in on platform 1. That way there's more 'turnstyles' for people to get through, and the numptys don't end up clogging up the flow of traffic out of the station

karlr42

That happens on at least one service, comes in from Maynooth, arrives into platform 1 and works out onto the Northen Line after it. can't for the life of me remember which it is

icdg

The platform signs have been replaced. With signs that give the exact same information, but with the Irish above the English and in italics. Why???

Calina

I suspect because in the case of Irish Rail, it may well be a legal requirement to provide signage in both languages.

fh041205

karlr42 wrote: »

That happens on at least one service, comes in from Maynooth, arrives into platform 1 and works out onto the Northen Line after it. can't for the life of me remember which it is

Same happens with trains from Drogheda sometimes. I suspect if the inbound service runs late and is able to come in on plat 1 and leave straight away then thats what happens.


With regard to the Irish signs, I like them. Its nice to be preserving the language. This is Ireland after all you have to have something up that distinguishes us from America, UK etc. But I suppose it depends on the individual whether you agree or not.

icdg

Calina wrote: »

I suspect because in the case of Irish Rail, it may well be a legal requirement to provide signage in both languages.

But the existing signs were in both languages. They had "Pearse Station" in black and below it "Stasuin na Pearsach" (or however its spelt) in orange. The new ones have "Stasuin na Pearsach" in italics and below it "Pearse Station" in normal case, but both in black. Don't see the point...but Irish Rail now have so many different styles of station signage on their network that it might as well introduce another one. I liked the orange and black signs though.

Anyways, to praise them, they've brought in big route map signs at the entrances to the platforms in Pearse, like the ones on the London Underground. These are something that should be extended to all Greater Dublin stations which have a suitable place to erect them.

fh041205

icdg wrote: »

But the existing signs were in both languages. They had "Pearse Station" in black and below it "Stasuin na Pearsach" (or however its spelt) in orange. The new ones have "Stasuin na Pearsach" in italics and below it "Pearse Station" in normal case, but both in black. Don't see the point...but Irish Rail now have so many different styles of station signage on their network that it might as well introduce another one. I liked the orange and black signs though.

Anyways, to praise them, they've brought in big route map signs at the entrances to the platforms in Pearse, like the ones on the London Underground. These are something that should be extended to all Greater Dublin stations which have a suitable place to erect them.

Every station should have one IMO, maybe with the exception of a few DART stations.

patrickmooney

Yes I've seen the new route maps last night. Almost every country I've been to shows these and should be used at all stations highlighing the current station, the previous and next. Very helpful for users who don't take the train frequently.

Additionally, I hate those automated ticket validators. I waste so much time trying to find my ticket validate etc. Why can't we be like every other country and have a faster checking process, like the oyster in London or suica in Tokyo. I was in Tokyo last week and used the Sucia card on ALL modes of transport and was even able to use it in vending machines. It's a proven concept, the Irish Rail validators appear to be set up to enable them. I see Dublin Bus have turned on their smart card, about time too!