[jddj]

Very impressive work.

I also learned something, which I'd always wondered cynically but never thought to investigate. The walking connection between lines at some stations in Barcelona seems so long as to not make sense, but it's explained here that at the time the different lines and stations were dug and extended independently by different companies.

> Among the reasons for having such long corridors [in Barcelona] is the lack of planning or the vision of the metro network as a bunch of individual lines. As an example: line 1 and line 4 were extended to Urquinaona in 1932, but both lines were not connected until 1972, as they were originally operated by different companies.

[FearNotDaniel]

In London that’s also mostly true due to the patchwork history of different companies building different lines… however when King’s Cross/St Pancras was redeveloped a few years ago the “official” interchange route between Piccadilly and Victoria lines became much, much longer - minutes of walking compared to seconds. This site doesn’t cover that station, but does link to TfL’s own diagrams via IanVisits, and the reason is clear: at one end the platforms of both lines are almost touching - and I believe that shortcut staircase is still there if you ignore the signs and know where to find it - but the tourist friendly route is much more circuitous, going up to the mainline station and back again. I assume it helps to relieve congestion in an extremely busy station, I remember more than one occasion when they just have to close entry to the platforms during rush hour due to overcrowding.

[anticensor]

Why don't they block the shortcut to anyone but whitelisted people that applied beforehand?

[bambax]

That was also the case in NYC, and that's why there are so many long tunnels: each company tried to reach customers where they were.

[rsynnott]

Are there at least multiple entrances? Dublin's main station, Connolly, is actually the amalgamation of two stations, one terminal station and one through station, which were originally owned by different companies before the rail system was nationalised. The only entrances are through the terminal station, so to get to the through lines, you need to walk for about 10 minutes through the terminal station (making them mostly pointless; it's usually quicker just to get on/off at the next station, which has a proper entrance).

They are, apparently, _finally_ going to open a new entrance directly to the through lines, but they've been talking about it for years and I'll believe it when I see it.

[wkat4242]

It's a bit crazy though that the stations aren't connected. If you want to go from Galway to Belfast you have to go across the city from Heuston station to Connolly. Very annoying with baggage even though these days there's the Luas. And there is actually a rail connection between the two stations (going up to the north from just before Heuston). They could have a quick service between the two. A bit like the dart in the east.

Dublin would be so much better off with a real metro. The bus service is terrible, the Luas only has two lines and focuses a lot on the suburbs.

[rsynnott]

As part of DART+ Southwest, they're building a new station, Heuston West, where the disused Heuston Platform 10 (the one with the through lines) is now. It'll. be on the DART line and provide service to, presumably, Grand Canal Dock, via the Phoenix Park Tunnel (some commuter trains from Grand Canal Dock already use the tunnel and pass Heuston, but platform 10 hasn't been in use since before the tunnel was reopened). I'd assume that Houston and Heuston West will be linked. Won't be done til 2029, tho, and if any part of it slips it will be building the new station (Irish Rail is historically bad at that).