Phoenix park funicular

plodder · 24-04-2019 9:57am #1

Skateboard lanes, segways and even a funicular - a look at the new proposed 'visitor experience' at the Phoenix Park

There seems to be big plans for the park, but what caught my eye is for a "funicular" linking the magazine fort to the War memorial gardens, which is a fantastic idea linking the park more directly to all the attractions in the Kilmainham area. What is it though? I thought a funicular is a railway on the ground pulled by cables, whereas this sounds more like an overhead cable-car, since it has to cross the Liffey. I think a cable car would be a great idea - would provide fantastic views as well as the linkage between the park and Kilmainham. While they're at it, they could look at the old iron bridge linking Farmleigh to Waterstown park/Palmerstown. That would be another great way to open up pedestrian access to the Phoenix park.

RayCun · 24-04-2019 3:35pm

they'll build a bridge for the funicular

(or for foot traffic if the funicular is too expensive)

plodder · 25-04-2019 9:47am

Having read the document now, I think I get what they are talking about. It's likely to be a pedestrian bridge across the river and either a short funicular or an elevator with an extended platform to climb (or "vertically circulate" in architect speak) up to the fort, which makes a lot of sense. You can great views from these elevators. I was on one recently in the town of Marburg in Germany. It's really down to architects to inform the optimal choice and produce good designs. Great to see this happening.

hardCopy · 25-04-2019 6:57pm

plodder wrote: »

Having read the document now, I think I get what they are talking about. It's likely to be a pedestrian bridge across the river and either a short funicular or an elevator with an extended platform to climb (or "vertically circulate" in architect speak) up to the fort, which makes a lot of sense. You can great views from these elevators. I was on one recently in the town of Marburg in Germany. It's really down to architects to inform the optimal choice and produce good designs. Great to see this happening.

I haven't read the document but there's been a campaign rubbing for a few years to refurbish the skeleton of an old bridge (Silver Bridge) across the Liffey at Farnham, maybe it'll incorporate that.

hardCopy · 25-04-2019 6:58pm

plodder wrote: »

Having read the document now, I think I get what they are talking about. It's likely to be a pedestrian bridge across the river and either a short funicular or an elevator with an extended platform to climb (or "vertically circulate" in architect speak) up to the fort, which makes a lot of sense. You can great views from these elevators. I was on one recently in the town of Marburg in Germany. It's really down to architects to inform the optimal choice and produce good designs. Great to see this happening.

I haven't read the document but there's been a campaign running for a few years to refurbish the skeleton of an old bridge (Silver Bridge) across the Liffey at Farnham, maybe it'll incorporate that.

strassenwo!f · 25-04-2019 9:32pm

This reminds me a bit of that Dublin cable car idea which emerged in the dying days of the Celtic Tiger and which was going to transport people between the docklands and somewhere near the Guinness brewery, almost contemporaneously with other ideas like the giant metal sculpture of a human standing in the river beside the Matt Talbot bridge and the diversion of a portion of the Liffey to create an island somewhere near the Point Depot.

In my limited experience of funicular railways they seem to have primarily been built (i) in the early days, by people with lots of spare money, to show the locals that they could be built, or (ii) in situations where it genuinely made sense to build them - and there are many examples of this - to get people and goods rapidly up and down very steep inclines.

My initial feeling is that this outline plan doesn't fit in very obviously with either of those situations.

plodder · 25-04-2019 10:37pm

strassenwo!f wrote: »

This reminds me a bit of that Dublin cable car idea which emerged in the dying days of the Celtic Tiger and which was going to transport people between the docklands and somewhere near the Guinness brewery,

I'd forgotten about that - The "SUAS"

https://www.thejournal.ie/cable-cars-dublin-suas-2-3231901-Feb2017/

RayCun · 26-04-2019 9:11am

A funicular at that location makes some sense.

It is never going to be integrated with the rest of the rail infrastructure anyway, so no problem with it being non-standard.

It would be a tourist attraction in itself, one of the things to check off on a visit to the park.

And it would give people a reason to visit the memorial gardens from the park.

Unlike the Barcelona funicular, for example, it would be above ground so people could take in the view crossing the Liffey.

A cable car would work too. (I've no idea how much either would cost)

millb · 26-04-2019 9:18am

RayCun wrote: »

A funicular at that location makes some sense.

It is never going to be integrated with the rest of the rail infrastructure anyway, so no problem with it being non-standard.

It would be a tourist attraction in itself, one of the things to check off on a visit to the park.

And it would give people a reason to visit the memorial gardens from the park.

Unlike the Barcelona funicular, for example, it would be above ground so people could take in the view crossing the Liffey.

A cable car would work too. (I've no idea how much either would cost)

This cable car was examined by Coillte from Sandyford to Threerock
https://bowline.ie/threerock-sandyford-cable-car/
https://bowline.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Tourist-Development-Three-Rock-Cable-Car-Gondola-2016-1.pdf

MJohnston · 26-04-2019 11:49am

All these radical plans, yet they can't even sort out simple and proper pedestrian and cycle crossings practically anywhere in the park. Getting around the park is still the preserve of the automobile, which is truly tragic stuff from OPW.

RayCun · 26-04-2019 12:12pm

MJohnston wrote: »

All these radical plans, yet they can't even sort out simple and proper pedestrian and cycle crossings practically anywhere in the park. Getting around the park is still the preserve of the automobile, which is truly tragic stuff from OPW.

The funicular proposal is part of a suite of proposals around park usage.

MJohnston · 26-04-2019 1:09pm

RayCun wrote: »

The funicular proposal is part of a suite of proposals around park usage.

There's barely anything in there about pedestrian access though, unless I'm missing something.

RayCun · 26-04-2019 1:16pm

http://phoenixpark.ie/visitor-experience-strategic-review/
there is in here

MJohnston · 26-04-2019 4:39pm

RayCun wrote: »

http://phoenixpark.ie/visitor-experience-strategic-review/
there is in here

I've read the review report summary, but it only alludes to pedestrian/cycling access, it doesn't really describe any changes in detail like it does with the funicular or the entrance gate changes.

I've made a submission on it anyway with my ideas/hopes/dreams.

plodder · 26-04-2019 10:43pm

Looks like deadline extended to May 31 for submissions.

recedite · 01-05-2019 3:07pm

A cable car across the Liffey would be way better than a pedestrian bridge with (2 x ?) funicular railway(s) either side.

There was a chair lift operating on Bray head in the 50's and 60's.
Nice photo here of a man delivering coca cola to the cafe at the summit.
All gone now of course, and replaced by a big metal cross at the top.

trellheim · 03-05-2019 1:18pm

A funicular would be ideal from Waterstown park at the end of the iron bridge, as the rise up to Farmleigh is considerable at that point and crosses several very busy roads.

Phoenix park funicular

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