Commuters find that to reach train station's new platform they must first catch a bus

On a warm sunny afternoon like yesterday Heuston Station's new platform 10, with views of the Dublin Mountains and the wooded…

On a warm sunny afternoon like yesterday Heuston Station's new platform 10, with views of the Dublin Mountains and the wooded grounds of the Royal Kilmainham Hospital and Phoenix Park, is a far more pleasant place to wait for a train than the main station.

However, unless you hop on one of the frequent shuttle buses, it's a 15-minute walk from the other platforms.

Sinéad, a commuter from Newbridge, who had already caught a bus up along the Dublin quays, had chosen to walk to the new platform rather than wait for the shuttle bus.

Asked what she thought of the extension to the station, she said: "It's grand on a day like today." She wasn't so sure what it might be like in the rain.

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Scottish visitor Andrew Scorgie, holidaying in Ireland for the first time, seemed prepared for the weather but didn't expect to have to catch a shuttle bus in order to catch a train. "It's a bloody nuisance", he said.

His wife Marian agreed. Both of them were bewildered by the Irish transport system, especially the lack of road signs, although she was adamant the bus drivers were very nice.

Orla McCauley (15), who was travelling to Sallins, thought it "a bit of a nuisance" having to get a shuttle bus 10 minutes before her train departed but she pointed out that previously one had to go all the way to the very end of platform 1, which was always busy.

One commuter who travels from Newbridge to Dublin city centre everyday welcomed the new platform as "part and parcel of the very visible modernisation of the station".

"I think investment in railways is very important and anything that lessens traffic congestion and allows people to divide their time between working in the city and living in the country is a good idea," he said.

Sinéad from Newbridge said making the commitment to commute to the city was "a hassle in itself". She reckoned people would have other things to worry about than the platform being a bit farther down and was philosophical about the change: "I'd rather sing grief than cry."

One cute commuter who didn't have to worry about either walking or taking the bus stepped off the incoming train with a slick, lightweight fold-up bike.

An IT manager from Clondalkin, his only concern with the new platform was how long it would take him to get to the road, which he set off to find out, having unfolded his luggage.

Mark Petrie, another rail and bike commuter, thought the new platform would be a problem for people who are "very tight for time" but was more concerned about arrangements for cyclists in the revamped station, which he considered very poor.

The ticket vendors at the new platform are certainly worse off than their colleagues in the main station. They are housed in "Allspace" steel containers.