Phoenix Park tunnel: 4 trains per hour from 2016

cgcsb wrote: »

It also seems a bit of a waste for commuters since leap cards don't work in Kildare. A day return is a whopping €23.35. Much better off braving the N7.

Well I would imagine that most commuters are using a point to point ticket purchased under the taxsaver scheme and are not buying tickets on the day.

NorthDublin1 wrote: »

This sounds fantastic!

Bear in mind though that this will only be one train an hour off-peak in either direction, and two per hour during the peak time.

end of the road wrote: »

or even better simply extend the busses down to platform 10 or as near as possible to it. they can serve it and their original stop as well

Not much good if you're going to clancy quay, inchicore or Kilmainham.

cgcsb wrote: »

Seems a shame not to serve platform 10 plenty of people working between Capel Street and Inchicore and it wouldn't be very costly to add an overpass and perhaps a travelator like Dublin Airport's low cost pier D.

An alternative entrence/exit at the Clancy Quay development site should be considered.

Anyone wanting to go to those locations will already have the existing services which will continue to serve Heuston.

In order to stop at Platform 10 it would require a new points crossover between the bridge over the Liffey and the Phoenix Park tunnel. That (and associated signalling) does not come cheap.

There are clearance issues between platform 10 and Conyngham Road so putting an exit there isn't really a goer.

Any bridges have to be compliant with disability legislation and again that isn't cheap at all.

As for a travelator - it's 700m from Platform 10 to Heuston main station - that's totally unrealistic. There would have to be connecting buses to/from the platform as there was in previous times.

cgcsb wrote: »

It also seems a bit of a waste for commuters since leap cards don't work in Kildare. A day return is a whopping €23.35. Much better off braving the N7.

One step at a time!

A joint IE/NTA venture will be required for this in the future, lets get Cork Commuter sorted first!

GM228

end of the road

cgcsb wrote: »

Seems a shame not to serve platform 10 plenty of people working between Capel Street and Inchicore and it wouldn't be very costly to add an overpass and perhaps a travelator like Dublin Airport's low cost pier D.

An alternative entrence/exit at the Clancy Quay development site should be considered.

or even better simply extend the busses down to platform 10 or as near as possible to it. they can serve it and their original stop as well

It also seems a bit of a waste for commuters since leap cards don't work in Kildare. A day return is a whopping €23.35. Much better off braving the N7.

cgcsb wrote: »

Seems a shame not to serve platform 10 plenty of people working between Capel Street and Inchicore and it wouldn't be very costly to add an overpass and perhaps a travelator like Dublin Airport's low cost pier D.

An alternative entrence/exit at the Clancy Quay development site should be considered.

The problem is the track and signal alterations required to access platform 10 and the costs associated, however it will be looked into in the future.

GM228

NorthDublin1

This sounds fantastic!

Thrashssacre wrote: »

What work needs too be done is it just signalling or is there some other problem with the line ?

Regarding the tunnel itself it requires a heavy cleaning, new lighting and train radio signal improvements and dampness prevention improvements.

The rest of the €13.7 million will go towards partial relaying of the line (Cabra area), ground stabilisation and embankment works near the Cabra end of the tunnel and singal relocation between Glasnevin-Heuston, Drumcondra station will be upgraded with new ticket turnstiles and Tara St station is to receice a new Southbound lift shaft.

Funding could not be obtained to allow up train access to platform 10 and so for now Heuston will not be served, it is possible for down trains to use platform 10 but this is likely to be left out so as to avoid confusion. A big let down IMO. Depending on patronage and further study of passenger trends a business case may present itself in the future for platform 10 and a station at Cabra.

Initial timetable (6 months validity possible) will be to/from Kildare only and then extended to/from Portlaoise.

GM228

Seems a shame not to serve platform 10 plenty of people working between Capel Street and Inchicore and it wouldn't be very costly to add an overpass and perhaps a travelator like Dublin Airport's low cost pier D.

An alternative entrence/exit at the Clancy Quay development site should be considered.

chops018 wrote: »

But will you have to change trains anywhere along the way? Or can you stay on your own train for the whole journey to say Landsdowne.

The train will operate to the following stations once it passes Parkwest:

Drumcondra, Connolly, Tara Street, Pearse and Grand Canal Dock.

Beyond Grand Canal Dock will require a change of train.

chops018 wrote: »

But will you have to change trains anywhere along the way? Or can you stay on your own train for the whole journey to say Landsdowne.

You can only go as far as grand canal docks then you would have too change if you wanted to go further but you can get to the centre of town without needing a change of train anywhere

chops018

lxflyer wrote: »

You will have a choice of trains - some going to Heuston, others bypassing Heuston and continuing through the Phoenix Park Tunnel and then serving each of Drumcondra, Connolly, Tara Street, Pearse and Grand Canal Dock.

But will you have to change trains anywhere along the way? Or can you stay on your own train for the whole journey to say Landsdowne.

Thrashssacre wrote: »

Hopefully they can somehow advertise the new service a bit better as I think awareness of it is still pretty low.

Well given it isn't starting until next year and work is only starting to facilitate it, I'd suggest that it's a bit early before making statements like that.

chops018 wrote: »

Am I reading the articles wrong?

I assume when this is finished if you're coming from the Kildare stations then you don't have to get out at Heuston and hop on a bus/luas to get across the city but rather you can stay on your train and go around to Connolly/Tara/Pearse/Landsdowne?

Or what way is it going to work?

You will have a choice of trains - some going to Heuston, others bypassing Heuston and continuing through the Phoenix Park Tunnel and then serving each of Drumcondra, Connolly, Tara Street, Pearse and Grand Canal Dock.

chops018

Am I reading the articles wrong?

