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Carlow Train Station

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  • 05-11-2009 8:21pm
    #1
    shaymousse
    Closed Accounts Posts: 53 ✭✭


    Hi,

    Just wondering does anyone know what is going on at Carlow train station? Fair enough new car park is nearly finished but what about total lack of service! No ticket machine and no way to pay for a ticket only by using cash! I asked the guy behind the counter recently what was the story with the ticket machine been taken away, he tells me Dublin took it out cause it was robbed too many times! So I decided to email Irish rail and ask them......am still awaiting a reply 2 weeks later!

    New bike rack at the station...great! Not really as its outside the station with no camera on it. So now all the young lads from the CBS can sit on my bike and smoke their fags at lunchtime!

    Sorry about the giving out but if Irish rail want to improve things they could at least ask the people who us ethe service!

    Anyway any ideas?


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    #2
    HugoIrl
    Registered Users Posts: 585 ✭✭✭HugoIrl


    Saw the machine was gone last time i was there. New car park seems quite small as well, but i'm guessing they are working with limited space there.


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    #3
    road_high
    Registered Users Posts: 19,413 ✭✭✭✭road_high


    Train station in Carlow is a kip. It's basically just a stopping point with practically no facilities anyhow. Think the rest of the M9 opening may have a big bearing on the rail. It's just too slow and unreliable.


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    #4
    Super-Rush
    Registered Users Posts: 19,473 ✭✭✭✭Super-Rush


    I used to travel by train on a regular basis and i always thought that Carlow was by far the worst. With the crap lighting and rubbish facilities it was a cold and depressing place. For the size of the town and the amount of people who us it i always thought it was very small and don't got me started on the parking.


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    #5
    foggy_lad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    the trains in ireland are just too unreliable and getting the bus to or from waterford is often faster than the train.


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    #6
    road_high
    Registered Users Posts: 19,413 ✭✭✭✭road_high


    foggy_lad wrote: »
    the trains in ireland are just too unreliable and getting the bus to or from waterford is often faster than the train.

    ....and that's before the M9 opens. I can see serious problems for this railway when it fully opens. I mean the travel times will be blown out of the water.
    If it's already often quicker by car or bus, can imagine what it will be like with all motorway!


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    #7
    Morf
    Registered Users Posts: 3,822 ✭✭✭Morf


    foggy_lad wrote: »
    the trains in ireland are just too unreliable and getting the bus to or from waterford is often faster than the train.

    I couldn't agree with that. You can argue all you like about stations and infrastructure but trains are pretty reliable now that the new rolling stock has arrived in my experience.


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    #8
    foggy_lad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    Morf wrote: »
    I couldn't agree with that. You can argue all you like about stations and infrastructure but trains are pretty reliable now that the new rolling stock has arrived in my experience.
    the trains may not break down anywhere as often but signal faults and the amount of single line track means on any journey you will be subjected to delays! the best for time is probably the cork train but that is because everything else has to hold back to let these trains through as i have experienced many times when the carlow train has been delayed in kildare or newbridge only to see the cork train thundering through. also the waterford train is held up for long delays due to the stretches of single line track outside waterford and mhuine beag.

    to or from warterford the bus is often faster and to dublin when you take that the bus drops you into the city centre it is often faster or easier to get the bus over the train.

    also the toilets in heuston station are a health hazard and when compared to the toilets in connolly there must be nobody cleaning them?

    overall getting the bus from carlow is a much more pleasant experience except for the shelter at the bus park.

    i am not going to get into the new ticket/barrier system that causes more delays when exiting the station or customers being fined because they do not have a ticket in heuston even though they have got on the train at an unmanned station and there was nobody on the train to sell them a ticket! so much for progress it seems more to do with generating revenue any way irish rail can!


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    #9
    shaymousse
    Closed Accounts Posts: 53 ✭✭shaymousse


    Got my reply from irish rail:



    11th November, 2009


    Dear ,


    Thank you for your email of 3rd November regarding the ticket vending machine in Carlow station.

    Unfortunately the ticket vending machine was seriously damaged during an attempted robbery recently. It has now been taken away and sent to the manufacturer for repair and I am not able to give you an exact date of when it will be re-installed.

    The Station Master, Kilkenny, Mr. Delaney, who is in overall charge of Carlow station, is currently assessing the Booking office requirement in Carlow with a view to setting up credit card facilities for customers.

    Thank you for your comments regarding this issue.


    Yours sincerely,

    Paul Slowey,

    Customer Relations Manager,
    (Northern/Eastern), Connolly


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    #10
    muggyog
    Registered Users Posts: 725 ✭✭✭muggyog


    However they do have a temporary handicap parking area. VERY forward thinking :D


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    #11
    foggy_lad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    muggyog wrote: »
    However they do have a temporary handicap parking area. VERY forward thinking :D
    there is no easy access for disabled/wheelchair users to either the new improved toilets or the ticket office, people in a wheelchair have to negotiate a rather high step into the hallway/ticket office then a very tight turn into the new waiting room as the other door near the station entrance which has no step is padlocked


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    #12
    slimjimmc
    Registered Users Posts: 7,787 ✭✭✭slimjimmc


    foggy_lad wrote: »
    there is no easy access for disabled/wheelchair users to either the new improved toilets or the ticket office, people in a wheelchair have to negotiate a rather high step into the hallway/ticket office then a very tight turn into the new waiting room as the other door near the station entrance which has no step is padlocked

    And be wheeled across the track to get to the other platform, no way of getting there unassisted.


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