Oranmore train station

antoobrien

the keen edge wrote: »

I may stand corrected for Oranmore station but I used occasionally get the train from Ardrahan and you have to pay for car parking at the stations.

In fairness that was to stop people using the car parks as a free alternative to paying for parking closer to work/shopping. You'd want to see the difference it made to stations like clontarf - where you couldn't get a spot before 8am - when it was introduced.

There were downsides though, the car park in killester is empty and the surrounding roads and estates (where it's legal to park) are crammed.

the keen edge wrote: »

To whoever in Irish Rail thought that one up, you're an idiot.

Making the car park users pay for their upkeep is a standard business practice - besides it would be paid for otherwise in fares or subvention.

yer man!

the keen edge wrote: »

I may stand corrected for Oranmore station but I used occasionally get the train from Ardrahan and you have to pay for car parking at the stations.


To whoever in Irish Rail thought that one up, you're an idiot.

Didn't they recently change that to free parking for all stations on the ennis - athenry section now? could be wrong but I remember hearing about it on the radio.

kippy

antoobrien wrote: »

In fairness that was to stop people using the car parks as a free alternative to paying for parking closer to work/shopping. You'd want to see the difference it made to stations like clontarf - where you couldn't get a spot before 8am - when it was introduced.

There were downsides though, the car park in killester is empty and the surrounding roads and estates (where it's legal to park) are crammed.



Making the car park users pay for their upkeep is a standard business practice - besides it would be paid for otherwise in fares or subvention.

What incentive has the end user got to use the train service from Oranmore?
Sorry, that shouldn't be seen as a general comment at you.

antoobrien

kippy wrote: »

What incentive has the end user got to use the train service from Oranmore?
Sorry, that shouldn't be seen as a general comment at you.

It depends on what stops there. To me the car parking is a bit of a red herring tbh, it's all about what services the station offers.

I don't think the commuting services will keep be enough as there's it's only useful if one works in the center of the city and the timetable suits. It's f**k all use to the factories in Parkmore & Ballybrit.

The only way I can see it being viable is if the intercity trains stop there, there are a lot in the Oranmore area that go to Athenry rather than Galway to get the train. There are also a fair few that (used to when I got it) get on the last train at Athenry and go to Galway for a night out.

Robbo

antoobrien wrote: »

The only way I can see it being viable is if the intercity trains stop there, there are a lot in the Oranmore area that go to Athenry rather than Galway to get the train. There are also a fair few that (used to when I got it) get on the last train at Athenry and go to Galway for a night out.

Should ensure that Fidelma isn't quite so pushed for time when using the ticket vending machines.

the keen edge

antoobrien wrote: »

In fairness that was to stop people using the car parks as a free alternative to paying for parking closer to work/shopping. You'd want to see the difference it made to stations like clontarf - where you couldn't get a spot before 8am - when it was introduced.

There were downsides though, the car park in killester is empty and the surrounding roads and estates (where it's legal to park) are crammed.



Making the car park users pay for their upkeep is a standard business practice - besides it would be paid for otherwise in fares or subvention.

Come on have you seen where the stations at Oranmore and Ardrahan are located?
Your point is valid where stations are located in urban areas but not where I'm posting about.

The situation in Ardrahan is especially baffling.
Ardrahan train station is located about 1 mile down a minor road from a small country village 15 miles outside the countrys third/ forth city.
There are about 50 carparking spaces there, and I have never seen more than a single car parked there.

At the start of the year I decided that I would buy a monthly ticket, it just about came in under, or matched, my own transport cost. I forget the exact price but it was over €100.
Anyway just before I was intending to buy the ticket I decided to check out the craic with the parking, and yes you must pay everyday so that just tipped the balance against use the train cost wise.

I was a pissed off at this so I decided to put a call in to IR customer services and what a waste of time that was.
The IR representative that I spoke with didn't seem to understand the whole ridiculousness of trying to promote a transport service that requires that you pay an additional charge to use a carpark in a desolate, windswept middle of nowhere location.

She actually told me it would be a waste of time to email them with a complaint and instead kept repeatedly offering me the number of NCCP the carpark management company to take it up with them! How absurd would that phone have been?
My monthly fare and the fares of many others who have been put off using the train service due to the car parking charges would have been a much more valuable revenue stream than whatever NCCP pay IR.

