Connolly Station Amiens Street

mikemac1

I vaguely remember an entrance on Amiens street that led direct to platforms 6 & 7 though I never used it

I know a lease was given to GP Motorcycles who serviced my beloved scooter but they are gone a few years now.

Any plans to reopen and stick some automated turnstiles there? May save some shoe leather for rail users

foggy_lad

mikemac1 wrote: »

I vaguely remember an entrance on Amiens street that led direct to platforms 6 & 7 though I never used it

I know a lease was given to GP Motorcycles who serviced my beloved scooter but they are gone a few years now.

Any plans to reopen and stick some automated turnstiles there? May save some shoe leather for rail users

There are plans to build a lift for platforms 6 and 7 as the ramp is steep for anyone pushing themselves in a wheelchair, there might be a need to reopen the access from Amiens street during the works?

Rawr

mikemac1 wrote: »

I vaguely remember an entrance on Amiens street that led direct to platforms 6 & 7 though I never used it

I know a lease was given to GP Motorcycles who serviced my beloved scooter but they are gone a few years now.

Any plans to reopen and stick some automated turnstiles there? May save some shoe leather for rail users

I remember that from when I was little. It was essentially a Suburban / DART entrance for Connolly. Used it once or twice back then. From memory the inside resembled a generic Suburban station of the time, much like the concrete bunker that was built at Leixlip Lousia Bridge.

The entrance is still there:
https://www.google.no/maps/@53.352428,-6.249216,3a,46.6y,73.6h,85.25t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s9ki6vob9m_0YBpfbpBGj7A!2e0

I wonder if the interior is the same as when they sealed it back in 1990?

Captain Chaos

It was great having that, there was a shop down there too that has downsized and relocated to the bottom of the ramp beside the stairs and lift to platform 4 and 5.

Still to this day I find it a pain having to hike though the entire station going to and from P6 and 7.

BeardySi

I never understood why hey closed it tbh - it's nonsensical to have to go the whole way up through the station to get to the Dart unless you're coming from the quays direction.

Effects

Rawr wrote: »

The entrance is still there:
I wonder if the interior is the same as when they sealed it back in 1990?

Don't think it was sealed that early. I used to use it between 94-97.

BowWow

Some recent threads on this entrance -

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=88097540

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056040358

end of the road

there was another one which brought you up into platform 4 as well or maybe that was part of this entrance. i also was able to go through the downstairs to the vaults nightclub a few years ago, i'm thinking i could have accessed the ramp to 6 and 7 from there? all though i wasn't bothered to check.

frankoreagan

Yeah I use to work on Buckingham street in the 90's. Was handy having the dart station entrance there instead of having to walk to Connolly. Was a little newsagent and a cafe in the unit beside it called Steddie Eddies. Used to often see the monk in there having his brekkie.

Captain Chaos

end of the road wrote: »

there was another one which brought you up into platform 4 as well or maybe that was part of this entrance. .

Yeah it used to split to a ramp with a dividing centre handrail up to platform 4.

You used to able to walk in, all the turnstyles were on the right. You went up a flight of stairs and turned left for the long ramp up to P6&7. If you went straight it led to a ramp turning up to the left that led to P4 and if you went to the top of that you could take a left to P5.

I used to run up there to P4 any time I was in the Connolly with my parents to catch a glimpse of an NIR 111 and a quick listen and then run straight back down. I was addicted to the noise of those locos from a young age.

end of the road

Captain Chaos wrote: »

Yeah it used to split to a ramp with a dividing centre handrail up to platform 4.

You used to able to walk in, all the turnstyles were on the right. You went up a flight of stairs and turned left for the long ramp up to P6&7. If you went straight it led to a ramp turning up to the left that led to P4 and if you went to the top of that you could take a left to P5.

I used to run up there to P4 any time I was in the Connolly with my parents to catch a glimpse of an NIR 111 and a quick listen and then run straight back down. I was addicted to the noise of those locos from a young age.

ah yes its all coming back now. i think there was a stairs up to 4 as well as that ramp? yes i love the sound of the 111 class, it just cannot be beaten, the 071 is boaring in comparison. connolly is a dull place these days, if only i realized how good i had it even if the old rosslare mark 2s were battered beyond belief

Losty Dublin

I recently saw some photos of the interior of the former suburban entrance, as it was known. It was pretty much in the same nick as when it closed but with no barriers. Whatever about reopening it, it certainly wasn't wheelchair and buggy friendly and it would need a lot of adaption to get it up to standard.

end of the road

Losty Dublin wrote: »

it certainly wasn't wheelchair and buggy friendly

that may not be an issue considering the front part mostly is disabled friendly

Losty Dublin wrote: »

it would need a lot of adaption to get it up to standard.

surely a ramp escalator would be enough if it has to be adapted?

