Bus links to Railway Stations

[Traincustomer]

As already referred to in The Passenger this is an area in need of development.
Many Irish Rail stations are served by buses (both CIÉ/private) but this info needs to be made accessible. Yet other towns need to develop bus links that link towns, suburbs and outlying areas with railway stations. I fully understand that not everyone will be able to use a bus to travel to the station (location/need to drop off children etc... etc...). However there is scope for a significant shift. Allow me to quote two examples. Drogheda (McBride) station has regular suburban and Enterprise trains but no bus link. West St. (centre of town) is ten to fifteen minutes walk. Dundalk (Clarke) station is passed by buses several times a day but there is no bus stop outside the station on the road. In some cases it's just about creating awareness of existing routes, perhaps amending them slightly. In others it's about developing new routes.
In Co. Cork, for example Cóbh Town Service (Barry's Coaches) stops at the station whereas at Kent Station Bus Éireann City Service 5 serves the station.
Debate in this forum has rightly and validly referred to car parking issues but if proper bus-rail links were the rule (rather than the exception) everyone would benefit; less congestion. stress and better for the environment.

[sean]

AFAIK this is Rail Users Ireland policy - continuously expanding station car parks is unviable, and there is a need to have integrated feeder buses. But I understand their main concern here is with commuter services.

[Mark Gleeson]

The AGM presented the policy position on this. Feeder bus services to stations or town bus services serving the station.

Car parking isn't sustainable, never enough spaces, clogs local roads etc. A decent alternative must be provided

We did try to get a condition attached to the permission on the Clonsilla - Pace line to require feeder bus services but Irish Rail have no responsibility in the matter. However bus stops and generally space for 3 buses are provided for at most new stations

For the record Balbriggan has a Bus Eireann run service which loops around the town which does stop at the station.

The problem here is four fold

1. The bus licensing situation is a farce
2. The Gardai decide where the bus stops go
3. No integrated ticketing
4. Bus Eireann and Dublin Bus are under orders to compete with Irish Rail

[Colm Moore]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

We did try to get a condition attached to the permission on the Clonsilla - Pace line to require feeder bus services but Irish Rail have no responsibility in the matter. However bus stops and generally space for 3 buses are provided for at most new stations

Wasn't CIÉ the applicant?

2. The Gardai decide where the bus stops go

This is only insofar as they won't allow stops to be sited dangerously or so as to cause congestion.

[Traincustomer]

I agree with you Sean that the focus seems to be on bus/rail integration for commuter services. Understandable to focus on where the main demand is but I wish this was developed on a nationwide basis. Nuemerous railway stations are within a stone's throw of a bus route but information isn't available and one has to figure it out themselves. Last Summer we were on a few days break in the (Sunny) South East and after an enjoyable visit to Johnstown Castle took Wexford Bus to Bridgetown to connect with the evening train back to Rosslare. (The bus stopped near the station approach lane and the driver helpfully directed us). If I didn't know all local rail and bus times and have my own map I doubt I would ever have realised this possibility.
Ideally too as Mark said integrated ticketing is required e.g. so a passenger can travel from say Connolly to Balbriggan and thence onwards on the Balbriggan Town Service to say Hamlet Lane by paying an add-on fare.
It is disappointing Drogheda has no bus link as for years many buses called at the station (e.g. Drogheda to Navan buses as the bus service was introduced as a rail replacement route when the passenger trains were withdrawn in April 1958).
Carlow Station used to be served by a town service (JJ Kavanagh) and the stop pole is still there but the route was discontinued a few years ago.

[Mark Hennessy]

To put the disjointed rail / bus integration shambles into perspective, an application was made to run a private service ferrying people to Maynooth from other nearby towns but was rejected because a private operator has the "license" for serving one of those outlying towns. This private operator does not run any services to Maynooth.

In any normal country, Bus Eireann services would be integrated with main line rail services, so a hinterland around say Limerick Junction could feed passengers from trains into non rail served routes. Similarly where Bus Eireann runs town services, these would serve the train station in that town frequently with integrated ticketing.

My understanding is that places like Drogheda and Waterford have no local public bus based transport to / from the station.