If you haven't been to these rural stations they'd be worth of visit to help understand my vexation.
The facts are that this charge is off putting for people considering using the service.
In addition NCCP cant be making a cent there.
Did NCCP have paid to get the commission there? They cant of paid that much. Regardless if they did they wont pay to much for the privilege when the contract is set for renewal next time round, so it wont be a big revenue generator for IR then.
This charge is ruining the attractiveness of what they should be selling: seats on the train; and not car parking spaces.

yer man! wrote: »

Didn't they recently change that to free parking for all stations on the ennis - athenry section now? could be wrong but I remember hearing about it on the radio.

There was throughout December '12 and maybe even prior to that and it should have been extending.

antoobrien

the keen edge wrote: »

Come on have you seen where the stations at Oranmore and Ardrahan are located?

It's a national policy, I didn't say it fits all locations.

kippy

antoobrien wrote: »

It depends on what stops there. To me the car parking is a bit of a red herring tbh, it's all about what services the station offers.

I don't think the commuting services will keep be enough as there's it's only useful if one works in the center of the city and the timetable suits. It's f**k all use to the factories in Parkmore & Ballybrit.

The only way I can see it being viable is if the intercity trains stop there, there are a lot in the Oranmore area that go to Athenry rather than Galway to get the train. There are also a fair few that (used to when I got it) get on the last train at Athenry and go to Galway for a night out.

One would wonder what the point of the station is?
In reality anyone coming in from Oranmore will have hopped in a car to get to the station, why not carry on a continue driving into town?

Intercity trains stopping 5 minutes from their first/last stop? I hope not. So much for direct services.


The whole thing is pointless and ill thought out in the format it has ended up in I would argue, like much of the transport "infrastructure" in this city.....unfortunately.....

KevR

Location could not be more wrong in my opinion. It should be across the road from the Oranmore Business Park (which would also be a lot closer to the M6 and N18 for P&R).

There aren't that many parking spaces either. There is only one platform and no passing loop. Serious lack of ambition. It's a real half-hearted attempt at building a commuter railway station.

When you consider, Athenry train station holds its own. Athenry and Oranmore have similar populations. Oranmore should be much more attractive than Athenry for commuter rail given the major commuter roads which pass through. East/West roads (i.e. - towards and away from the City), you have the R338, R446, M6 and R339 all within a short distance of Oranmore. That's 12 lanes (East/West). I believe the combined traffic count for these roads is in excess of 65,000 vehicles per day.

antoobrien made the point that many people are not going to the City Centre and are instead going to the Industrial Estates on the outskirts. That's fair enough but there are still plenty of people heading into town and, as I said, Athenry holds its own in terms of rail.

the keen edge

antoobrien wrote: »

It's a national policy, I didn't say it fits all locations.

Yeah, that's why I prefaced my speel at the very start with the comment Your point is valid where stations are located in urban areas but not where I'm posting about.

Anyway the whole car parking and the siting of the Oranmore station are silly.
Who makes these decisions for them? Are their project planners not allowed to come up with useful, workable, real world solutions due to some bizarre political reasons or something?

Without doubt many of the posters(yourself included anto) here and on the infrastructure forums would definitely seem to have a better understanding of the various issues associated with these projects.

antoobrien

the keen edge wrote: »

Yeah, that's why I prefaced my speel at the very start with the comment Your point is valid where stations are located in urban areas but not where I'm posting about.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not disagreeing with you, there are silly situations around the country because of it. The point I was trying to make is that the examples given explain why the charges were brought in.

Lapin

Padkir wrote: »

I would have though that too. I just hope they have the sense to have a proper sized car park there!

120 parking spaces according to the current issue of 'Go Rail'.

kippy wrote: »

One would wonder what the point of the station is?
In reality anyone coming in from Oranmore will have hopped in a car to get to the station, why not carry on a continue driving into town?

Intercity trains stopping 5 minutes from their first/last stop? I hope not. So much for direct services.


The whole thing is pointless and ill thought out in the format it has ended up in I would argue, like much of the transport "infrastructure" in this city.....unfortunately.....

