Why Nobody Can Exit Manulla Junction

L1011 wrote: »

It's in the middle of nowhere. The junction between the Isle of Wight normal railway and the preserved one is the same, it's not unique

It may be in a remote spot but there was road access in the past but CIE wisely flogged off the land leaving the station landlocked.

With the sheer numbers of people disembarking the Westport train for the Ballina train, they can't safely open the station to the public. It would be far too hazardous to add even more people to the millions who use the Ballina branch.

end of the road wrote: »

why did they bother reopening it instead of just having the connection for the westport services continue to be at claremoris, given that trains i believe had to go there to run around anyway?
presumably it was to get in more round trips and connections with the westport services?

It is considerably quicker, the connections at Manulla are 2-3 minutes in the primary direction, when Claremorris was used the Ballina train had to be further ahead southbound and wait longer northbound for the signal sections to be cleared.

It also allows reasonable journey times for Westport-Ballina journeys as well as providing step-free connections.

Utter Consternation wrote: »

With the sheer numbers of people disembarking the Westport train for the Ballina train, they can't safely open the station to the public. It would be far too hazardous to add even more people to the millions who use the Ballina branch.

This is a joke right?

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

This is a joke right?

What do you think?

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

Considering what some pro railway people think/say I have learned not to assume!

Ha ha. Fair enough. I was being extremely tongue in cheek.

I've heard rumours that even though Manulla is only a transfer point members of the public do use it as a starting/finishing point for their journeys.

Some years ago I intended to go from Dublin first to Ballina, then to Westport on the following train.
Standing on the Manulla platform just behind the branch train, I took a photo of the ICR departing towards Westport. It would not have delayed the Ballina passengers to have waited ten seconds, but the crew departed, even though with no public exit, it was obvious that I intended to use the train.

I had no choice but to exit the junction, walking illegally on the track beneath the bridge, then up some steps to the road.

For once the great metropolis of Manulla had a visitor for a couple of hours, but it had no Grand Hotel, not even a shebeen or sweet shop.

When I was in the location a few weeks ago, the unofficial exit onto the road was impassable due to vegetation and I think the gate locked. There is a permanent way base beside the railway, but it has high gates and fences. Today anyone in this predicament would have to walk along the Ballina branch to the level crossing across the N60 road.

Considering the compo culture which prevails, I should have stayed on the platform and sued Irish Rail for emotional trauma as well as my foregone time in Ballina. The conduct of the branch train crew was not merely negligent but reckless.

tabbey wrote: »

Some years ago I intended to go from Dublin first to Ballina, then to Westport on the following train.
Standing on the Manulla platform just behind the branch train, I took a photo of the ICR departing towards Westport. It would not have delayed the Ballina passengers to have waited ten seconds, but the crew departed, even though with no public exit, it was obvious that I intended to use the train.

I had no choice but to exit the junction, walking illegally on the track beneath the bridge, then up some steps to the road.

For once the great metropolis of Manulla had a visitor for a couple of hours, but it had no Grand Hotel, not even a shebeen or sweet shop.

When I was in the location a few weeks ago, the unofficial exit onto the road was impassable due to vegetation and I think the gate locked. There is a permanent way base beside the railway, but it has high gates and fences. Today anyone in this predicament would have to walk along the Ballina branch to the level crossing across the N60 road.

Considering the compo culture which prevails, I should have stayed on the platform and sued Irish Rail for emotional trauma as well as my foregone time in Ballina. The conduct of the branch train crew was not merely negligent but reckless.

I have heard some rubbish from trainspotters over the years but that is just next level entitlement.

You seriously expected the traincrew to just wait while you farted about on the platform taking pictures and scribbling numbers?

Had you asked them if you had the time to take a photo of the Westport departing you would either have been given a bit of leeway to take your shot and board the Ballina or been told it wasn't possible and you needed to get on the train without delay but you just expected them to know what you were at and stand by delaying their service while you indulged in your hobby? FFS.

