What are your essential Irish Infrastructure projects, in order of need?

Consonata · 12-05-2017 4:09pm #1

Just thought it would be interesting to see where peoples priorities are in terms of Irish infrastructure, and what is on everybodys wish list. I'll only do my top 3 for now.

1. Metro North + DU - If only to alleviate the squished housing market in Dublin so that people can commute from Swords to the City for work in a fairly easy and quick fashion, not to mention all the business opportunities it offers.
A rail link between the north and south of the city should've been built decades ago, but better late than never

2. A proper National Health Service - I know it might be debatable whether this is "infrastructure" or not, but as far as I'm concerned, I would be remiss if I did not include the absolute need for a proper integrated health network in the country. The current system is wasteful, it is not fit for purpose, and is driving Doctors and Nurses abroad due to the awful conditions. This is a problem that needs to be solved now. Not 10 years down the line

3. Western Motorway Corridor - Galway - Limerick - Cork is in desperate need of improved public transport, and a motorway is probably the best way to sort it. A motorway between Sligo and Cork would cut hours off the journey time, considering the mess it is trying to get through Galway Traffic, and the chaos between Limerick and Cork.

corm500 · 12-05-2017 6:44pm

1.Building Height restrictions in Dublin docklands and other appropriate places lifted
2. Dublin Underground
3. Metro North
4. M20 (Cork to Limerick)
5. Galway Bypass
6. Dublin outer orbital motorway
7. Dublin to Derry motorway

Markcheese · 13-05-2017 12:56am

A Dublin outer orbital motorway will be become m50 number 2 (a car park) in no time..
. . . Dublin public transport, metro north, D. U., new luas lines.. BRTs and just more busses and bus lanes..
. . An orbital public transport system with bus/coach stations and park and rides as well.. So passengers can change mode and direction..
. . . Cork could do with the dunkettle interchange being done.. More buses and bus lanes, and park and rides but it's not stifled..
. . Limerick/ Cork needs serious upgrade but motorway may be over the top, as is a Cork to killarney motorway,
Galway just sound like a mess traffic wise..

Peregrine · 13-05-2017 2:09am

1. Removal of absurd building height restrictions
2. DART Underground and associated DART extension projects
3. Proper urban cycling infrastructure
4. Metro North
5. M20
6. Galway bypass
7. More bridges in Cork and Dublin docklands
8. Remove taxis from bus lanes, public transport bridges etc.
9. Luas extension from Broombridge
10. Quad-track the Northern line to Clongriffin (assuming — naively — that DU has been operational for years at this stage)

ED E · 13-05-2017 2:15am

Theres a whole list, but I'll throw an oddball one out there.

1. Proper helipads at every trauma center that can support S92s, no transferring by ambo.

4068ac1elhodqr · 13-05-2017 3:19am

There's one single solution, but it's certainly not cheap.
A new eco-city in a geo-population density centric (sparse) location.
Much the same that China is building outside Chengdu.
Room for up to 100,000 which will de-stress all other locations.

There's a couple of ideal positions for it,
between a couple of town population pyramids/quads.

monument · 13-05-2017 9:21am

1. A review of all road projects in light of (a) climate change commitments and (b) the well-proven failure of more road building as a solution for urban transport (including nationally important routes, ie the M50).

2. Start a programme of building an extensive bicycle network sutable for cycling of all ages and abilities built across the country, in the order of: urban, inter-urban and rural. At least 20% of the transport budget spent on walking and cycling measures, mainly the network.

3. Build Metro North per the current Railway Order and start planning to run it into the Green Line Luas around Milltown.

4. Get planning for Dart Underground again and build it.

5. Replace most of Dublin Bus and planned BRT with mostly surface Luas.

6. Out-of-Town bus station beside or close to bypasses where sutable so intercity buses serving towns / villages have less distance to go off main routes.

Harry Palmr · 13-05-2017 9:58am

I'm taking a long term view and ignoring transport.

Massive Solar farms
West to East irrigation
Tidal Barrier on Shannon

NIMAN · 13-05-2017 10:01am

I'd think a massive investment to break our reliance on fossil fuels would be the best thing we could do.

Maybe lot of offshore wind farms or tidal generators.

cosanostra · 13-05-2017 11:35am

With regards to road infrastructure from a Donegal point of view - dual carriageway from Letterkenny to strabane, dual carriageway from Derry to M1 at Ardee, Upgrade of N15 between Letterkenny and Sligo (small improvements needed Ballybofey bypass) Major upgrade of N17 Sligo to Galway.

