Phoenix Park tunnel

LXFlyer

A crossover just at the entrance to the tunnel to allow Dublin-bound trains leave Platform 10 at Heuston (eliminating the need for a platform 11) and associated signalling would be a large sum, plus there may be other signalling works and infrastructural works required if service levels are increased.

trellheim

I heard no p10 and 50/50 into Connolly/Heuston.

there is some infra work that is supposed to be going on fairly soon.

D.L.R.

How does P10 relate to the rest of the station, for transfers etc? Its quite far away, over 500 metres by my measure.

LXFlyer

D.L.R. wrote: »

How does P10 relate to the rest of the station, for transfers etc? Its quite far away, over 500 metres by my measure.

You would extend the 145 to start there - that would sort that issue out.

trellheim

As I said.... P10 will NOT be used, that is my info.

LXFlyer

trellheim wrote: »

As I said.... P10 will NOT be used, that is my info.

I beg to differ - there are plans for a crossover to allow access from it for Connolly bound services.

ClovenHoof

Any more news on this?

Is the plan for Kildare trains into GCD still on the cards? Would be an excellent and popular addition.

trellheim

Oh I know there are plans. That is all they are.

LXFlyer

trellheim wrote: »

Oh I know there are plans. That is all they are.

Well we will wait and see - we both are getting clearly conflicting information.


I certainly cannot see how what value there would be in not serving Heuston - there are enough people who need to go to the areas around it to warrant that station still being served by all trains.

trellheim

my understanding is 50/50 into Heuston and Connolly but no p10 until they see if demand.

LXFlyer

I'd imagine you are looking at two services an hour from the Kildare line routing to Grand Canal Dock at peak times.

I still would be very surprised if they removed the Heuston stop - the demand really is too great.

GerardKeating

trellheim wrote: »

my understanding is 50/50 into Heuston and Connolly but no p10 until they see if demand.

This would only make sense if they want to kill the service, Frequency is not that great, and a 50% reduction into Heuston is madness.

ClovenHoof

GerardKeating wrote: »

This would only make sense if they want to kill the service, Frequency is not that great, and a 50% reduction into Heuston is madness.

Why? How many people who commute to Hueston work near there? A tiny percentage I reckon.

cgcsb

ClovenHoof wrote: »

Why? How many people who commute to Hueston work near there? A tiny percentage I reckon.

<br />
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Its not just people who work in hsq, guiness, Smithfield,four courts and Christchurch areas that prefer heuston its also people who change onto buses for ballymount industrial area.

LXFlyer

cgcsb wrote: »

Its not just people who work in hsq, guiness, Smithfield,four courts and Christchurch areas that prefer heuston its also people who change onto buses for ballymount industrial area.

That's exactly it - anyone working west of Capel Street or who takes a LUAS outbound is not going to want to go on a train that does not serve Heuston.

That is a significant number of people.

That's why a crossover is needed to allow these trains serve platform 10 in either direction and the 145 extended up to the turning circle there.

cgcsb

I agree. The amount of people currently commuting to destinations west of Capel st via Heuston is likely to exceed the passenger numbers at any given station outside Dublin or Cork. Surely meriting a stop, especially considering one already exists

ClovenHoof

Yes I do agree that Platform 10 needs to be made a proper station stop with a covered pedestrian walkway into Hueston. Everyone is catered too then.

D.L.R.

ClovenHoof wrote: »

Yes I do agree that Platform 10 needs to be made a proper station stop with a covered pedestrian walkway into Hueston. Everyone is catered too then.

I doubt Irish Rail will build a 500m+ covered walkway. (Same distance from Tara Street to Hapenny Bridge)

It'll just remain an isolated platform I expect. Another exit west/south would be useful though.

cgcsb

Regarding the Clancey Quay development:

I would have expected the planners to insist that the developers build a more direct route for the apartment dwellers into the western end of Heuston station. If that were the case no doubt such a link would be via platform 10. DCC could even get Kennedy Wilson to fund/part fund it under a development levy.

But forward planning and all that jazz.

trellheim

Regarding the Clancey Quay development:

I would have expected the planners to insist that the developers build a more direct route for the apartment dwellers into the western end of Heuston station. If that were the case no doubt such a link would be via platform 10. DCC could even get Kennedy Wilson to fund/part fund it under a development levy.

But forward planning and all that jazz.

Take a look at a map. Clancys lands stops at the boundary of IE lands. unless you built straight up and over , or tunnelled through the embankment all of which is IE lands you'd be on a hiding to nothing. There's no real room for a platform 9 3/4's.

cgcsb

trellheim wrote: »

Take a look at a map. Clancys lands stops at the boundary of IE lands. unless you built straight up and over , or tunnelled through the embankment all of which is IE lands you'd be on a hiding to nothing. There's no real room for a platform 9 3/4's.

plenty of room on the clancy side, the point being that IÉ and Wilson could work together to achieve improved access to the station, this could have been made a planning requirement.

Grandeeod

Back in the news again. Very Disappointed by Rail Users Ireland's reaction as quoted.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/plans-for-four-trains-an-hour-in-phoenix-park-tunnel-next-year-31051427.html

Keyzer

I for one think this is a great idea if executed properly.

Use what we have as opposed to spending money which is of a premium.

cgcsb

I would be concerned that it'll be redundant when DART underground opens and will be wasted money. Then again we're talking 2025 being the earliest we'll see that happen so it'll be nice to have in the mean time and €10m seems like good value for the 10, or so, years of use we'd get out of it.

Markcheese

cgcsb wrote: »

I would be concerned that it'll be redundant when DART underground opens and will be wasted money. Then again we're talking 2025 being the earliest we'll see that happen so it'll be nice to have in the mean time and €10m seems like good value for the 10, or so, years of use we'd get out of it.

And it's never be fully redundant - probably would need most of that money just to stop it falling into total disrepair...
Might help prove the case for dart - underground .. Wouldn't be holding your breath yet though .

monument

Grandeeod wrote: »

Back in the news again. Very Disappointed by Rail Users Ireland's reaction as quoted.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/plans-for-four-trains-an-hour-in-phoenix-park-tunnel-next-year-31051427.html

What's your issue with what they said?

xper

Grandeeod wrote: »

Back in the news again. Very Disappointed by Rail Users Ireland's reaction as quoted.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/plans-for-four-trains-an-hour-in-phoenix-park-tunnel-next-year-31051427.html

Their guarded reaction is perfectly reasonable. Diverting existing services, if that is what's planned, is indeed of dubious benefit. If they're additonal services then that is less of a problem. But it is not clear which it is.

The article is confused and contradictory, typically so for any Irish paper reporting on virtually any topic these days. It says that the new services will deliver passengers into the heart of the city but also says the new terminal will be Docklands station. Docklands is not the heart of the city by any stretch of the imagination and though physically nearer to the trip-generating destinations mentioned, it is not nearly as well connected to some of them as Heuston, and takes several minutes longer to get to. The map accompanying the article has Connolly as an intermediate stop between Drumcondra and Docklands. anyone vaguely familiar with Dublin's rail line layout knows this is pure misleading bull****. Who supplied this map I wonder?

kc56

The 'really' meant Grand Canal Dock not Docklands!

D.L.R.

Maybe Irish Rail will take this opportunity to redesign their commuter network maps. They really are dreadful.

loyatemu

D.L.R. wrote: »

Maybe Irish Rail will take this opportunity to redesign their commuter network maps. They really are dreadful.

they've always been terrible - they should hold a design competition for a new one.