I agree with much of this.

However the station won't just cater for commuters from Oranmore. It will also serve a wider hinterland drawing passengers from Clarinbridge, Carnmore and Claregalway.

While this is handy for commuters travelling into the city, it is utterly useless for those working in the industrial areas of Parkmore and Ballybrit.

As a stand alone entity the station is a waste of time. There needs to be a connecting bus service to the factories running in tandem with the train timetable for passengers on the Limerick line and those using the commuter services from Athlone.

If such a service is put in place, it would save a considerable amount of time for factory employees travelling to work from places like Gort and Ballinasloe and may attract more people to use the station. The current set up where people have to travel into Eyre Square and backtrack out to Boston Scientific, Medtronic etc is cumbersome and puts people off using the train.

Regarding inter city services. I also agree that it would be annoying for passengers having an extra stop within 5 minutes of leaving Galway.
However I would advocate an early morning Dublin bound service and evening return train stopping there to facilitate those in Oranmore and surrounding areas (including large parts of the east of the city) travelling to the capital.

This would also ease congestion in Ceannt Station, meaning less queues for people there.

Private Joker

Where would you put the station? If it was up at the oranmore business park where the railway crossing is at the moment, pedestrians would have to cross 4 lanes of traffic and the distance between it and the current location are relatively similar, and with a cycle lane linking it to town , it would make the current location more desirable.

It probably would have made more sense to have a park and ride instead of the rail link , this would have meant less constraint on its location and there is a bus lane the whole way into monenageesha .

yer man!

I live in Oranmore and I intend on using it as you're allowed bring a bicycle on board for free which would really be useful for me going into town. I emailed Irishrail about it a while back and they confirmed that they will be allowing bicycles on board for free from Oranmore.

kippy

yer man! wrote: »

I live in Oranmore and I intend on using it as you're allowed bring a bicycle on board for free which would really be useful for me going into town. I emailed Irishrail about it a while back and they confirmed that they will be allowing bicycles on board for free from Oranmore.

You'll be using it if the times suit - that has yet to be determined.

I wonder how many bikes will they "let on board"?

kippy

Private Joker wrote: »

Where would you put the station? If it was up at the oranmore business park where the railway crossing is at the moment, pedestrians would have to cross 4 lanes of traffic and the distance between it and the current location are relatively similar, and with a cycle lane linking it to town , it would make the current location more desirable.

It probably would have made more sense to have a park and ride instead of the rail link , this would have meant less constraint on its location and there is a bus lane the whole way into monenageesha .

Park and rides, in my opinion, are probably the best option of all if implemented correctly.
It's great to see that there is at least use being made of the airport now.

I would think however that it might be a good idea to make SOME of the park and ride buses do the rounds of the industrial estates, parkmore / ballybrit etc as well as head straight for town. Not sure if they do this or not but would probably get more cars off the roads.
I just feel more can be done with park and ride as an option, as opposed to the very static and immovable rail options.

Private Joker

kippy wrote: »

You'll be using it if the times suit - that has yet to be determined.

I wonder how many bikes will they "let on board"?

Judging by the reaction to it here, there'll be plenty of room

the original plan was to have a link from the dual carriageway to the new station. also the opening date for the station has been set for the 22nd of july.

kippy

Private Joker wrote: »

Judging by the reaction to it here, there'll be plenty of room

True.
The times will be another matter.

Lapin

yer man! wrote: »

I live in Oranmore and I intend on using it as you're allowed bring a bicycle on board for free which would really be useful for me going into town. I emailed Irishrail about it a while back and they confirmed that they will be allowing bicycles on board for free from Oranmore.

Did they tell you how many bikes they will carry when they got back to you?

The fact that they allow bikes on trains is welcome but if there is a first come first serve limit to the amount permitted on board it could defeat the purpose.

The service from Oranmore is an excellent opportunity to provide cycling and rail travel into town.

All inter city trains have spaces for at least 2 bikes but commuter trains (in the Dublin area) only accommodate bikes during off peak times. Perhaps this will be different on the quieter Oranmore service.

Irish Rail's own bicycle policy policy prohibits bikes from obstructing exits or passageways and I imagine this will be enforced between Oranmore and Galway for health and safety reasons even though there are no intermediate stops between both stations.

