Park West & Cherry Orchard Station moves from 28th July

[Mark Gleeson]

New Park West & Cherry Orchard Station opens, Monday 28th July by Corporate Communications

Iarnród Éireann advises customers that from Monday 28th July, the new Park West & Cherry Orchard Station will be open for customers, replacing the existing Cherry Orchard Station which will be closed from that date.

All trains which currently serve Cherry Orchard Station will serve Park West & Cherry Orchard Station from Monday 28th July, with departure times unchanged.

Directions from Cherry Orchard Station to the new Park West & Cherry Orchard Station:

On exiting Cherry Orchard Station, turn left, and proceed up Friel Avenue. Turn right onto Park West Road, and proceed to the roundabout, taking a right turn. Park West & Cherry Orchard Station is straight ahead.

Park West & Cherry Orchard will be a staffed station which probably will have a significant impact on passenger numbers

[plant43]

Park West & Cherry Orchard will be a staffed station which probably will have a significant impact on passenger numbers

guess the official opening is today? Loads of baloons on the platform and lots of banners about the krp up around the station.

[Mark Gleeson]

This morning is opening day to keep the politicians happy.

Had none of this crap back in the day with the DART, stations simply opened with minimal fanfare and provided a service

Remember Irish Rail will be selling us a story about a need to increase fares due to challenging economic conditions in the coming months. How much of our cash has been wasted on these junkets? Another gig in Portlaoise last month, another due for Clondalkin, when they finally complete the DART refurbishment, another for the 6 coach intercity railcars just so they don't feel left out since the 3 coach ones got one.

[ACustomer]

Will they have a Minister opening each new Pay 'n Display and Park 'n Ride facility too? Methinks not.

[KeithYoung]

What happens the old station?

[Laois Commuter]

What happens the old station?

Demolished to make way for four tracking - as will Clondalkin in due course.

LC

[Colm Moore]

Interesting station - the platforms are more than 50% covered making it eminantly suitable for Irish weather.

Turnstiles (a la Connolly) not in operation yet. In three sets for each set of platforms so not ideal. Platforms are a little dark under the road bridge / station building.

Bus stop should be right outside, but isn't.

Trains still think the the station is at the old location, so watch out that you don't miss you stop as the announcement is too late.

Platform 1 & 2: trains
Platform 3 & 4: canal boats

[Oisin88]

Not wanting to burst the bubble, and hoping that this is not too infrastructural, how come the new suburban stations are so.... big. 4 platforms etc..

Would it not be cheaper to just have 1 island platform?

[Mark Gleeson]

Its a 4 track railway

Centre two tracks of four will be the suburban tracks

[Mark Hennessy]

Its a 4 track railway

Centre two tracks of four will be the suburban tracks

Why build the extra 2 other platforms then?

[Mark Gleeson]

Cherry Orchard only has 3 platforms from memory, a 4th can be added if required, Adamstown is the same

Currently the services use the southern pair of tracks, so need platforms 1 and 2. Post Kildare route project suburban services will use the centre tracks thus platforms 2 and 3, platform 1 being available if something breaks down or engineering works etc require suburban trains to use the outbound fast track

[Thomas J Stamp]

going through it seems to be a photocopy of phoenix park station

[chris]

going through it seems to be a photocopy of phoenix park station

Surely we should be encouraging them to build broadly identical stations. You can't expect each to be an expensively-designed individual work of art.

[bamurf]

Park West & Cherry Orchard will be a staffed station which probably will have a significant impact on passenger numbers

I live in Park West and took the train to work this morning, first time using the new station. It's a major improvement over the hole in the ground that previously passed as a station. I'd now consider the train a viable commuting option.

Interesting station - the platforms are more than 50% covered making it eminantly suitable for Irish weather.


The old station in bad weather was simply the worst place in the world to be. It was clever design to have the plaza area covering the platforms.


Bus stop should be right outside, but isn't.



