Monty is sadly missed and yes, it was obvious he wouldn't last. The words visionary and CIE don't mix well.
As for "the broomer", it was an ill-conceived idea from day one. A new station was put in an area that was built in the late 30s/early 40s and was only accessible to a fraction of the area. It already had donkeys years of CIE bus methodology, that conditioned the folks there, so they had a pattern laid out for themselves. Furthermore, it was only the locals who knew that the station area was somewhat dodgy for a long time and the 22 bus stop was a better place to be. Close it down, redevelop the land around it and plonk a station at the original junction point with cctv, good access and cleansed of junkies, hippies and general scumbags, and we might have a case for developing a decent station in the area that people will need and feel safe using. Funnily enough, CIE have a feck load of land up there, but seem very slow to get going on it. RPA/T21 plans a luas to this point. Maybe they know something we don't.
Regardless, the railway site is a no mans land, controlled by burnt out cars, Bulmers/dutch gold on a bad day drinkers and flashers. In a country that proclaims to be so rich, its a shame that its way down the list.
Watch out for the shopping trolleys on the track and the flying rocks that sometimes find passing trains.
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