Athlone thread

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117439763#Comment_117439763

So 170-odd social units at a cost of 54 million euro? That works out at almost 320k a unit. Am I missing something here, this seems very high!

veryangryman

Greenway supposed to be open this weekend according to the builders plan. Anyone know if on track?

raveni

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117670829#Comment_117670829

Unlikely from looking at it, no tarmac laid yet, at least at the white gates crossing.

Has anyone heard anything about the entertainment centre that was supposed to be opening where Texas used to be? https://www.westmeathindependent.ie/2020/11/13/mid-2021-opening-for-e2-million-entertainment-centre/

rn

This is very bad news IMHO

https://www.westmeathindependent.ie/2021/07/26/bus-eireann-to-end-its-athlone-services-to-dublin-and-galway-this-week/

Surely the bus station itself isn't viable with no Dublin Galway service.

roosterman71

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117671650#Comment_117671650

A new operator is doing it now right? My understanding is that those commercial routes are put to tender and anyone can apply for a licence. In this case then Bus Eireann lost out to the others. The routes themselves are defined by TII and issue a licence to run them. It would make sense to use the station as the hub for ALL buses but I guess CIE being fairly backwards (I'm looking at you piece of land they wouldn't sell so they could park buses) wouldn't be that flexible. The stations everywhere should be brought under TII and not CIE and have transport hubs then for all carriers.

Randy Archer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117670829#Comment_117670829

No chance. The tarmac hasn’t being laid yet. They have been fiddling around the hospital and abbey green for over a month and still at it . Slow

the surface has been worked on, but don’t expect anything until the end of August at the earliest . But yes, it was due to be done by now

Randy Archer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117672022#Comment_117672022

They are currently renovating the station bus bay. I heard it’s costing about €300k . So, it looks like on of the private buses will use it . Be crazy just to do it up and leave it empty .

what happens with the local drivers ? I know the Galway based guys said that they will be incorporated into the Galway city services

TomOnBoard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117672022#Comment_117672022

The Expressway decision is appalling. It removes a vital communications artery from Athlone and breaks up the centrality of the Rail/Bus hub by moving the bus service out of a properly serviced building in/near the centre of town out to unserviced open shelters on the outskirts. It destroys the ability of non-drivers to freely move about the Midlands/Country using public transport. For example a person from Kiltoom wanting to get to Portiuncula Hospital could previously get on a bus in Kiltoom, get off at the bus station and wait in the warm for the bus to Portiuncula. Now s/he will have to get off the bus in the bus station and get another bus to AIT, and wait in the cold shelter in order to catch the Aircoach or Citylink to Ballinasloe. Disgraceful!

A seriously retrograde move that local politicians seem very quiet about!!

rn

Very well put tomonboard. One of huge advantages Athlone has is it's central location. Now the previous collocation of transport links is broken. Even the knock on for retail in the town is significant. It goes against everything a "green" government should be advocating policy wise.

roosterman71

Agree with the last 2 posts. The decision though is Bus Eireanns who lost the licence to a private operator. That's why I suggested TII take over ownership of the station from CIE and then use that as a bus/rail station for any bus coming to Athlone instead of those retarded shelters on the side of the road that operators are forced to use now

rn

Ya I'd agree with that but I still think it makes no sense the national bus operator can't run a bus from Dublin to Galway.

roosterman71

The thing is they don't need to. TII subsidise some of the non profitable routes. Then there's the commercial ones which are usually between cities. These are open to tender. Bus Eireann have not been able to renew their licence and the route has gone to the private operator who say they can do it for X, which is less than Bus Eireann say. The stops, timetable and all that are defined by TII and the bus companies just operate that.

Thread here too about the route

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058198816/aircoach-706x-new-galway-to-dublin-airport-route-via-maynooth-athlone#latest

Prominent_Dawg

Definitely needed to be replaced, It was a disgrace of a service

rn

But this fragments public transport much more, doesn't result in cheaper fares for the customer and ultimately results in a worse service. Before I could get the train to Athlone, hop on the bus to moate. Now I've to go to b&q to get public transport. And I'm even further from getting an integrated ticket across public transport.

TomOnBoard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117676229#Comment_117676229

And this is the nub of the problem that THEY have CREATED!

And that's apart at all from the fact that if you buy a ticket on Aircoach using their mobile app, you CANNOT travel if your phone dies! Even a print-out receipt won't get you on-board.. Pay full fare AGAIN or stay in the freezing shelter as you wave the bus bye! bye!

TomOnBoard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117676141#Comment_117676141

I'm so blown away by the precision of your conclusion that I kinda lost the thrust of your evidence/argument..

