New Dart Footbridges

Davey Devil

I'm sure many of you have noticed the new footbridges being constructed in Killiney, Blackrock and Booterstown Dart stations. I'm not sure if this has been discussed, but what do people think of them?

I think they are an eyesore and totally out of character to the Dart stations themselves. How did they get away with planning permission for these monstrosties?

I know they will help the wheelchair users but there must be a better way to design these.

Victor

An Taisce appealed them and they were approved by An Bord Pleanála.

MarkoP11

Strangely no appeal was filed against Booterstown.

The extra height in the bridges is based on requirements for extra clearance required with overhead wires and secondly to allow the possible use of double decker trains in the future.

Each bridge has two separate staircases which will greatly ease the delays at stations like Blackrock in the morning

the_syco

MarkoP11 wrote:

secondly to allow the possible use of double decker trains in the future

Off topic, but I found this funny, as alot of trains currently go under bridges that were built eons ago, in the time of horse and cart, and thus are only tall enough for one decker trains.

SeanW

If IR decided to go double-decker in the future on the DART, those bridges you refer to would have to be sorted out. However, the bridges they just built right now would not. That's the point of it.

Bluetonic

the_syco wrote:

as alot of trains currently go under bridges that were built eons ago, in the time of horse and cart, and thus are only tall enough for one decker trains.

Which bridges are we talking about?

IR started replacing these bridges in the early 1990s, I know little (if any at all) remain on the Northern Suburban line.

jlang

Regardless, it makes sense to build the bridges that little bit higher when they're being replaced anyway, just in case.

I walked by Booterstown and Blackrock recently and while in my opinion the bridges aren't quite an eyesore, they are definitely more intrusive on the view and are more likely to arouse feelings (pro/anti) than the old ones which just kind of existed beneath the level of being noticed. As in when walking along the Rock Road - you used to say, "Oh, that's the station over there". Now you say, "See that little building beside the white spaceship, that's the station."