Left-Luggage in Heuston?

skywanderer

Does anybody know if there is a left-luggage service available in Heuston. I'd be arriving in early in the morning a few hours before my hotel accepts me for checkin so I'd rather let my bag in the station and collect it a few hours later. If such a service exists, is there a charge and how much? Thanks

Losty Dublin

No luggage minding in Heuston any more. Most hotels won't mind taking in your bag a little early and leaving it up when the room is ready; it may be your best option here.

Rakish Paddy

Is it just me, or is it totally nuts that a main train station in our capital city has no left luggage facility?

Jamie2k9

Tipperary House B&B beside Ashling hotel across the river will take the bags. Not sure how much but a few euro anyway.

Is it just me, or is it totally nuts that a main train station in our capital city has no left luggage facility?

Yes and no, security reasons for the removal.

Del.Monte

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

Tipperary House B&B beside Ashling hotel across the river will take the bags. Not sure how much but a few euro anyway.



Yes and no, security reasons for the removal.

Is that why Fastrack was got rid of too? Just more CIE nonsense.

Chris_5339762

Ridiculous. Nearly every German railway station has left luggage lockers. €4 for 24 hours. No reason at all why we can't do it here.

ProudDUB

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Ridiculous. Nearly every German railway station has left luggage lockers. €4 for 24 hours. No reason at all why we can't do it here.

Agreed. I've left bags in the Victoria station left luggage facility loads of times. It is utterly daft that Heuston Station doesn't have one.

OP, leave the bags in your hotel. Even if you can't check in early, I'd be utterly shocked of they don't have somewhere secure for you to stash your bags. Any hotel worth its salt, will have such a facility for its guests.

jonosam

There are lockers in the Jervis shopping centre. There located in the corridor on the way to the toilets and the have 3/4 different sizes and can pay by the hour.

Jamie2k9

ProudDUB wrote: »

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Ridiculous. Nearly every German railway station has left luggage lockers. 4 for 24 hours. No reason at all why we can't do it here.

Agreed. I've left bags in the Victoria station left luggage facility loads of times. It is utterly daft that Heuston Station doesn't have one.

OP, leave the bags in your hotel. Even if you can't check in early, I'd be utterly shocked of they don't have somewhere secure for you to stash your bags. Any hotel worth its salt, will have such a facility for its guests.

Could be wrong but such facilities are outsourced and not operated by rail companies or station operator.

IE operating a storage facility and having to employe around 3 ataff which is the bones of 100,000 cost per year. Its easy to see how un viable a facility could be.

Im sure if an external company wanted to swt up a facility they could.

A self service system could be an option but IE money situation and ROI should be considered.

Losty Dublin

ProudDUB wrote: »

Agreed. I've left bags in the Victoria station left luggage facility loads of times. It is utterly daft that Heuston Station doesn't have one.

There was one in Heuston years ago but it was closed. Most of the London termini have them but on their one they'd have multiples of the passenger numbers of Irish Rail and be able to economically justify such a business, especially those with airport services.

n97 mini

US train stations have lockers. Like the Parecel Motels that you see dotted around Ireland.

I'm sure someone could do similar in Heuston except it's probably a case of no-one is arsed.

daveharnett

skywanderer wrote: »

Does anybody know if there is a left-luggage service available in Heuston.

There are bike lockers in the car park behind the station.
If a bike will fit, I'm sure your luggage will. You'll need to register in advance.
http://www.bikelocker.ie/locations.html

LXFlyer

All of the left luggage facilities in major GB railway stations are privately operated, with full security scanning equipment - presumably no private company has applied to set up that kind of operation here.

I certainly wouldn't expect IE to stump up money for that as it would not be inexpensive - things are tight enough financially as it is.

Del.Monte

Of course the costs wouldn't be so high if they hadn't got rid of Fastrack which, at least in the case of Connolly, was formerly dealt with by the same staff. Of course some bright spark thought that moving the Fastrack offices away from where they might generate business to the corner of the carparks at Connolly and Heuston would be a great idea. CIE don't do innovation - why bother it's just a giant social employment scheme.

oppenheimer1

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

Could be wrong but such facilities are outsourced and not operated by rail companies or station operator.

IE operating a storage facility and having to employe around 3 ataff which is the bones of 100,000 cost per year. Its easy to see how un viable a facility could be.

Im sure if an external company wanted to swt up a facility they could.

A self service system could be an option but IE money situation and ROI should be considered.

Bus Eireann do it in Busaras with unmanned lockers. IE is a public transport company, it should be providing these services. Its only losing money because its so incredibly inefficient.

n97 mini

daveharnett wrote: »

There are bike lockers in the car park behind the station.
If a bike will fit, I'm sure your luggage will. You'll need to register in advance.
http://www.bikelocker.ie/locations.html

Unless it has changed, you could only rent bike lockers for a year at a time last time I looked.