Sam Russell · 13-05-2017 6:02pm

A tidal barrier on the Liffey and provide a sea wall along Dublin Bay to counteract rising sea levels resulting from global warming. Raising the existing wall by 1 metre would help enormously. Much of the city is not much above sea level and a high tide coupled with storm conditions could result in a tidal surge that would flood much of Dublin.

roadmaster · 13-05-2017 7:12pm

I am going to be selfish I drive a lot for my job so I would love to see an upgrade of the national secondary routes I am not talking about building dual carriages just simply improving routes and making them safer such as taking out crazy bends and dips in places. I have seen way to many fatal accidents on my travels unfortunately

....... · 13-05-2017 7:17pm

This post has been deleted.

MJohnston · 13-05-2017 7:27pm

In no particular order, mine are more about sorting out the root causes of our infrastructure problems, but they're all very doable:

• Absolute reform of the planning system to properly balance individual objections, and to reduce the influence of ABP
• Directly elected Dublin city mayor with increased power over infrastructure decisions of the urban area
• More support for EVs by incentivizing their adoption, but also by heavily investing in charging network infrastructure
• Automating enforcement of simple traffic rules like red lights and bus lanes
• Reform of DCC to fix the entirely broken system for road repairs and improvements

Stephen15 · 13-05-2017 10:39pm

1.Electrifying the trunk rail routes in the country like Dublin to Cork and Dublin to Belfast. I think a dedicated high speed rail line across the country is unessecary so instead IE should buy some Pendolinos to operate the routes. We should also be electifying all the suburban lines in Dublin espeically the Maynooth line and perhaps extend the Dart to Wicklow Town. Four tracking on the northern line at least as far as Malahide but preferably as far as Drogheda is also needed to help cut journey times. If we could have high speed Pendolinos Dublin to Cork should take about 1h40m and Dublin to Belfast in about an hour.

I dont personally like the MN proposal as its light as opposed to heavy rail so basically a Luas running underground it should be heavy rail. I dont think its urgently needed either like some may suggest.

2.Instead of a third terminal at Dublin and a second runway we should build a smaller airport in either Weston or Baldonnell privately run free of the DAA so Ryanair can expand their operations and allow for competion with other low cost carriers like Easyjet, Wizz Air, Norwegian and WOW Air.

3.Contray to popular belief I think we should build a BRT to replace QBCs and run routes like the 46a, 145, Lucan Routes and Blanch Routes as BRT routes.

patrickbrophy18 · 14-05-2017 1:15am

DART Underground: All talk and no action at present.
Metro North: Ditto.
Reinstatement of the entire Western Rail Corridor and connecting infrastructure from Rosslare all the way to Sligo. Not all rail traffic revolves solely around the capital.
Eastern Bypass: Due to recent increases in modal shifts, it would be modified to carry pedestrians, cyclists and heavy rail as well.
Removing Building Height Restrictions: This would allow all Irish cities to develop a more iconic New York style skyline.
Dun Laoghaire, Dalkey and North Killiney QTBBPC (Quality Truck, Bus, Bicycle and Pedestrian Corridor): Improve the coastal *road infrastructure along Dun Laoghaire, Sandycove, Glasthule, Dalkey and North Killiney to better facilitate buses, trucks, cyclists and pedestrians more comfortably.
*: Not every road though as some of them are conservation areas. However, tweak them slightly so that important boxes can be ticked.
Orbital Luas Systems: Given that the M50 has exceeding boom time capacity, a contingency plan for an orbital public transport system needs to be put in place to curb existing and future car use.

marno21 · 14-05-2017 2:58am

In no particular order (preferably all should go to construction tomorrow).

Dublin:
M50 Eastern Bypass
DART Expansion incl. DART Underground and suburban electrification
Metro North + conversion of Green line south of Ranelagh to Metro running.
Luas/Metro extension to Bray.
Increased capacity on Northern line.
Completion of ready to go greenway projects for use for commuter cyclists (Dodder Greenway etc).

Cork:
Rapid transit system for Cork from Ballincollig-Mahon and possibly Airport-Blackpool
Cork Airport runway extension
M40 North Ring Road
M20 Cork-Limerick
M22 Cork-Macroom
M28 Cork-Ringaskiddy
Dunkettle Interchange upgrade
M71 Cork to Inishannon
M25 Cork-Youghal
Construction of suburban rail stations on the Cork-Mallow line
Additional bridges in the city

Limerick:
M21 Patrickswell-Rathkeale
N21 Rathkeale-Abbeyfeale
M20 as above
Possible park+ride or additional stations along the Limerick junction line for commuter use, possibly near Killonan.
N24 upgrade
Northern Distributor Road
Plan to use the significant amount of disused railway tracks around Limerick for suburban rail + investigation into a rapid transit system/improved bus connections especially for Raheen and Castletroy

Galway:
N6 Bypass
Conversion of existing N6 for high capacity/high frequency prioritised bus services east-west
N17 upgrades

We are really far behind and the problem is we're doing nothing at the minute to catch up. There's around 15bn worth of projects there.