But then I realised there was neither...

Any chance of a more useful re-post that we can all discuss/engage with?

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117676680#Comment_117676680

Have to agree here. What exactly was a disgrace about the service? I've been away for a while but the last I knew, there was an hourly service to both Dublin and Galway from the station which I would have used semi regularly up until I was in my mid twenties and could never really fault it.

Randy Archer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117676229#Comment_117676229

City link is cheaper than Bus Eireann by €1-2 ! . They run buses with a rather similar time table to bus eireann and were in fact a lot more flexible in the evening as BE changed and cancelled two crucial services over a year ago ie the 8 pm and 9:30 pm service (from bus aras)

b and q stop is no more than 5 minutes walk from the town bus /train station and the town itself , 10 for even the most slowest of walkers . Any local bus going into town brings you at stops closer than the AIT eg B and Q

If you are really really stuck, you have access to the train to get to Ballinasloe (albeit you won’t get dropped off outside the hospital)

As the station is now being re developed (currently reducing the number of bus bays , most were never used at one time) maybe the private services will be allowed to use the station , as there’s no talk of Bus Eireann adding local services to the hinterland . Remains to be seen

Randy Archer

Someone made the claim, without anything to back it up that if one buys their ticket online, and prints it out (smart thing to do) , and their phone dies (thus being unable to show the driver the codes etc) they won’t get onto the bus without paying another fee

that is complete and utter nonsense . Scaremongering clap trap

Neither Bus Eireann, City Link or Go Bus or Aircoach , have ever done that . In fact city link and aircoach have a written list of names due to be on that bus . If it did actually occur, that perosn would have any right to seek a refund and make a complaint …

Prominent_Dawg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117676680#Comment_117676680

Its just my opinion based on my experience over the years, for whatever reason they didn't seen capable of providing a reliable service on such a major route

roosterman71

I see SF have started a petition to get the route back

https://www.westmeathindependent.ie/2021/07/29/petition-launched-calling-for-return-of-axed-bus-routes-serving-athlone/

That won't happen

veryangryman

Put the route and station usage to tender. All other operators can do a decent bid as their employees dont have to hide behind Jack O Connors beard and get ridiculously high wages for driving a bus.

No harm on the profession but the true value of it is reflected in the private drivers wages.

I will say that the x20 was a great option for the airport albeit unreliable.

TomOnBoard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117676764#Comment_117676764

Scaremongering?

dePeatrick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117631572#Comment_117631572

Well I bought something in a retail outlet recently, was not to the standard I specified so I will return it in next few days and see what happens, I had intended buying it online. Usually returning something for a valid reason is no problem. I remember a businessman saying to me some years back that Athlone people are good people to do business with and it stuck in mind, I believe it to be true, they have to compete with a lot.

rn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117634932#Comment_117634932

If thats to builder finish per unit, it's probably 100k too high. If it includes site cost and finish to turn key level it's probably OK.

veryangryman

Popped by both sides of the greenway site earlier. Yep it's some disaster of w construction site. Can't see it be open before September.

Local press ignoring the delay. Wtf. Name and shame . There's column inches spare to do this its the silly season. Also IMO the advertiser are on a crusade for Mr O Rourke to get to become a TD with all his coverage

Randy Archer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117682445#Comment_117682445

That’s not remotely the same as what the drivers actually do ! I have regularly used that bus on the Belfast Dublin route ! I got caught out with the phone one occasion three months ago but had the booking printed out l no problem . Seen three passengers jump on board with the pages two weeks ago, again, no issues

also, you will be delighted to know what the buses have ports so you can charge your phone ! So after five minutes juicing it up, you can show them your phone

also, I’d be seriously worried about the ability and intelligence of anyone not capable of some semblance of foresight to keeping their phone with some battery until they get onto the bus. Most phones can go into battery saving mode , or even better, turn it off to save the last per cent ages of battery until they get into the bus

Randy Archer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117679484#Comment_117679484

Over one year too late, typical populist nonsense . Bus Eireann had it on the cards that they would be dropping the Dublin Galway route since March 2020 (regardless of Covid) and told all the regular customers of the likelihood that the route was going to end soon, last September . It was even on their website at one point

Hard to believe that the TDs were in the dark over this

I have had the misfortune to have needed to go into town via the white gates several times in recent days.

Just how long does it take to swap out a level crossing for a pedestrian crossing!

Nearly six weeks of single line working with a dodgy set of lights that have on occasion had a number of sequences that allow traffic from both ends at the same time.