€30M Luas spend at Connolly a pure farce

vinnyfitz · 09-01-2004 12:44pm #1

The Irish Times reports this morning what we all already knew - that demolishing the ramp at Connolly station is a complete waste of money since the Luas is now being extended to the Point Depot.

Interestingly, however, the report says that the (subsequently sidelined) acting CEO of the Luas Donal Mangan told the RPA Board in 2001 that the Connolly ramp stop "no longer represents a feasible option if the planned extension to the docklands is approved".

Eh... should the chairman of the RPA Board not resign over this wanton waste of 30 million?

The Connolly ramp manoeuvre was so blindingly, obviously, mad that one has to wonder what other agendas between CIE and the RPA meant it had to go ahead despite everything?

GerardKeating · 09-01-2004 2:43pm

Originally posted by vinnyfitz
The Connolly ramp manoeuvre was so blindingly, obviously, mad that one has to wonder what other agendas between CIE and the RPA meant it had to go ahead despite everything?

Let's open a book on how long it takes them to build aparments/offices on the site of the ramp....

loyatemu · 09-01-2004 3:45pm

Let's open a book on how long it takes them to build aparments/offices on the site of the ramp....

eh?
theres going to be a luas station on the site of the ramp.

Victor · 09-01-2004 5:52pm

Originally posted by vinnyfitz
Eh... should the chairman of the RPA Board not resign over this wanton waste of 30 million?

Well Mangan is no longer in charge. However, it will take 2-3 year to extend to the Docklands and the Connolly teminius is needed in the meantime.

The operation of trams from Tallght to the Docklands need not have the "driver change". When the Docklands line is operational, it means that Docklands trams can operate what is known as "short running" as far as say Heuston or Kilmainham. This would mean that a higher frequency could be acheived between Heuston and Connolly / Bus Áras - the section expected to have the highest demand. Tallaght trams could still operate to a terminus in Connolly.

Article: http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/2319044?view=Eircomnet

€30m Luas spend at Connolly now 'a pure farce', claims TD
From:ireland.com
Friday, 9th January, 2004

A Luas terminus at Connolly Station, costing over €30 million, has been described as defunct, after details of a proposed extension to the Point Depot were revealed yesterday.

The planned extension will also see Luas drivers having to switch driving positions from the front to the back of the trams at Connolly Station when travelling between the city centre and the Point Depot.

The situation has been described as "a farce" by opposition politicians who said the the Rail Procurement Agency (RPA) decided to proceed with the 30 million terminus despite concerns of staff about it becoming unnecessary in the event of an extension.

Yesterday, the RPA, which is overseeing the construction of Luas, announced that it had chosen the route for the proposed extension of the current Tallaght/Connolly line to the Point Depot. The route will run from Connolly Station through Mayor Street and on to the Point Depot. In 2001, however, the RPA decided to proceed with a planned terminus for Luas at Connolly Station, even though it was aware of proposals for an extension to the Point Depot.

The terminus has seen the purchase and removal of a ramp at Connolly Station to allow trains to arrive at ground level, at an estimated cost of €30 million.

It will mean the trams will travel up to the station terminus from the city centre.

The driver will get out and change his position from the front to the rear of the tram, and then drive the tram back down and onto the new extension to the Point Depot.

Sources close to the RPA acknowledged yesterday that the terminus at Connolly Station would now become defunct. Fine Gael's spokesman on transport, Mr Denis Naughten, described the situation as "a pure farce of a thing".

"It highlights the whole problem in relation to the development of infrastructure in this country. A three-year-old child could see that there was no point in spending 30 million at Connolly Station if you are going to extend the line to the Point."

However, a spokesman for the Department of Transport said that Connolly Station would be a primary destination for many travellers, and having a stop in the station was in accordance with a fully integrated transport system.

In 2001, the RPA's then acting chief executive, Mr Donal Mangan, told his board that developing a Luas stop on the ramp site "no longer represents a feasible option if the planned extension to docklands is approved". The board decided to proceed with the original plan. A full public consultation and inquiry on the proposed extension is to get under way, and to be completed by the end of this year. A decision on whether to proceed with the extension, which would be cofinanced by docklands developers, would then be made by the Minister for Transport.

vinnyfitz · 09-01-2004 6:18pm

I know Mangan is no longer in charge - but he was never chairman - he was the acting CEO. It is Padraig White* - the chairman then and now - who, with his Board, evidently ignored Mangan's advice and went ahead with the wrong plan for reasons that have not been adequately explained.

I'm no keener on crying over spilt milk than you Victor but I do think heads should roll on this one. In the light of this sort of decision and plenty of other weak leadership at RPA Board level I feel we need a change of chairman before they are charged with building any more rail infrastructure in this country.

(What you say about driver change and short running is consolling but its separate to the point I'm making.)