Jamie2k9

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Bus Eireann do it in Busaras with unmanned lockers. IE is a public transport company, it should be providing these services. Its only losing money because its so incredibly inefficient.

Yes they do however IE had a person operating their previous system and as I said if they were to go self service they are not going to spend the cash with little ROI.

Of course the costs wouldn't be so high if they hadn't got rid of Fastrack which, at least in the case of Connolly, was formerly dealt with by the same staff. Of course some bright spark thought that moving the Fastrack offices away from where they might generate business to the corner of the carparks at Connolly and Heuston would be a great idea. CIE don't do innovation - why bother it's just a giant social employment scheme.

If it was loss making then there was no justification for keeping it going to keep a handful of passengers happy.

There are bike lockers in the car park behind the station.
If a bike will fit, I'm sure your luggage will. You'll need to register in advance.
http://www.bikelocker.ie/locations.html

Actually new set of lockers at platforms 6/7/8

As I and others have said if it returns it will have to be operated privately to have any hope of working.

Del.Monte

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

Yes they do however IE had a person operating their previous system and as I said if they were to go self service they are not going to spend the cash with little ROI.



If it was loss making then there was no justification for keeping it going to keep a handful of passengers happy.



Actually new set of lockers at platforms 6/7/8

As I and others have said if it returns it will have to be operated privately to have any hope of working.

On that basis, the whole damn railway is so loss making is there any reason to retain it save for the amusement of a handful of trainspotters?

Losty Dublin

Del.Monte wrote: »

On that basis, the whole damn railway is so loss making is there any reason to retain it save for the amusement of a handful of trainspotters?

That's a great idea

doolox

6 Months ago I had to travel from Athlone to Lucan and had the choice of bus or train. The bus stopped at Lucan so was the logical choice. I hadn't been on a bus in years and was very pleasantly surprised by Bus Eireanns latest offering and also by the speed and cost......cheaper and faster than the Train and no need for a Dublin Bus transfer from Heuston to Lucan.

Unless people are going from city centre to city centre, the Bus is often a better choice.

The Motorway network makes it so pain free.

Also Bus Eireann staff have improved dramatically from the last time I used the bus service 20 yrs ago.

Del.Monte

doolox wrote: »

6 Months ago I had to travel from Athlone to Lucan and had the choice of bus or train. The bus stopped at Lucan so was the logical choice. I hadn't been on a bus in years and was very pleasantly surprised by Bus Eireanns latest offering and also by the speed and cost......cheaper and faster than the Train and no need for a Dublin Bus transfer from Heuston to Lucan.

Unless people are going from city centre to city centre, the Bus is often a better choice.

The Motorway network makes it so pain free.

Also Bus Eireann staff have improved dramatically from the last time I used the bus service 20 yrs ago.

The bus is a vastly inferior way of travelling - you can't get up and stretch your legs, they are uncomfortable to do any work in, you regularly have people sitting virtually on top of you and coughing all over you, there's no refreshment trolley, they get delayed in traffic, some drivers are constantly on their mobiles while driving, some inflict their choice of radio on the whole bus .....I could go on. and on.......:D

Jamie2k9

doolox wrote: »

6 Months ago I had to travel from Athlone to Lucan and had the choice of bus or train. The bus stopped at Lucan so was the logical choice. I hadn't been on a bus in years and was very pleasantly surprised by Bus Eireanns latest offering and also by the speed and cost......cheaper and faster than the Train and no need for a Dublin Bus transfer from Heuston to Lucan.

Unless people are going from city centre to city centre, the Bus is often a better choice.

The Motorway network makes it so pain free.

Also Bus Eireann staff have improved dramatically from the last time I used the bus service 20 yrs ago.

Great but the bus is not the train and they cater for different types of people. Bus for more localized service and train for mass travel. I suspect since you discovered the bus drops you to your final location you were never going to get the train, the rest was you just moaning about IE for the sake of it!

On that basis, the whole damn railway is so loss making is there any reason to retain it save for the amusement of a handful of trainspotters?

haha, it's logical to cut controllable costs. IE are running a business and wasting money on a high cost luggage storage facility is not good commercial sense.

ProudDUB

lxflyer wrote: »

All of the left luggage facilities in major GB railway stations are privately operated, with full security scanning equipment - presumably no private company has applied to set up that kind of operation here.

I certainly wouldn't expect IE to stump up money for that as it would not be inexpensive - things are tight enough financially as it is.

Dublin isn't London. Never has been. Even at the height of the Troubles, Dublin's transport infrastructure wasn't a soft target for terrorists. So why would it be now? I doubt if ISIS even know that Irish Rail exists. Irish intercity train stations do not need the same level of security screening that UK or European stations do. So why not just install self service luggage storage lockers? No need for staff, or expensive scanning equipment, or massive infrastructure investment.

