Pay Parking to be Introduced.
 

Emmett Stagg, TD, was on KFM today. He claims that pay parking is set to be introduced at all stations soon, with the rate at either €3 p/ day or €3 p/ hour. Although I walk to the station, I can't imagine too many people are impressed with this revelation. Keep your eyes peeled everybody. Looked for the clip on KFM but it seems they don't have any sort of archive.

Any further info?

Well IE are quite firm on if you want a patrolled car park you will pay for it

Its fine if monthly and annual ticket holders park for free, that makes sense but either way paying to park at a train station is not on, afterall you are taking a car off the road for which you should be rewarded

True. A friend of mineand I were discussing rail transport today on the way home from college today. It seems to us that regularly using rail transport is bound to encourage some people to just drive to Dublin. Investment in the road network puts the investment in the rail network to shame. With little comfort, poor punctuality, increasing costs, generally unfriendly staff, poor waiting facilities and now pay parking, Irish rail transport is fast running out of redeeming features for commuters. Hopefully whatever party of eejits win the coming election will shake things into order.

Indefence of IE on the pay parking issue, I guess it is fair to say that ensuring safety of parked cars will cost them money. It would be unfair to pile the cost of parking security onto the ticket price of those that don't drive to the station. However, they aren't investing much money in parking - just look at the new "spaces" at Newbridge: a flattened pile of rocks.

A "joined up" solution would be to charge a nominal sum to monthly/annual ticket holders, say EUR2/day which would be pitched at the fare for a connecting bus service so people could choose their method of getting to the station.

Fat chance, etc...

Emmet Stags announcement is a result of a meeting between Jack Wall (Labour) and Barry Kenny. The issue of pay parking has been known since March of this year. Platform 11 will make a statement on the matter in due course.

Saw a car with it's window broken into leaving the station today... I guess security is needed...

Correct me if I'm wrong but certain stations already have pay parking, no ?

Heuston springs to mind. Nobody is complaining about it there [ or I haven't seen it on this board ]

Car park spaces for Newbridge
 

There are reports in the Kildare media this week, that 340 new car park spaces are to be provided at Newbridge station. It would appear that the spaces came about after a deal between the OPW (who are constructing a decentralisation building in the vicinity) a local developer, a local soccer club and Irish Rail. A new pedestrian bridge costing 1.2m is also included.

I know of people that use Heuston as a park and ride for the Luas to town. It's probably the cheapest parking you'll get between the canals.....