* Spouse of Senator Mary White

West Briton · 10-01-2004 11:51am

Prior to the formation of the Railway Procurement Agency, CIE's Light Rail
Project team formulated several options for Luas to serve Connolly Station.
One of the options was for the proposal being built currently. Another was
to terminate the line at the Harbourmaster Place entrance to Connolly. This
option was chosen for the Public Enquiry, on the basis that it was the most
suitable terminus that would most easily enable the extension of Line C into
the Docklands area, but was rejected by the Enquiry as the residents and
absentee owners of apartments in Harbourmaster Place feared anti social
elements coming into "their" area, and it was not clear to the Enquiry that
the Harbourmaster Place entrance to Connolly was a suitable interchange
place.

The reason why the ramp option was not put forward at that time was that
Dublin Corporation (as was) had the intention to demolish the ramp and to
place a public plaza there.

The Enquiry was reconvened and the present proposal was accepted as the most
suitable, given the constraints of the decision made by the Enquiry. Using
Connolly as a reversing terminus was the intention once this option was in
place. One resident at that time wished the Connolly stop to be at Busaras,
and if necessary construct an underground travolator to Connolly. This was
rightly rejected as being wholly impractical.

Travelling to Tralee by rail involves reversing at Killarney, and travelling
to Waterford by rail involves reversing at Kilkenny. I cannot see how
reversing out of Connolly will be such a problem, as the whole business
would take no more than two minutes.

vinnyfitz · 11-01-2004 7:08pm

The reason why the ramp option was not put forward at that time was thatDublin Corporation (as was) had the intention to demolish the ramp and to
place a public plaza there.

West B - can you point me to a source for this information? I understood that the ramp was actually a protected structure.

Either way €30m sounds a lot to pacify a few nimbys in Harbourmaster Place.

West Briton · 11-01-2004 10:28pm

It's all in black and white in the published reports of the public enquiry into Line C and the reconvened public enquiry into Line C(S), the short section from Store Street into Connolly Station.

Let me see if the links to them are still active from the old Department of Public Enterprise site.

West Briton · 13-01-2004 12:30am

Here's the Report of the Public Enquiry into Luas Line C. It's in PDF format.

Forget (mis)reportage of hearsay. Always go back to the source documents.

vinnyfitz · 13-01-2004 11:16am

West B
Thanks for the doc you linked for me. I read through it but it does not explain the mystery at all and does not approve the use of the Connolly ramp. Quote:

The Inquiry considers that the most practical recommendation to the Minister is to suggest that the Minister limits her approval to the Middle Abbey Street and Store Street section of the Line. A condition has been included to delay the commencement of the works authorised under this proposed Order until a Light Rail link between the Store Street stop and the Connolly Station area

It is dated Jan 2000.

Is there another report at a later date which might be relevant?

Thanks

West Briton · 13-01-2004 8:59pm

As I mentioned earlier, there was a reconvened public enquiry into the short section from Store Street to Connolly Station. This was designated Line C(S). The LRT Office redesigned the approach to Connolly, using the ramp as the terminus.

Quoting from the original Public Enquiry into Line C, January 2000:

From section 2.4: Consultation and EIS relative to stop at Harbourmaster Place (Connolly)

"A close examination of the map" (West Briton: Circulated with a letter from the Light Rail Project Office to residents of the Custom House Harbour Complex in August 1999) "would indicate that the final location of the stop was not the ramp leading to Connolly Station."

"2.5 Development Plan Issue
Evidence was tendered concerning the planning status of the application. It appears to be widely accepted that the proposed development in its entirety (ie, the rejected terminus in Harbourmaster Place - West Briton's brackets and comment) is in conformity with the development objectives of Dublin Corporation.

"It is clear that an alternative terminus at Connolly ramp would also be in accordance with the development plan of Dublin Corporation, though in conflict with recently proposed policy for the creation of a piazza on the removal of the ramp to Connolly Station at Amiens Street."

From the conclusion of the report:

"The inquiry has concluded that the primary reason for not choosing the Connolly Station ramp was the stated intention of the local authority to use the ramp at some time in the future for a piazza type development in accordance with their North East Inner City Action Plan 1999"

"The inquiry has concluded that the (proposed but rejected: West Briton's brackets and comment) placing of the station in Harbourmaster Place is contrary to the proper planning and development of the area, and should not be approved."

Clear enough? I need to dig out the short Public Enquiry report into the redesign of the terminus (the aforementioned Line C(S)) to give more background into the actual approval of the ramp as the terminus.

I've just been down at the Public Display of the plans for Line C1, travelling down Mayor Street and through the Spencer Dock project to the point. What has been designed works. Looking at the geography of Connolly Station, what benefit would there be if there was an extra one hundred and eight metres between Connolly Station and the Luas line?

It appears that the most likely use of Line C1 will be for the short workings to Heuston. Taking one and a half minutes to switch driving ends at Connolly for some, not all workings is less than the time that DARTs wait at Pearse.

Similar reverse movements happen on the Croydon Tramlink at Elmers End.

€30M Luas spend at Connolly a pure farce

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