Charge by the day and/or by the hour. Charge one rate for smaller cabin size bag lockers. Charge a higher rate for lockers that take full size suitcases. The revenue generated would surely cover the initial expense in installing the lockers & the minimal labor required to keep them maintained & serviced. There is no need to outsource the operation to a private company, who use economies of scale economics to off set the costs involved, as the infrastructure costs at Heuston and Connolly would be minimal. It's a no brainer imo.

foggy_lad

ProudDUB wrote: »

Dublin isn't London. Never has been. Even at the height of the Troubles, Dublin's transport infrastructure wasn't a soft target for terrorists. So why would it be now? I doubt if ISIS even know that Irish Rail exists. Irish intercity train stations do not need the same level of security screening that UK or European stations do. So why not just install self service luggage storage lockers? No need for staff, or expensive scanning equipment, or massive infrastructure investment.

Charge by the day and/or by the hour. Charge one rate for smaller cabin size bag lockers. Charge a higher rate for lockers that take full size suitcases. The revenue generated would surely cover the initial expense in installing the lockers & the minimal labor required to keep them maintained & serviced. There is no need to outsource the operation to a private company, who use economies of scale economics to off set the costs involved, as the infrastructure costs at Heuston and Connolly would be minimal. It's a no brainer imo.

These lockers need to be watched by security and because a fee is charged then Irish Rail and the operator/owner of the lockers will have to compensate any person whose stuff gets robbed.

Security doesn't always relate to national security but often relates to personal security or the security of property.

There are lockers at Busaras but despite cameras they are regularly broken into and robbed.

Corca Baiscinn

OP hotel or Tipperary House sound good. Bus Áras is a disaster! Numerous lockers out of order and the rest are in use most times I've tried and you discover this AFTER you've lugged a heavy bag down the stairs to a dingy unstaffed basement. And they are self-service but what happens when they don't work, the ticket machine jams, locker wont open or close etc, of course you do need staff. I'm guessing that the posters who say such a service is not needed don't use public transport. of course its needed, one can be transferring with a gap between trains, train and airport times may not coincide, train and time of an appointment etc. I appreciate that IE shouldn't have to run it at a loss but it's a service that is taken for granted in most cities and large towns in Europe. Interestingly the Heuston Service operated for longer than Connolly. My assumption was that Connolly suffered from its inner city location, with crime, drug addiction rather than terrorism being a concern. This would tie in with problems at Bus Áras too but if that's the case not sure why Heuston dropped its service. In German cities the lockers tend to be prominently located on the concourse, does this help with security I wonder

LXFlyer

Corca Baiscinn wrote: »

OP hotel or Tipperary House sound good. Bus Áras is a disaster! Numerous lockers out of order and the rest are in use most times I've tried and you discover this AFTER you've lugged a heavy bag down the stairs to a dingy unstaffed basement. And they are self-service but what happens when they don't work, the ticket machine jams, locker wont open or close etc, of course you do need staff. I'm guessing that the posters who say such a service is not needed don't use public transport. of course its needed, one can be transferring with a gap between trains, train and airport times may not coincide, train and time of an appointment etc. I appreciate that IE shouldn't have to run it at a loss but it's a service that is taken for granted in most cities and large towns in Europe. Interestingly the Heuston Service operated for longer than Connolly. My assumption was that Connolly suffered from its inner city location, with crime, drug addiction rather than terrorism being a concern. This would tie in with problems at Bus Áras too but if that's the case not sure why Heuston dropped its service. In German cities the lockers tend to be prominently located on the concourse, does this help with security I wonder

For the record - I didn't say there should not be such a facility - I just said that IE shouldn't operate it.

I think it's something that should be outsourced - now the question has to be why has no one stepped up to offer such a facility?

skywanderer

I used the lockers in Jervis after all, my hotel was in Tallaght so it would have been too much of a trek out there on the Luas to just drop my bag.

ProudDUB

foggy_lad wrote: »

These lockers need to be watched by security and because a fee is charged then Irish Rail and the operator/owner of the lockers will have to compensate any person whose stuff gets robbed.

Security doesn't always relate to national security but often relates to personal security or the security of property.

There are lockers at Busaras but despite cameras they are regularly broken into and robbed.

The last time I used a left luggage facility, I was in Ghent, Belgium. The luggage lockers were in a highly trafficked common area, between the ticket turnstiles, the customer service desks and the exit doors. The lockers did not have any dedicated security. They were clearly visible to station security, who were keeping an eye on the entire station. Anyone who was loitering or up to no good, would be easy to spot.