Hopefully, with some foresight Irish Rail will address their charter for the provision of bikes before the station opens so that everyone knows where they stand.

It would be farcical it people turned up with their bikes only to be told they can't bring them with them when Irish Rail emailed people to tell them they could.

kippy

Lapin wrote: »

Did they tell you how many bikes they will carry when they got back to you?

The fact that they allow bikes on trains is welcome but if there is a first come first serve limit to the amount permitted on board it could defeat the purpose.

The service from Oranmore is an excellent opportunity to provide cycling and rail travel into town.

All inter city trains have spaces for at least 2 bikes but commuter trains (in the Dublin area) only accommodate bikes during off peak times. Perhaps this will be different on the quieter Oranmore service.

Irish Rail's own bicycle policy policy prohibits bikes from obstructing exits or passageways and I imagine this will be enforced between Oranmore and Galway for health and safety reasons even though there are no intermediate stops between both stations.

Hopefully, with some foresight Irish Rail will address their charter for the provision of bikes before the station opens so that everyone knows where they stand.

It would be farcical it people turned up with their bikes only to be told they can't bring them with them when Irish Rail emailed people to tell them they could.

Thanks for that post, I knew the trains didnt generally carry a "lot" of bike for various reasons but I didn't know those reasons.

what_traffic

Presume bikes will be allowed on the commuter style carraiges (i.e) those on the WRC line; carragies are never even half full on these trains so will be handy for transporting bikes for other legs of one's journey.

Hopefully bike parking that will be provided at Oranmore station itself will be in a good location. Prominent and near the entrance ot the platform/station.

yer man!

what_traffic wrote: »

Presume bikes will be allowed on the commuter style carraiges (i.e) those on the WRC line; carragies are never even half full on these trains so will be handy for transporting bikes for other legs of one's journey.

Hopefully bike parking that will be provided at Oranmore station itself will be in a good location. Prominent and near the entrance ot the platform/station.

Ya it's a covered bike rack near to the steps to the platform. I do hope the galway bikes scheme starts reasonably soon, would make getting the train into the city that bit easier as you could just pick up a bike at the station.

what_traffic

yer man! wrote: »

Ya it's a covered bike rack near to the steps to the platform. I do hope the galway bikes scheme starts reasonably soon, would make getting the train into the city that bit easier as you could just pick up a bike at the station.

Excellent that's it's covered; does it also have side shelters? It will be an exposed railway station (similar to Ardrahan). No built or natural shelter around it. Ya hopefully galway bikes scheme will get the go ahead; that Dublin Scheme expansion got the go ahead recently leaves me more hopeful for the regional scheme's.

yer man!

what_traffic wrote: »

Excellent that's it's covered; does it also have side shelters? It will be an exposed railway station (similar to Ardrahan). No built or natural shelter around it. Ya hopefully galway bikes scheme will get the go ahead; that Dublin Scheme expansion got the go ahead recently leaves me more hopeful for the regional scheme's.

The bike shelter is going to be at the car park level so it will be sheltered from the elevated platform anyway. I don;t know anymore than that and plans are subject to change slightly.

Private Joker

The Station is opening on monday by Leo Varadkar. the times are up on Irish Rail website.
8.00, 8.26, and 9.16 in the morning with a 9min journey time.
The price at €5.10 single seems a bit steep.

I can see it being used by commuters looking for cheaper more convenient parking when heading to dublin , rather than local commuter traffic.

Mrs OBumble

Private Joker wrote: »

The price at €5.10 single seems a bit steep.

Where'd you find the fare? I looked yesterday, but couldn't see it.

otterj

its about €5 rtn on the bus ... irish rail ripping us off again

Storm 10

I cant see that being a success given its location, if it had been up near the level crossing yes but not where it is.

Private Joker

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Where'd you find the fare? I looked yesterday, but couldn't see it.

It was available as an online fare on certain days.

IS_a_Class

5.10 for a single?

It would seem like they are out of their minds. Such a decision is all part of the establishment's strategy of pretending to offer a viable public transport system while creating disincentives to ever stop driving your car. Bus routes that stop outside industrial estates rather than inside being another prime example of this..