Cross-border review of rail network officially launched

bk

Yes, I had the misfortune of using Killester station this past weekend.

"Barracks like" is an excellent description. It really feels very hostile and not inviting at all. Small tiny ugly station, big, high, metal fencing everywhere, no official cycle parking (people lock their bikes to the fences outside), a whole separate metal pedestrian bridge right next to a perfectly serviceable bridge. Then when you exit the station, a big long winding 7 minute walk through a residential area, to just see the N4 zoom by you!

Frustratingly the N4 operating every 12 minutes 24/7 stops on the bridge directly above the station with no direct access to it! Same with the H3 and other buses nearby.

And what is really crazy, while it might be different during the week, any time I've used Killester, the gates in the station are left open and unmanned! So all this "security" for nothing!

They really should reverse this station. But there are plenty of examples of this all over the network.

Zebra3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123464443#Comment_123464443

We should really create a Minister for Transport position to hold IR accountable….

spillit67

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123464443#Comment_123464443

How does it get through planning?

This is the sort of stuff I'd actually want planners to demand!

Irish Rail probably secretly love that so much of the DART hugs the coast as they don't have to police it.

cgcsb

I'm not sure how it get's planning but this type of glaring planning error has not gone away and I find it difficult to marry up the extremely long times taken by planning authorities to review submissions and the rubber stamping of obvious planning faux pas.

In the past year ABP has granted full planning permission to all the Bus Connects Corridors without significant amendments despite some parts of the corridors being deficient in their layout relevant to design guidance and in some locations are contrary to the goals of bus connects. There are even sections of the bus connects corridors (e.g. in Ballsbridge) where the NTA is proposing narrowing footpaths so much that the design will effectively take away the independence and freedom of wheelchair users and mobility limited persons in order to provide multi-lane roads for cars and turning lanes for cars (contrary to the NTA's own design guidance). Effectively we're building with a 1970s car-centric attitude and the planning board which takes 2 years to approve anything is rubber stamping that attitude.

riddlinrussell

I'd be interested in seeing how often with these big projects the board goes against the recommendations of the actual assessor.

I presume most of the time taken on these approvals is the assessor doing their due diligence, going over the plans and assessing their suitability.

The board approval is where things can get 'political'. How often are things 'rammed through' and how much scope would a divergence between the recommendations and the board approved plan give to anyone seeking a JR?