Money making yes but not for Irish Rail, its for CIE and even then they are only getting a fraction of the take

13,000 new spaces
5,500 existing spaces

18,500 total
less 10% for wheelchair/accessible spaces
16,650
assume 90% weekday occupancy at €8 per space for 50 weeks
15,000 * 8 * 50 = €6 million

CIE get a €1 million per annum slice with ZERO guarantee of investment in the service, can't find anywhere where CIE's massive property income out of Spencer Dock has reached the rail accounts

Given they now are going to jack up the €5 charge, the game is afoot for something we are looking into

Well at least they're being upfront about it.

Some interesting quotes from the DTO's "Rail Park & Ride Strategy for the Greater Dublin Area"

Under "Key Success Factors of Rail Park and Ride"


There's nothing in the announced plan about secure parking.


Have any such assessments been undertaken?


Like any of that is going to happen


Again, not going to happen in the near future.


Of course, this is largely irrelevant, because this isn't about Park & Ride, this is about IE gouging more cash from its customers.

Be careful about where you quote from the DTO also say the users of the park and ride should contribute to the cost

True, but they're talking about proper car parks with security, lighting, shelter, foothpaths, landscaping: and that's their minimum specification.
And parking fees integrated with tickets, and with the smartcard system.

I don't know if there'd be as much outcry over the new charges if these were being provided, rather than sticking a 2 euro charge on the existing slab of bare tarmac.


Is there not government funding already allocated for provision of parking anyway which IE haven't used? Thought I saw it mentioned somewhere before.

The capital costs are paid by government, we have that in writing from Irish Rail.

We are investigating several avenues, members section has more

A voice of reason!! Well done sir.

I walk over a mile each day to the station, and the same back - even in the depths of winter - despite having a car available. I arrive at the station warm, and awake. I do not pollute that atmosphere (much!). OTOH, I see people driving less than 1/4 mile to the station, then sitting in their cars in the car with the engine running (to keep air-con on in summer, heat in winter I presume), then getting out as the train arrives, delaying departure of said train. The reverse "race" in the evening is laughable - after the 1750 ex Heuston leaves Newbridge, people start walking to the front of the train to be first off, by Monasterevin the front coach is full of lemmings in the corridor. Getting off three coaches back and walking past them still fighting their way out and running towards the bridge brings some light entertainment at the end of the day. Completely sad.

If I take a day off, as I did recently,to travel to Dublin Airport to meet elderly relative and assist them home with luggage, I cannot get into the station car park because of these lazy (insert own name here).

Brass neck of the week award goes to Portlaoise councillor in the local rag, who says IE should not charge - but is quite happy with on-street car parking charges in the town!

LC

I've been witness to the scrum to exit the train. Its mainly a result of the poor local infrastructure and poor car park exits when means unless you exit in the first few you could be stuck for a long time

The whole you can walk routine is great until you realise the pedestrian access is rubbish to most stations, and the pedestrians have to dice with the car park traffic, give Newbridge or Kildare a spin. Templemore is a blast as well, but its such a walk from the town that you couldn't blame anyone for driving.

The capital cost is paid for by the tax payer regardless of a charge or not

Anyone see the new ads from Dublin Bus?

It says take the bus to avoid rip off car parking.

Who says CIE don't have a sense of humour?

For both my wife and I travelling together, these car park charges push the cost of rail travel within about €200 of sharing a car (even after estimating approx 50% back from taxsaver scheme). Although we'd have to get up earlier, the car always leaves when it's supposed to, goes right into the city centre, takes at least 30 minutes less each way, and it's like getting a full refund for every day we don't travel at all. We are seriously considering it for next year.

Anyone who thinks our car park is worth €2 a day has to be kidding. Loose gravel and the smashed glass of broken-into and burnt-out cars isn't what I'd consider a paid-for parking surface to be. It'd only take a single incident in the whole year to finally push the cost of rail travel over the car.

And no, there's no bike racks.

We encourage photographs :D

Planning permission has been given for a pedestrian overbridge at Newbridge Station. Believe it will be accessible from the new station car park on the Dublin side.

Just touching on a different note for a sec, do you reckon people in communities around the rail stations affected are aware of what impact this could have. With people parking on local housing estates instead.

Coolmine has an issue at the moment where passengers are parking in local housing areas taking up room and local residents are concerned this will get worse.

There is an article on this in the blanch gazette will post it later.

Some residents in Dunboyne didn't want access form their estate to the proposed station to stop it turning into a car park. No doubt they will then drive to the station. :)

No doubt about it victor.

note that the changes to the blanchardstown bus route changes that would have seen access to rail stations in dublin 15 by bus improve and a fifteen minute journey between dunboyne and clonsilla rail by the 270.

All this has been rejected by the same department that have approved these parking charges.

I think the term for that is "holistic solution". :rolleyes:

In what other nation would you get the Department of Transport refusing to sanction a bus route that served a large non rail connected area with a train station?

The Department of Transport have to be challenged and shamed publicly for this. Julie O'Neill really does earn her money doesn't she?

Bang on mark. The fact is we have been pushing feeder bus services when we cant even get a proper core bus service in operation.

What is going on with bus services in west dublin and kildare is nothing short of a scandal. Ok this is not the place maybe to discuss this.

Introducing pay parking without proper alternative services is like introducing the congestion charge without any reasonable alternative.

In fact in all of the statements brought out since they announced this charge irish rail have failed to suggest to people why not take the bus to the station where possible?

discuss away

Well, here is a bit of insight from Joan Burtons blog going back to last month

http://www.joanburton.ie/?postid=900

Changes to the Dublin 15 route would mean access for Dunboyne and Littlepace passengers to Clonsilla Station and also a bus link between coolmine station and blanchardstown centre with the 37.

Dublin Bus are appealing the decision.

To approve a scheme to charge the motorist to park-and-ride and reject a public transport improvement is beyond me! :mad:

Note the whole Dublin 15 changes are held up because of this

OK heres the article from the Blanch Gazette - its a diary article by Jim Lacey

I know a few friends from around Carpenstown Park and they have told of stories of where cars were "abandoned" by commuters.

Whats to stop this happening elsewhere i local areas beside stations when these charges come in and commuters do not wish to pay them?