I assume when this is finished if you're coming from the Kildare stations then you don't have to get out at Heuston and hop on a bus/luas to get across the city but rather you can stay on your train and go around to Connolly/Tara/Pearse/Landsdowne?

Or what way is it going to work?

lxflyer wrote: »

The key to this proposal is that these need to be additional services.

It now appears that they will not serve Heuston P10 at all (no crossover being installed there), so this certainly means that it is essential that the existing services to that station are maintained (given that anyone going to locations west of O'Connell Bridge will still want to use that station).

If they are extras (and it looks as if they will be) then this should stimulate some demand for anyone going east and south of O'Connell Bridge.

Hopefully they can somehow advertise the new service a bit better as I think awareness of it is still pretty low.

The RTÉ article shows some pretty poor reporting..or the Iarnród Éireann contact hasn't a clue

"It says this is not a replacement for the Dart Underground, which would allow a direct link between the city's two main stations with capacity for 40 trains an hour."

Of course DARTu doesn't go near Connolly, rather it provides a bypass.

The key to this proposal is that these need to be additional services.

It now appears that they will not serve Heuston P10 at all (no crossover being installed there), so this certainly means that it is essential that the existing services to that station are maintained (given that anyone going to locations west of O'Connell Bridge will still want to use that station).

If they are extras (and it looks as if they will be) then this should stimulate some demand for anyone going east and south of O'Connell Bridge.

Jamie2k9

IE have confirmed services will only start from Kildare to begin with.

flyingsnail

Thrashssacre wrote: »

Interesting they mention carlow I wonder if this will just be a peak time service or will carlow be getting a service similar too what portlaois have

I would imagine it would be something along the lines off diverting the existing 06:30 from carlow to GCD rather tha Heuston

http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0818/722029-phoenix-park-tunnel-dublin/

Interesting they mention carlow I wonder if this will just be a peak time service or will carlow be getting a service similar too what portlaois have

Jamie2k9

Work to upgrade Dublin's Phoenix Park tunnel to provide a rail link for commuters from the midlands to the city centre and IFSC was officially launched today.

The €13.7m project, along with new signalling works at Connolly Station, will allow train passengers on the Kildare line to travel further into Dublin City Centre instead of getting off at Heuston.

It is reported that the upgraded tunnel will accommodate four trains an hour in one direction from towns including Carlow and Portlaoise when it re-opens to commuter services next year.

GM228 wrote: »

At the moment only in the early idea/planning stage but a completely new timetable will operate with alternate trains to/from Heuston and GCD, some GCD trains will be additional paths possibly from Newbridge/Kildare and some existing services through to Portlaoise depending on the time of day and traffic requirements as some of the slots will be used for swaping Connolly/Drogheda ICR sets directly with Portlaoise thus eliminating ECS runs between Heuston and Connolly.

Until the final timetable is drafted we won't know for certain however, a lot can happen in 12 months and what's on the cards now may not be what we see next year.

Works on the Glasnevin-Heuston and tunnel upgrade commence next week AFAIK.

GM228

What work needs too be done is it just signalling or is there some other problem with the line ?

Thrashssacre wrote: »

Is it known if this service is too operate on top of the hourly portlaois to heuston service or will it just be that service extended to grand canal docks?

At the moment only in the early idea/planning stage but a completely new timetable will operate with alternate trains to/from Heuston and GCD, some GCD trains will be additional paths possibly from Newbridge/Kildare and some existing services through to Portlaoise depending on the time of day and traffic requirements as some of the slots will be used for swaping Connolly/Drogheda ICR sets directly with Portlaoise thus eliminating ECS runs between Heuston and Connolly.

Until the final timetable is drafted we won't know for certain however, a lot can happen in 12 months and what's on the cards now may not be what we see next year.

Works on the Glasnevin-Heuston and tunnel upgrade commence next week AFAIK.

GM228

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

I would image peak capacity will be a slight increase and possibly some off peak services requiring some change.

For example most Intercity services operate close together departing X,Y,Z at 11, 13, 15.00 ish and would need to meet connections so I expect a Portlaoise service will meet those however services at 10, 12, 14.00 you may see a possible change required for some passengers as I can't see it been viable to operate such a service unless traffic was to increase a lot.

During the day the Portlaoise service is not heavily loaded so don't see an extra hourly commuter service to Dublin operating all the time.

Thanks for the reply as for portlaois commuter off peak from the Times I've used it which is a fair bit as the bus service is a good 25 minuites slower on a good day and you'd be lucky too see a 3 car set half full but I can see why with the location of heuston and most of the people in my area I've recommended the service too never even knew there was a train station in the area

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

I would image peak capacity will be a slight increase and possibly some off peak services requiring some change.

For example most Intercity services operate close together departing X,Y,Z at 11, 13, 15.00 ish and would need to meet connections so I expect a Portlaoise service will meet those however services at 10, 12, 14.00 you may see a possible change required for some passengers as I can't see it been viable to operate such a service unless traffic was to increase a lot.

During the day the Portlaoise service is not heavily loaded so don't see an extra hourly commuter service to Dublin operating all the time.

Jamie2k9

Thrashssacre wrote: »

Is it known if this service is too operate on top of the hourly portlaois to heuston service or will it just be that service extended to grand canal docks?

I would image peak capacity will be a slight increase and possibly some off peak services requiring some change.

For example most Intercity services operate close together departing X,Y,Z at 11, 13, 15.00 ish and would need to meet connections so I expect a Portlaoise service will meet those however services at 10, 12, 14.00 you may see a possible change required for some passengers as I can't see it been viable to operate such a service unless traffic was to increase a lot.

During the day the Portlaoise service is not heavily loaded so don't see an extra hourly commuter service to Dublin operating all the time.