As for the compo, negligence, reckless drivel, it it any wonder some staff have a negative attitude to enthusiasts.

tabbey wrote: »

Some years ago I intended to go from Dublin first to Ballina, then to Westport on the following train.
Standing on the Manulla platform just behind the branch train, I took a photo of the ICR departing towards Westport. It would not have delayed the Ballina passengers to have waited ten seconds, but the crew departed, even though with no public exit, it was obvious that I intended to use the train.

I had no choice but to exit the junction, walking illegally on the track beneath the bridge, then up some steps to the road.

For once the great metropolis of Manulla had a visitor for a couple of hours, but it had no Grand Hotel, not even a shebeen or sweet shop.

When I was in the location a few weeks ago, the unofficial exit onto the road was impassable due to vegetation and I think the gate locked. There is a permanent way base beside the railway, but it has high gates and fences. Today anyone in this predicament would have to walk along the Ballina branch to the level crossing across the N60 road.

Considering the compo culture which prevails, I should have stayed on the platform and sued Irish Rail for emotional trauma as well as my foregone time in Ballina. The conduct of the branch train crew was not merely negligent but reckless.

I'm sorry but the service is not operated to cater for photographers. Let that be a lesson for you.
It isn't the 1950s where the train crew might make a pot of tea or decamp to the nearest pub while you take photos or pick flowers.

Are many people using this line Ballina-Foxford-Manulla and back on a daily basis?

Sorry for digging up an old thread, but would it be possible for me to exit and enter MJ station to gain access to the local area?

So much for sustainability…..

The station is in the middle of nowhere.

In the greater scheme of things on the railway, there are far more important things that need to happen than providing public access to Manulla Junction, which would have to be in compliance with the latest accessiblilty requirements with the added costs that involves.

Bus Éireann and GoBus each provide six and five return services on their commercial routes 52 and 430 respectively between Claremorris, Balla and Castlebar each day in each direction en route between Ballina and Galway, and there are two Bus Éireann PSO route 440 services in each direction each day that also stop at Manulla Crossroads en route between Westport, Castlebar, Claremorris and Knock Airport.

That's probably more than enough sustainability!

The same as if an accident happened anywhere else on the 168 mile line between Heuston and Westport evacuate to wherever possible. Manulla is a quick hop across between the two trains and usually takes no more than two minutes in the down direction and as soon as the up arrives it is away.

In any emergency, plenty of open space to evacuate away from the station. Having a stairwell or lift to a road wouldn’t make it anymore safe in the case of a fire on a train (probably the worst incident possible there).

There is access to the trackbed from the road; looking at satellite imagery; that would be used in an emergency.

That's a bit of a misrepresentation.

In both directions, out of five possible connections, three are five minutes or less, one is over 30 minutes, and only one is an hour, but for both of the last two, the Ballina train remains at Manulla Junction so passengers can remain on the train.

They would be waiting on the inbound train, cause it stays there, as explained in the post above yours.#

Having an exit from the station to the absolute nothingness there is around would not make a wait there any better. That's the purpose of the thread.

OK, first point to make is that the connections at Manulla Junction are primarily to/from Dublin and that always takes precedence.

Second point is that both the lines from Westport and Ballina to Manulla Junction are single track so no trains can pass another one in the opposite direction at any point between Westport or Ballina and Manulla Junction, so that limits what can be done from a timetabling perspective.

In the example you quote above, the train leaves Ballina at 07:05 and arrives at Manulla Junction at 07:32 to connect into the train to Dublin, which is the 07:15 from Westport. It then stays at Manulla Junction until 08:40 when it returns to Ballina, taking a connection out of the train from Athlone to Westport.

It cannot go back to and from Ballina during that period as there is a freight train leaving Ballina at 08:05 for North Wall. Otherwise there would be no connection for Ballina out of the 07:08 train from Athlone.

At 08:31 the train from Athlone arrives at Manulla Junction, and departs at 08:32. At 08:37 the freight train from Ballina will pass through the station towards Dublin. Then at 08:40 the train to Ballina can finally leave.

So, in the second example that you quote any passengers going from Westport or Castlebar can sit on the Ballina train for the time that they are waiting at Manulla Junction. They are not left on the platform. No it's not ideal, but unfortunately, it's just not possible to suit everyone given the infrastructure constraints.

Looks like road access has only been blocked artificially via a gate