Broombridge Question

[Thomas J Stamp]

You can bet your bottom dollor that entire area will get built upon sometime, a la pelletstown. Dont know who owns it, but imagaine sitting on it whilst the price simply shoots up.

If you want to look at what can be done with it take a look at Howth Junction. That was a similarly scary place as well. Remember the old ticket booth? The reason why the ticket sellers were so far inside was because someone sprayed them with lighter fluid once and threw in a match to get them outso it could be robbed. Hopefully now the new station will eliminate all of that history. Same could be done in Cabra but I guess only when all that wasteland is built upon.

[Gobdaw]

The "field" between the railway and the industrial units originally were for cattle, in connection with the old cattle market between Prussia and Aughrim Streets, now built on as Drunalee road, etc. Cattle would be held there in connection with train transfers at the then named station of Liffey Junction.

So it is likely that it is owned by CIE. Certainly it is prime land for redevelopement. I'd love a piece of that!

[jjbrien]

Im am always amazed at the vandels at Broombridge. I rember in 2003 Irish rail putdown a nice brick platform and the local yobs managedto take the bricks out one at a time and place them on the track. Now IE have used tarmac on the platform. The valdels themselfs also burn out that warehouse next to the station back in 2002.

[PaulM]

Originally Posted by jjbrien

The valdels themselfs also burn out that warehouse next to the station back in 2002.

I remember that. Broombridge really is a marvel of modern vandalism.

[Kevin K Kelehan]

Without high end graffiti

[Mark Gleeson]

The one thing which makes Broombridge different is the fact the vandals appear to be very skilled and well equipped with tools, these aren't your average bored teenager these vandals come with blot cutters and other tools its almost impossible to win. You wish they would go off an do a fas course or something where they could get employment as they clearly got skills.

[sean]

Maybe put up a juicy target like a TVM or something and then have army commandos waiting, hiding, and when the skanger crew shows up with petrol bombs/whatever, let the commandos lose to "bang heads together" literally.

[jjbrien]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

The one thing which makes Broombridge different is the fact the vandals appear to be very skilled and well equipped with tools, these aren't your average bored teenager these vandals come with blot cutters and other tools its almost impossible to win. You wish they would go off an do a fas course or something where they could get employment as they clearly got skills.

Thats funny as there is a fas training center next to the burnt out warehouse. Maybe thats where they learnt thier trade.

[Thomas J Stamp]

eugene, whats the story with Boombridge these days? Do many people use it, does the 122 bus go near the station?

[eugene]

Only been getting off at Broombridge a few times over the last week, about 10 people get off with me.

Waiting for the new station between Broombridge and Ashtown to be buillt someday, closer to where I live

Dont know about the 122 but have taken the 120 out of Royal Canal Park sometimes

[Thomas J Stamp]

Maybe its the 120 im thinking off, which is the old 12, and thre 122 is the old 22 and 22A. They were remaned when Bob montgonerie revamped BAC back in the early 90's. New buses, new routes and the idea that you should use mini buses to places like cabra and save the double deckers further out.

Of course he was never going to last.

[Derek Wheeler]

Monty is sadly missed and yes, it was obvious he wouldn't last. The words visionary and CIE don't mix well.

As for "the broomer", it was an ill-conceived idea from day one. A new station was put in an area that was built in the late 30s/early 40s and was only accessible to a fraction of the area. It already had donkeys years of CIE bus methodology, that conditioned the folks there, so they had a pattern laid out for themselves. Furthermore, it was only the locals who knew that the station area was somewhat dodgy for a long time and the 22 bus stop was a better place to be. Close it down, redevelop the land around it and plonk a station at the original junction point with cctv, good access and cleansed of junkies, hippies and general scumbags, and we might have a case for developing a decent station in the area that people will need and feel safe using. Funnily enough, CIE have a feck load of land up there, but seem very slow to get going on it. RPA/T21 plans a luas to this point. Maybe they know something we don't.

Regardless, the railway site is a no mans land, controlled by burnt out cars, Bulmers/dutch gold on a bad day drinkers and flashers. In a country that proclaims to be so rich, its a shame that its way down the list.

Watch out for the shopping trolleys on the track and the flying rocks that sometimes find passing trains.

[eugene]

Just wondering if there's any movement on the construction of Pelletstown/Royal Canal Park station as yet? Seems to be going on for 3 years now

[shanahap]

I have some general questions and observations about Broombridge.

I would hope the luas line goes ahead to Liffey Jct and assume Broombridge would be moved down a bit towards batchelors factory instead of where it is now. Hopefully it won't be closed if Royal Canal Park/Ashington station ever gets built. I believe there are no current plans for another station at Harts Corner/Brian Boru Pub in Glasnevin Phibsboro, I have sent an observation about this to the people who are preparing the Phibsboro Local Area Plan in Dublin City Council.

Will the level crossing ever be replaced by a bridge at Ratoath Road? The traffic around there is shocking in the mornings with queues of cars back as far as Cappagh Hospital sometimes. There is land by the Ratoath Estate and on the other side the Ormond Printing company is looking a bit derelict these days. I assume the reilly's bridge is listed and won't be demolished.

I am living in Cabra for a while now and it is a 20 min walk to Broombridge so I dont use it too often as it is only 35 mins into town on foot or 5-10mins on the bike.
My girlfriend uses the station once or twice a week to travel to Leixlip instead of driving and some days the place is in an awful state. Water gathers on the westbound platform that is a few inches deep. The options are

1) wading and having wet feet all day in work.
2) climbing down the embankment from the bridge through the grass.
3) going to the eastbound platform and crossing the tracks.


She wrote to IE two months ago and still hasnt heard back.

Also about 1/3 of the lights are broken which makes it feel even more unsafe.
A planning application is in for 288 Bannow Road (One of the derelict factory sites) for apartments so that may be the beginning of the redevelopment of the area. Here's hoping.

Originally Posted by eugene

Just wondering if there's any movement on the construction of Pelletstown/Royal Canal Park station as yet? Seems to be going on for 3 years now

[Mark Gleeson]

Reilly's Gates are to be replaced by a bridge, its not IE's problem, its local council its been mentioned and discussed to death here. The bridge would be slightly east of the canal bridge and in doing so will eliminate the chicane like road layout currently in place

There is a plan for a station at Pelletstown and that the existing Broombridge station would be replaced with one 200m closer to Dublin linking with the Luas

Irish Rail don't do complaint handling, it more a case of ignore you and you will go away

However if Irish Rail don't like to talk, the Rail Safety Commission do and a station with no name displayed, with an unsafe platform surface, railings with gaps and little or no lighting it is in breech of a whole heap of rules the questions is are the rules retrospective or just for new

[philip]

Reilly's gates could be replaced with an underpass if the bridge is causing problems with planning. More expensive but a better quality solution.

[StephenM]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

However if Irish Rail don't like to talk, the Rail Safety Commission do and a station with no name displayed, with an unsafe platform surface, railings with gaps and little or no lighting it is in breech of a whole heap of rules the questions is are the rules retrospective or just for new

Considering that Manulla Junction has no signs at all on the Ballina side of the platform is that an issue that would go against the RSC?

[Mark Gleeson]

But Manualla Junction has a well lit, clean platform

Broombridge looks like a cruise missile landed next door

[StephenM]

You have a point there.

[KSW]

Broombridge looks like a bomb went off. The platform looks dirty and unclean looking not to mention unsafe. If i was a tourist travelling on that line my immediate reaction would be a bad area......