Rosslare Port Terminal

road_high · 22-08-2021 10:17pm #1

Hadn't used it in years as a foot passenger until recently- they've really done a hatchet job on it haven't they? Total white elephant of a building now. Why were the convenient and handy walkways taken away and replaced with a crappy old drive-on mini bus? It was only built in 1989 so not that old in fairness. At check in (amazed this hasn't been replaced by a machine yet) I didn't even realise that is what you do now- i just followed the other passengers (over 50 of us so several relays) out to the car park where you line up in an ad hoc, random fashion for said mini bus and luggage piled into a Stena transit van. Whole thing is like something out of Fr Ted tbh.

Must be only about 1/5th of the terminal now used with a small coffee shop, toilet and check in desks. The Stena Europe itself is fairly grim too- certainly seen better days. It's all a pity as this would be quite an appealing way to travel if the train times were more frequent, to the terminal and convenient.

road_high · 22-08-2021 10:20pm

I suppose the Oakwood day trips are a thing of the past too? Now the faster ferry the Stena Lynx is gone.

Geog1234 · 24-08-2021 4:20am

Agree with pretty much all of that. In my view the terminal building is okay - not perfect but always clean and warm in the winter. The upstairs departures lounge is the most comfortable area but probably not much point passengers going up there any more just to return downstairs (the walkway to the ferry extended from the first floor).

I've never seen any form of consultation or engagement with ordinary users despite the hype and gloss of some sort of stakeholder group in the local media.

Management have done a great job in building freight traffic but need to seriously review and walk through their foot passenger offering. And it certainly is worth bothering about as the numbers all add up both to the ferry companies and in terms of spending in local and regional economies.

It could be so much better...

Dempo1 · 24-08-2021 6:03am

It's been about 10 years since I used it so unsure of its current layout but gosh I recall it was an appalling grim, depressing world war 2 looking unwelcoming bunker, just depressing if stuck there for any length of time. Its Always astonished me that this port was the first thing tourist and visitors alike were permitted to see when arriving to Ireland with little or no effort to make it even slightly presentable.

I get its also a major cargo port but my god there was no excuse for its dour appearance. The best thing about Rosslare port was the road out of it, awful kip of a place

This said, I travelled to Fishguard regularly and that was even worse, ghastly sight to behold, so underfunded they were actually using a Digger and forklift to move padestrian gantry to and away from ferry. The village itself was like something out of sherlock Holmes, the hounds of Baskervilles, not a place I'd recommend staying a night in, actually ever, whatever hour of the day 😉

Dohvolle · 24-08-2021 9:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117795778#Comment_117795778

Pembroke Dock isn't much better. The terminal building serves no purpose (foots get on bus here also), and the town itself is depressing, most shops closed for good. Asda Petrol station just outside the terminal has no bathrooms. I last visited before Brexit. Hate to think what has become of it since. A mile walk from the ferry to the railway station, which is a pointless journey anyway, due to the scarcity of trains leaving there. Trains leave every 2 hours, you'll change 5 or 6 times if you need to go anywhere like a big city. 30 years ago I was able to get a train direct from London to Swansea, and Swansea to Fishguard ferry terminal, and as the train pulled in, there was your ferry outside the railway station.

Dempo1 · 24-08-2021 10:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117796095#Comment_117796095

Yes have to agree, I worked in Swansea and occasionally went the Pembroke, I found it a little better, didn't tend to stay to long😊

road_high · 24-08-2021 9:54pm

Actually didn’t think Fishguard too bad as a foot passenger- the “terminal” building doubles up as a fairly non descript railway station where at least you can just walk straight into from the ferry. No facilities bar toilets and vending machines but there’s only the one service to Rosslare unlike Rosslare which has several routes going on.

I was surprised there was so many foot passengers tbh- one man I briefly chatted to said it made more sense due to the cost of bringing own car. There is a market albeit a small one

Dohvolle · 25-08-2021 10:46am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117799423#Comment_117799423

The only way to go by train from Rosslare Harbour to Waterford is via Dublin.

blackwhite · 25-08-2021 10:56am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058205341/rosslare-port-terminal

The bus for foot passengers means that they can handle a wider variety of vessels. If they are reliant on using the gantry, then every ship looking to accept foots would need to have a foots entrance at a suitable position along the side of the ship.

By using the bus, that limiting factor isn't there for ferry companies looking to use Rosslare

road_high · 28-08-2021 6:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117800910#Comment_117800910

Do many of the Rosslare trains even meet the ferries? Think there’s only 3 or 4 per day. That’s nearly a days travelling, you’d want to be pretty stuck- get a bus to Waterford instead only takes an hour or so.

Dohvolle · 28-08-2021 7:06pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117816370#Comment_117816370

Point being, there used to be a train that went from the actual passenger terminal directly to Waterford, once upon a time.

One would expect in this era of sustainable transport initiatives, the train should be a better alternative to road. Better still that more freight should be going by road (not less).

Grassy Knoll · 25-08-2022 2:55pm

You would imagine the Greens would light a fire under CIE who operate Rosslare to improve the rail connectivity + the set up in the ferry terminal …

L1011 · 25-08-2022 8:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119520646#Comment_119520646

On the cargo side - there is already a rail connected container terminal in the south east. Rosslare is a ro-ro port and would require huge investment to become a container terminal.

On the passenger front - there's no spare trains and there are more useful demands than reshaping the passenger timetable to match ferries currently. When more trains become available there may be some to provide more suitable connections; but changing the current timetable would remove services from larger groups of other passengers.

andrewfaulk · 25-08-2022 9:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119522024#Comment_119522024

Rosslare handles containers, in small volumes but since the Finnlines service commenced there has been a reach stacker in operation on the breakwater to lift the containers off the cassettes used in the vessel and onto hauliers trailers.. CON-Ro means that STS gantries aren’t needed anymore..

However the volumes are quite small and the economics are unlikely to stack up for moving the containers onward by rail, although I wouldn’t rule out some containers arriving to Rosslare and being shunted to Waterford to move by rail..

Rosslare Port Terminal

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