Most Invisible Rail Station? (& signage matters)

A1ACo

RE: Rail Station Promotion & Signage

AKA vote - Ireland’s most ‘invisible train station’.

It seems to me that a quite a number of train stations are hard to identify even close up when viewed from the adjacent roads – and often do very little to promote their presence.

Also, that in the scale of transport projects, a national ‘Way-finding’ and station façade & curtilage signage project, would be very straight-forward and not very expensive or time consuming effort (and could very likely be done in-house by IE/CIE/NTA by a very small team).

Signage project template headings?…

e.g.

Waterford-Clonmel-Limerick Junction Line

‘X’ Station

Station Façade sign(s) – positions & type

Station Curtilage sign(s) – position & type

Finger Post Signs - Inner Circle (immediate locality) – marked map: 1-4 locations

Finger Post Signs – Outer Circle (wider area) – marked map(s): 1-4 locations

… Any finger post signs for stations should probably be the wider/fatter version of the usual type seen historically e.g. for general town directions and B&Bs etc.

A standard finger post format of:

‘Staisiun Y’ [Insert train Symbol] ‘ZZm’ –

in as big as text/symbols possible might work best.

– but e.g. Chapter 4 of the Irish Signs Manual also gives standard rail and bus station sign symbols. Plenty of companies sell finger post signs, and one I came across claims to service public sector needs in particular.

(I’m not sure ‘Section 254’ applications to County Councils, and with initial fees, and yearly fees (if any) would apply to IE/CIE/NTA, and/ or if erected say just off motorway junctions).

I’ll note though 3 examples of such fingerpost signage (from Bray, Gorey and Rathdrum) a little later.

(Even painted stencil signs on the bottom margin of existing, large general advertising billboards in the curtilage/ adjacent to train stations, e.g. Drogheda & Gorey, would be helpful for wayfinding (and advertisement) to stations).

Otherwise, my votes for most 'invisible' train stations = Rathdrum, Gorey, Tipperary.

blackbox

I suggest that the station signs should also identify if park and ride is available.

the_amazing_raisin

I was going to suggest Broadstone since it isn't a train station anymore, but it's a Luas stop so probably doesn't count

My actual vote is Broombridge since it's in the middle of an industrial estate and last time I went through it didn't have a station house or any ticket machines

Pretty sure there wasn't even a signpost

A1ACo

Maybe the outer circle of fingerpost/similar signs (to direct people coming from further afield) could include a Park&Ride symbol - instead of the name of station - to save space for fewer, but larger symbols/ text.

It also occurs to me, that besides making signage a little more complicated if they have to be partly bespoke to include station names - that maybe including the station name might encourage some collectors to steal them?!

thomasj

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122123835#Comment_122123835

You obviously haven't been there recently . They've done it up a bit now, has station signs , route maps, timetable board, ticket machine and even a lift. Plenty of signage. Missing one of those next train displays though

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122136846#Comment_122136846

Wow, I'm genuinely impressed, I figured Irish Rail wouldn't bother given their history of putting anything there

Last time I went through there, both shelters had been burned out and all the leap card readers were smashed. The ticket inspectors would give you a slip of paper to say you got on at Broombridge if you showed them the leap card

Good to see it's finally getting some attention, maybe there's hope yet for Irish Rail

thomasj

https://twitter.com/Feljin_J/status/1759274932968513738?t=GXfPX6VFqcagq4t7Djy5Aw&s=19

._

A1ACo

As mentioned above, three versions/eras below of rail (& bus) station Directional/ informative, Finger-post signs.

Above on road junction adjacent to car park serving Gorey Rail Station (Finger post sign since turned towards station!).

DART Finger post sign circa 2.5km from Bray Rail (& bus) station.

Finger post sign on approach road to Rathdrum Rail station.

A1ACo

& from the (Irish) Traffic Signs Manual (DoT : Trafficsigns.ie):

whisky_galore

Couldn't care less what they look like as long as they are there and point the right way.

GerardKeating

A vote for Manulla Junction, you cannot even drive up to it any more

TranslatorPS

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122165996#Comment_122165996

Considering that it's mean to be an internal transfer-only station, I don't necessarily see why you should be able to.

GerardKeating

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122172575#Comment_122172575

In the past, it was accessable by road.

Losty Dublin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122173287#Comment_122173287

Were it to reopen as a passenger station it would require a couple of million for a new car park along with an wheelchair/mobility assessable footbridge or lift, because the most suitable site for a car park is located on the opposite side of the platform. Or intending passengers could park up and alight ten minutes away at Foxford or Castlebar or Claremorris, which do well all told.

A1ACo

Another fingerpost variation, on the junction to approach road to Athenry Rail station - at least this station has the benefit of relatively prominent old rail station vernacular type buildings, and rail crossing to advertise its presence.

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122173287#Comment_122173287

Manulla Junction has, as far as I am aware, only ever been a passenger transfer point with no public access except for changing trains.

There was a path/track for the signalman to get to & from the L1706 when the cabin was relocated from Balla, but the station was never publicly accessible.

GerardKeating

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122219165#Comment_122219165

I gather it was a proper station till it closed in 1963, there was even a foot bridge to the now disused down platform.

https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000303526

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122219605#Comment_122219605

OK fair enough, but you’re talking about a station that closed over 60 years ago and the land sold off since.

The current station, which opened in 1988 as a passenger transfer point has never had road access.