OMG - Kent Station is going to be s***e!

Blitzkrieger · 13-05-2008 12:48pm #1

I know I'm coming to this late but I only found it cos I was googling Kent Station today. I was wondering if they had lockers to store my motorbike gear but for the sake of EUR5 for parking for the day, I'm just going to bring the car.

Info here and here. Apart from the fact that it looks like it belongs to the Cuba of the 1970s, does Cork need more fupping shops and apartments? We're spoilt for choice of cramped and/or badly built glorified Ballymun's already.

They're also moving a hell of a lot of roadway and the new main road into Cork city centre looks like it'll have a zebra crossing on it! What'll that be like in rush hour with loads of motorists late for work while a stream of lemmings cross from the waterfront appartments? Traffic backs up there badly enough already.

TBH I don't see much point in developing Kent Station until you have an infrastructure in place to take passengers onwards from there......

Femelade · 13-05-2008 1:15pm

i think it looks luvely!!

RoundyMooney · 13-05-2008 1:22pm

If they incorporate the old building sympathetically into it, that would be something.

Either way, that part of Cork is going to change radically in the next few years...

shnaek · 13-05-2008 1:28pm

It's rank.
Which means they'll probably build it.
Look at the Elysian.

Judes · 13-05-2008 2:15pm

That part of the city is damp and crumbling - I drive along there everyday - I can't wait to see it cleaned up and built up. But I assume the old station will be preserved in some way, it must be a listed building? And built around?

shnaek · 13-05-2008 4:08pm

Whatever they put there is going to stand for a hundred years or more. It is in a great location. So they should look to Valencia for example, rather than looking at standard autocad crap for inspiration. We have a real problem with good architecture in Ireland. Cork city has everything going for it (great river, hills etc) and look at the crap we allow developers to build.

BanzaiBk · 13-05-2008 5:17pm

shnaek wrote: »

It's rank.
Which means they'll probably build it.
Look at the Elysian.

lolo:D
Totally agree.

deRanged · 13-05-2008 5:20pm

I imagine they'll keep the facade. I hope that's all they keep - the place is a lot better since the recent improvements but needs a lot more work. A pedestrian exit down by penrose quay would be nice too.

shnaek · 13-05-2008 5:43pm

I agree. Keep the old facade. Then for the river, perhaps this:

http://www.spanish-fiestas.com/valencia/images/valencia%20science%20museum2.jpg

or something like this:

http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1813036-Valencia_City-Valencia.jpg

or this:

http://www.eikongraphia.com/wordpress/wp-content/82673az_foster_astana.jpg

who_ru · 13-05-2008 6:21pm

shnaek wrote: »

We have a real problem with good architecture in Ireland.

don't you mean we have no architecture in ireland?

i had to agree with Charlie McCreavy ( one time only) when he said before the 2002 election, that the brits were not all that bad "at least they left us a few nice buildings"..........too true.

Blitzkrieger · 13-05-2008 6:43pm

shnaek wrote: »

look at the crap we allow developers to build.

...but sure why bother with showy architecture when you can spend the money on building more shops and apartments instead?

The buildings that win architecture awards in this country are a joke too. I can't believe the IT building in CIT won one. Worst. Building. Ever.

parsi · 13-05-2008 8:19pm

Kent will have shops and apartments because that's the current method of funding such developments.

Flagship stations are no more really...look at Berlin Hbf - it's a shopping centre with trains and 2 massive office blocks. It's also a tad isolated...

Judes · 14-05-2008 10:10am

And when it comes to shops - think of a lot of the bigger stations in London - mind you they have huge pedestrian traffic from tube/over-ground trains - still, if we had a better service, more people using it - as we will when the Midleton line is running and a bigger population in Cobh, then there will be more pedestrian traffic there also - and it's really handy being able to grab a few things from the shops on your way home. So I hope there are shops etc. in the new development/concourse.

craichoe · 15-05-2008 8:26am

This is what it looks like inside my local trainstation:

Looks like a brick outside.

highgiant1985 · 16-05-2008 12:27pm

do they even have an ATM machine out there yet? When I was in cork there was none and was really annoying, that said was few yrs ago.

deRanged · 16-05-2008 12:59pm

Kent station is now the proud possessor of a single ATM.

It also now has a very nice looking new coffee station.
(with a table. and two chairs.)

ninibutts · 16-05-2008 3:30pm

deRanged wrote: »

Kent station is now the proud possessor of a single ATM.

It also now has a very nice looking new coffee station.
(with a table. and two chairs.)

LOL....
Cork is supposed to be this wonderful city and look at the s**te we call a trainstation...its about bloody time the fixed up the ugly eyesore!!

highgiant1985 · 16-05-2008 3:33pm

deRanged wrote: »

Kent station is now the proud possessor of a single ATM.