There are bus stops right outside just on the cedarbrook side of the bridge, a pedestrian crossing wouldn't go amiss though. Until now, the 79A has never stopped there simply because nobody wanted to get on or off there.

[Peter FitzPatrick]

I live in Park West and took the train to work this morning, first time using the new station. It's a major improvement over the hole in the ground that previously passed as a station. I'd now consider the train a viable commuting option.


How long did it take to get in to Heuston bamurf ? Most media coverage of the opening were quoting 6 minutes, its not quite that quick is it ?

[Mark Hennessy]

I live in Park West and took the train to work this morning, first time using the new station. It's a major improvement over the hole in the ground that previously passed as a station. I'd now consider the train a viable commuting option.

And if the Interconnector is built is opens up a vast area of the city to viable rail commuting. Park West to Srephens Green in 15 mins :eek:

[Mark Gleeson]

How long did it take to get in to Heuston bamurf ? Most media coverage of the opening were quoting 6 minutes, its not quite that quick is it ?

Due to Iarnród Éireann's attempts to disguise delayed trains the journey time between Park West and Heuston is quoted as up to 14 minutes, Heuston to Park West curiously takes only 6 to 8 minutes.

They went off an built a lovely big station, a little bit OTT, but did they provide a enough turnstile gates? nope.

[Colm Moore]

There are bus stops right outside just on the cedarbrook side of the bridge, a pedestrian crossing wouldn't go amiss though. Until now, the 79A has never stopped there simply because nobody wanted to get on or off there.Having the stops a little bit down the slope means you can't see the bus coming. The bus stop is "near", not "outside".

Its only 6km to Heuston - 6 minutes is eminently practical. Of course its a bit of a hike to the front of the station though.

I think there are enough turnstiles, however as they are split into 3 groups (one each for the lateral platforms and a larger group for the island platform), they will be congested at peak times.

[Thomas J Stamp]

Surely we should be encouraging them to build broadly identical stations. You can't expect each to be an expensively-designed individual work of art.

I dont give a monkeys either way, it was just an observation

[bamurf]

Having the stops a little bit down the slope means you can't see the bus coming. The bus stop is "near", not "outside".


The station is at an angle to the road. The distance from the door of the station to the bus stop is little different to what it would be if the stop was right on the top of the bridge. I'm not sure how much more right outside it could get save driving the bus right up onto the plaza area.
As for being able to see the bus coming, see the bus coming from where? You'll never see the bus coming from inside the station because the station is set back from the road and there is an apartment building blocking your view, if anything having it where it is gives you more time between the point at which the bus first comes into view until it gets to the stop than if it stopped right on the top of the bridge.

[Colm Moore]

The bus stop(s) could be moved 30-50m south. As it is, their location encourages pedestrians to cross just after the crest of the bridge.

[Colm Moore]

More.

[Colm Moore]

Last photos.

[bamurf]

The bus stop(s) could be moved 30-50m south. As it is, their location encourages pedestrians to cross just after the crest of the bridge.

A pedestrian or zebra crossing (the lack of which I highlighted in my first post) closer to the top of the bridge could fulfill the same purpose without the need to reengineer existing bus stops which would require one or more of the following to be done...

1. the footpath on the eastern side of the road (opposite side from station) to be narrowed to virtually non existant to allow for a bus stop bay
2. the road alignment to be shifted westwards to allow sufficient room for a bus stop bay and footpath on the eastern side of the road
3. The bridge to be widened on the eastern side to allow room for a bus stop bay and footpath on the eastern side of the road
4. The bus to stop out on the road in the flow of traffic, without a bay to pull into but on top of the bridge. This would inevitably lead to other traffic attempting to overtake busses stopped at the bus stop with restricted view of oncoming traffic due to being below the crest of the hill and compounded by the presence of a bus at the stop.

Maybe you have a better suggestion to allow for a bus stop on the top of the bridge on the eastern side of the road?

[Mark]

Aerial Pic of Park West Station

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