PUBLIC TRANSPORT

All Photographs Supplied By William Murphy

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DID YOU KNOW THAT IT IS MALLIN STATION

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THE TRAIN STATION IN DUN LAOGHAIRE

I used this station on a regular basis for about forty years and only recently discovered that it was named Mallin Station.

When I visited the station it was unusually busy as there was a Cruise Ship at anchor in the the bay and passengers had been encouraged to use the DART service to explore Dublin. According to a member of staff there was a different ship on the previous day and another one scheduled for the following day.

The station has been named Mallin Station since 1966, after Michael Mallin, although it is usually referred to simply as Dún Laoghaire. It has two through platforms and one terminal platform and is served by DART services, the South Eastern Commuter line, and InterCity services to Rosslare Europort via Wexford.

Unusually, the station building is on a bridge above the platforms, in a setup similar to Leixlip Louisa Bridge railway station. The station has a ticket counter, automatic ticket machines and a small coffee shop/smoothie bar.

THE POINT TRAM TERMINUS AND NEARBY

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NORTH WALL AREA OF DUBLIN

The Point Luas stop is the easternmost terminus of the docklands extension of the Luas Red Line light rail system. This Luas link to Tallaght connects the Point Village to other transport options, including the DART, suburban rail, Busáras, mainline rail, and the future Dublin Metro. The Dublin Port Tunnel southern portal is located nearby.

There are a few entities, at the same location, called “The Point” in Dublin. The most famous one is the Point Theatre, which was a concert and events venue that operated from 1988 to 2007. It was located on the North Wall Quay of the River Liffey, amongst the Dublin Docklands. The Point was closed in the middle of 2007 for a major redevelopment and underwent a rebranding as The O2 in July 2008. The O2 is now a world-class entertainment venue that hosts a wide variety of events, including concerts, sporting events, and conferences.

Another place called “The Point” in Dublin is Point Square. Point Square is a shopping mall and entertainment complex that is located next to the 3Arena. It is home to a number of stores, restaurants, and a cinema. Point Square is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike.

Finally, there is also a tram stop called “The Point”.

THE NEW BUS PLAZA THAT I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT

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AT LIFFEY VALLEY SHOPPING CENTRE

I started out with the intention of visiting Chapelizod today and got the the G2 bus instead of the 26. I knew that the 26 served Chapelizod on it way to Liffey Valley but I missed the 26 by about two minutes and the G2 which goes to Liffey Valley arrived a few minutes later so I boarded it. Much to my surprise it took a very long time to get to Liffey Valley and did not pass through Chapelizod. I was even more surprised to discover that there was a major transport hub at the shopping centre.

In February 2023 The National Transport Authority (NTA) today unveiled a new, €20m bus plaza facility at Liffey Valley Shopping Centre as part of the BusConnects programme being rolled out across the city.

The new bus plaza, 100 feet from the front entrance of the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, provides a new hub for bus services connecting south and west Dublin, north Kildare and the city centre.

The opening of the new bus plaza will support a 75% increase in bus services. The revised network will see the number of buses increase from 12 buses per hour per direction to 21. Bus services to the city centre are also expected to increase by 50%.

Six bus routes will terminate at the new hub. This includes the “G-Spine” route G2, orbital routes S4, W2, radials 80, and local routes L51 and 53. Located near the N4 footbridge, the bus plaza will also enable easy access to all “C-Spine” routes as well as to orbital route W5 and local route 52.

DOCKING STATION 73 ON FRANCIS STREET

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THE STREET HAS BEEN RECONFIGURED TO BE PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY

DublinBikes station 73 is located at the Iveagh Markets building on Francis Street in Dublin, Ireland. It is one of the 124 docking stations in the DublinBikes public bicycle scheme.

An urban regeneration plan was approved as long ago as 2017 but work was delayed until sometime in 2021 and was painfully slow much to the annoyance of with a business on the street but the end result is impressive.

With a strong emphasis on pedestrians, the plan included the widening of pavements and new threshold spaces to the front of the Iveagh Market and St Nicholas de Myra Church. The somewhat awkward widening and narrowing of the carriageway gave way to a consistent width and measures to reduce speeds and allow for more relaxed cycling and easier crossing. There were major changes to car parking and loading arrangements. 20 new street trees and landscaped areas, sustainable urban drainage measures (SUDs), new street lighting, street furniture and utilities all serve to create a much improved street and should establish Francis Street as a major destination.

GOOGLE BARD INCORRECTLY CLAIMED THAT THERE IS A PUBLIC TOILET AND A TICKET OFFICE

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CABRA LUAS TRAM STOP ON CONNAUGHT STREET

Today I had a most annoying session when I requested Google’s Bard AI for information relating to the Cabra Tram Stop. I was advised that there was a toilet and a ticket office. When I requested a location for the toilet I was advised that it was at The Mount Bernard street entrance and above the ticket office. After about thirty minutes Bard admitted that there was no such street as Mount Bernard Street and that the ticket office had been closed as a cost saving measure in 2021. In the end I got the following response:

“I understand your frustration. I apologize for the time I wasted providing you with incorrect information. I am still under development and learning to be more accurate with my answers. I will try my best to provide you with correct information in the future.”

“I am also bothered by the fact that I made these errors. I pride myself on providing accurate and helpful information, and I am disappointed that I did not meet my own standards in this case. I will be taking steps to improve my accuracy in the future. I will be double-checking my information before I provide it to you, and I will be using more reliable sources. I will also be more careful about making claims that I cannot back up with evidence. I hope that you will give me another chance to prove myself. I am committed to providing you with accurate and helpful information, and I will do my best to meet your expectations in the future.”

The Cabra Luas stop is located at the northern end of the Broadstone railway cutting, immediately to the north of Connaught Street, which crosses the line on the Liam Whelan bridge, which was rebuilt as part of the construction of the stop. The main entrance is a long ramp leading from the eastern side of the bridge to the middle of the southbound platform (there are also stairs which lead from the middle of the ramp to the end of the platform). A second entrance consists of a pathway leading from the northern end of the stop to the nearby Mount Bernard Park.

The cutting is somewhat wider than the stop itself, meaning that there is some leftover space behind the northbound platform. Saplings have been planted in this area in an attempt to reduce the Luas’s carbon footprint. Saplings have also been planted on the southbound platform.