It also now has a very nice looking new coffee station.
(with a table. and two chairs.)

does the atm work! or is it one of those ones which always seem to be broke :P

parsi · 17-05-2008 8:29pm

deRanged wrote: »

Kent station is now the proud possessor of a single ATM.

It also now has a very nice looking new coffee station.
(with a table. and two chairs.)

The last time I passed through most of the coffee was spilt on the floor. As were the cups and the sandwich wrappers and the sweet wrappers.

The ATM was working though...

~Rebel~ · 18-05-2008 2:44pm

The whole rail system is just hilarious anyway, i've little doubt this will turn out much the same.

"Welcome passengers, you can go to Dublin, or... erm...Dublin...I hear Dublins great this time of year!"

"Id like to go to Galway"

"No problem Sir... but you'll have to go through Dublin.."

chuci · 18-05-2008 4:21pm

that whole part of cork is out dated needs revamping pronto. as for architecture in this country its awful. why would you pay 65e to go cork to dublin rather than 10e for the air coach.the whole rail service needs to be revamped. the atm was working last time i was there.

Blitzkrieger · 18-05-2008 5:36pm

'cos the aircoach takes fupping ages and doesn't have a bathroom? The train's more comfortable and quicker.

I would just drive but I'd probably be caught for speeding and I'd probably spend 65 on petrol anywya....

craichoe · 19-05-2008 10:54am

~Rebel~ wrote: »

The whole rail system is just hilarious anyway, i've little doubt this will turn out much the same.

"Welcome passengers, you can go to Dublin, or... erm...Dublin...I hear Dublins great this time of year!"

"Id like to go to Galway"

"No problem Sir... but you'll have to go through Dublin.."

Yeh, any company with a slogan like "Were not there yet, but were getting there " for the past 10 years is saying something.

Would love to know why a single is the same price as a return as well

shnaek · 19-05-2008 11:51am

I heard there on the radio this morning that twenty years ago the fastest Dublin-Cork train was 2hrs 20 minutes, and today it is 2hrs 45 minutes!
That's progress Irish style!

chuci · 19-05-2008 6:40pm

shnaek wrote: »

I heard there on the radio this morning that twenty years ago the fastest Dublin-Cork train was 2hrs 20 minutes, and today it is 2hrs 45 minutes!
That's progress Irish style!

ha really thats true irish style definitely.

simu · 19-05-2008 11:45pm

shnaek wrote: »

I heard there on the radio this morning that twenty years ago the fastest Dublin-Cork train was 2hrs 20 minutes, and today it is 2hrs 45 minutes!
That's progress Irish style!

That seems implausible - what is your source?

lostinsuperfunk · 20-05-2008 12:24am

It's true alright. I remember in the late 1990s there used to be a nonstop train on Sundays from Dublin to Cork that took 2h20m. Mind you, I think there was only one of those per week though, the rest all took around the same time they do now.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/irishexaminer/pages/story.aspx-qqqg=ireland-qqqm=ireland-qqqa=ireland-qqqid=63096-qqqx=1.asp

parsi · 20-05-2008 8:33pm

simu wrote: »

That seems implausible - what is your source?

It is more or less true.

The reason is straightforward - there is a higher density of trains heading for the chokepoint that is Dublin so a portion of slack is built in. Hence the Dub train often arrives early (like Ryanair) because the expected delays didn't happen.

Carrigman · 21-05-2008 9:06pm

I like the plans for Kent Station and the general area.

The station itself got a bit of a face-lift last year which improved the look of the place a little.

(It wasn't without its cock-ups - see http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnfinn/575563585/. The signs were put right shortly after the Irish Examiner published my photos).

Prior to that the place looked like a railway station in Omsk circa 1935. All it needed was a statue of Stalin to complete the run-down, bleak Soviet look.

Regards,

John

deRanged · 21-05-2008 9:12pm

they need to do a lot more work though.
the roof still leaks, so when it's raining you stand in a puddle of water to use the automatic ticket machines.

oh - and an update. the coffee place now has 2 tables, the new one with 4 chairs! I can see now why they shut down the bar.

Victor · 22-05-2008 9:18pm

~Rebel~ wrote: »

The whole rail system is just hilarious anyway, i've little doubt this will turn out much the same.
"Welcome passengers, you can go to Dublin, or... erm...Dublin...I hear Dublins great this time of year!"
"Id like to go to Galway"
"No problem Sir... but you'll have to go through Dublin.."

Actually, you should change at Kildare or Portarlington. That said, look at the hub system used by airlines - you can get cheaper fares and greater choice by going via a hub than going direct.

chuci wrote: »

why would you pay 65e to go cork to dublin rather than 10e for the air coach.

65 = return, 10 = one-way with no toilet.

OMG - Kent Station is going to be s***e!

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