Effects

From the street up to the platform and back.

N64

Can't see those pictures

Effects

Woops, I'll get that sorted out later. Sorry.

fh041205

Found some nice photos here.

Didn't see them posted in any of the other threads. Doesn't look like it's changed much/at all from when it was closed. The old Iarnród Éireann logo pleases me greatly!

Captain Chaos

Wow, those photos take me back and I'm only 29!

LongboardPro

Don't mean to bump an old thread but did someone happen to save those old photos? The link is dead now and the page wasn't archived either :c

XR035

LongboardPro wrote: »

Don't mean to bump an old thread but did someone happen to save those old photos? The link is dead now and the page wasn't archived either :c

I took the photos you are talking about around 2010. The old shop, ticket office and lift was removed a few years after. The area was recently cleaned up again.

L1011

Lunacy that it isn't opened up, considering the dwindling amount of cash customers and how many stations are unmanned also

Effects

Yeah, bigtime. The long trek through the station can be so annoying.
So what if there's no lifts, just have automated gates to make it easier for a lot of commuters.

XR035

There are no plans to reopen it at present but the area maybe used for office accommodation.

ongarboy

L1011 wrote: »

Lunacy that it isn't opened up, considering the dwindling amount of cash customers and how many stations are unmanned also

Not to sound conspiratorial, but is it because the retail operators in the main concourse would object to a large percentage of commuters bypassing their shops/cafes if this side entrance was opened?

If I'm not mistaken, most daily commuters do not use the retail facilities anyway...It's mainly leisure passengers who arrive half an hour before departures who dwell and use such facilities.

L1011

ongarboy wrote: »

Not to sound conspiratorial, but is it because the retail operators in the main concourse would object to a large percentage of commuters bypassing their shops/cafes if this side entrance was opened?

If I'm not mistaken, most daily commuters do not use the retail facilities anyway...It's mainly leisure passengers who arrive half an hour before departures who dwell and use such facilities.

The peak time additional entrance/exits (which should be full time, anyway) to Tara and Pearse also bypass the concourse retail.

Effects

https://imgur.com/gallery/xIRHD7p

Del.Monte

I had forgotten what it looked like! It took years to get that entrance reopened in the first place so I won't hold my breath for its second coming. I seem to remember that it was fairly popular with commuters.

Effects

I used it to get to school. I remember seeing trains coming across the bridge as I was getting out of the car across the road and I'd still make it to the platform on time. No chance of that these days.

LongboardPro

Appreciate seeing the photos. Are those photos the same ones that were on the dead link above? And does anyone have any pictures while it was still in use?

Effects

No, I took those ones myself in 2015. I had posted them before but the link didn't work and I forgot about fixing it.

loyatemu

based on the photos, it wouldn't need much to be made operational. You could put a wheelchair lift on the stairs to the right, some turnstiles and ticket machines, bob's yer uncle.

duffbeer444

Unfortunately, not too sure but iirc, the disabeled lift for platform's 6&7 has been built on the lower unused part of that ramp right were the doors connecting it to the still used upper part are. So not so easy to bring it back now

Effects

I'm not sure that's the case. I'll have a look inside again next time I see it open.

wench

duffbeer444 wrote: »

Unfortunately, not too sure but iirc, the disabeled lift for platform's 6&7 has been built on the lower unused part of that ramp right were the doors connecting it to the still used upper part are. So not so easy to bring it back now

The doors to this exit were straight ahead when you came down the ramp, the existing lift is off to the left. So it should still be accessible.

Effects

Effects

Had a look while passing today and the doors were open. I wasn't allowed past the threshold of the buildings though.
The worker couldn't give me any update as to what the future plans are.

LongboardPro

Which direction is that second photo facing?

Effects

It’s the building in the archway to the right of the old station entrance. It used to be a motorcycle shop.