Even if the inevitable break ins occurs, station authorities should put up a sign saying that all luggage is left at owners risk. That will absolve the stations owners of legal responsibility if lockers do get broken into. Car park owners put up signs like that all the time. Just because you charge a fee for a service that you provide on your property, it doesn't automatically mean you are on the hook, if a theft or a break-in occurs.

Don't see why that wouldn't work in Dublin. Yes, the local skanger/junkie population may would look on the left luggage area as easy pickings. But Belgium is the crossroads of Europe. Ghent train station would have lot more people, of differing demographics, on its premises in a day, than Connnolly or Heuston would have in a week. So if they can pull it off with relative ease, I don't see how we can't with a bit of forethought and planning.

Train station security is something that they take very seriously in Europe. Irish Rail do not. It could do with serious improvement, but it doesn't mean the very concept of left luggage lockers is essentially unworkable.

foggy_lad

ProudDUB wrote: »

The last time I used a left luggage facility, I was in Ghent, Belgium. The luggage lockers were in a highly trafficked common area, between the ticket turnstiles, the customer service desks and the exit doors. The lockers did not have any dedicated security. They were clearly visible to station security, who were keeping an eye on the entire station. Anyone who was loitering or up to no good, would be easy to spot.

Anyone loitering could just as easily be waiting on a train or bus, there are less people using irish bus and rail stations outside of the main peak hours and staff are not security so will not babysit passengers bags. Also in most Irish stations there are no areas where such banks of lockers would not be in the way of the normal operation and flow of people on the station concourse.

Even if the inevitable break ins occurs, station authorities should put up a sign saying that all luggage is left at owners risk. That will absolve the stations owners of legal responsibility if lockers do get broken into. Car park owners put up signs like that all the time. Just because you charge a fee for a service that you provide on your property, it doesn't automatically mean you are on the hook, if a theft or a break-in occurs.

Such signs only work here where there has not been any negligence by the shopping centre/car park owner.

If your car gets damaged by a trolley from kids messing around then you have a claim as the trolleys should be collected and returned to the trolley bays by staff.

In the same way if lockers do get broken into and there is no security watching them there is a claim, just as if the security were watching and did nothing.

Don't see why that wouldn't work in Dublin. Yes, the local skanger/junkie population may would look on the left luggage area as easy pickings. But Belgium is the crossroads of Europe. Ghent train station would have lot more people, of differing demographics, on its premises in a day, than Connnolly or Heuston would have in a week. So if they can pull it off with relative ease, I don't see how we can't with a bit of forethought and planning.

Train station security is something that they take very seriously in Europe. Irish Rail do not. It could do with serious improvement, but it doesn't mean the very concept of left luggage lockers is essentially unworkable.

There is part of the answer!

There has been no planning in the redevelopment of stations in Ireland to cater for any security apart from revenue protection! Most European cities have much higher population density and higher passenger numbers for bus and rail, they also cater for international bus/rail passengers which the Irish do not have to worry about. This higher number of people passing through the station is the main deterrent along with people being proactive and being prepared to tell skangers to get away from lockers etc. That doesn't happen here because people don't want to know and the attitude of many is why would you tell on someone/snitches get stitches.

Stephen15

foggy_lad wrote: »

There has been no planning in the redevelopment of stations in Ireland to cater for any security apart from revenue protection! Most European cities have much higher population density and higher passenger numbers for bus and rail, they also cater for international bus/rail passengers which the Irish do not have to worry about. This higher number of people passing through the station is the main deterrent along with people being proactive and being prepared to tell skangers to get away from lockers etc. That doesn't happen here because people don't want to know and the attitude of many is why would you tell on someone/snitches get stitches.

But surely it shouldn't be up to the general public to rat since security should be proactive should be on top of that kind of thing. Don't just make lockers out of flimsy a fimsy material metal like school lockers make them out of tough steel that's hard to break down.

Stephen15

A left luggage facility in a large train should a basic facility in any large train station whether it's economical to provide or not like toilets or an info point whether it be lockers or a manned room. It's not hard or expensive ie will give plenty of excuses but at the end of the end it's just pure laziness why they are not there. IE are hopeless when it comes to basic large station nessities another thing they're stations need are a proper clear timetable with every train arrival and departure listed clearly.

joegriffinjnr

Its Irish Rail... they can bearly operate trains, never mind having basic conveniences that would benefit their passengers.

Corca Baiscinn

Glad you got sorted Sky Wanderer! I used the lockers in Jervis myself on Sat, only issue was getting there from Connolly with a bag, with LUAS not running but sin scéal eile! Believe it was back on Sun and cross city will be great when it comes! Only issue with Jervis Lockers is if we broadcast their existence too much they will be full all the time as there are not very many of them. €6 for 10 hours is good value!