SeanW · 14-05-2017 3:03pm

Some of these are going to be controversial but here goes:

Nuclear power: wind mills are too expensive, too destructive to the environment and to ecology, and too unreliable. Solar is a joke, the only weather Ireland gets consistently is cold and damp. Especially if we move towards electric cars, we're going to need lots of clean energy, and reliably. Repeal the 1999 energy laws, or sections relating to nuclear electricity and participate in research (including testing and deployment) of small fission reactors. Participate fully in international research into fusion power.
Dart Underground
Metro North
The M20
Bypass of Slane. Even if the N2 between Ardee and Ashtown is de-trunked, the setup in that town to cross the Boyne is ridiculous and inexcusable.
Feasibility of tram networks to be considered for Cork, Limerick and Galway. Any viable plans funded.
Improved flood defenses for Cork city.
Reroute Greenway from the Athlone Mullingar railway and reopen it.
Double track Mullingar-Maynooth and increase speeds.
Upgrade of the N4 to Motorway from M50/J1 to Leixlip and from Kinnegad to at least Longford where the N5 splits off.
Extend M2, M3 and M7 motorways from the current termini in Blanchardston, Naas etc and make them motorway to the M50. Failing that, design new outer orbital motorway.
Electrify Dublin-Cork/Limerick and Dublin-Belfast railways (see Point 1)
Galway bypass. Motorway M6 to its terminus. Upgrade N6 Athlone Bypass to motorway.
Extend Cork City's regional motorway network. Convert N40 to motorway, build motorway on N28, create motorway for N22 and N25 at least to the county boundary.
High rise promoted only for office buildings. Developers cannot be trusted to make apartments that people can have a decent quality of life in and we can't trust politicians to enforce standards, so high rise should be banned for residential units. Instead, the Japanese model of housing should be used in inner suburbs (individual houses, with space for a car, sometimes two on the property, but very densely packed with many houses in given area). Outer suburbs to continue with the "3 bed Semi D" or even American style suburbs model but with a much greater emphasis on park and ride. (Similar to New York City which has nice suburbs in Westchester County and Fairfield County Connecticut, but most people who live there and work in the City use the Metro North Railroad instead of driving).

LeinsterDub · 14-05-2017 6:53pm

SeanW wrote: »

Some of these are going to be controversial but here goes:
Nuclear power: wind mills are too expensive, too destructive to the environment and to ecology, and too unreliable. Solar is a joke, the only weather Ireland gets consistently is cold and damp]

You don't need Spanish sunshine for Solar. Solar is getting cheaper and cheaper by the month

roddney · 15-05-2017 10:32am

1. Investigate and CPO/Rezone (whatever is needed) all appropriate land within 500m of DART and Northern Line Stations for high density development (10 story apartments). The infrastructure is already there, use it.
2. ... Same as other peoples list (DU, MN (original form), ...)

loyatemu · 15-05-2017 10:53am

SeanW wrote: »

Some of these are going to be controversial but here goes:
Nuclear power: wind mills are too expensive, too destructive to the environment and to ecology, and too unreliable. Solar is a joke, the only weather Ireland gets consistently is cold and damp. Especially if we move towards electric cars, we're going to need lots of clean energy, and reliably. Repeal the 1999 energy laws, or sections relating to nuclear electricity and participate in research (including testing and deployment) of small fission reactors. Participate fully in international research into fusion power.

look at the eye-watering costs associated with Hinkley C, the new British nuclear station. £18b at face value, but possibly £30b in subsidised energy tariffs. How much other infrastructure could we build for that?

Coupled with the likely political opposition (think water charges x 100) and i don't think we'll be seeing any nuclear plants built here.

MJohnston · 15-05-2017 10:54am

LeinsterDub wrote: »

You don't need Spanish sunshine for Solar. Solar is getting cheaper and cheaper by the month

Indeed, people who say that you need sunshine obviously never got sunburnt on an overcast day

Conchir · 15-05-2017 3:32pm

Solar is a completely viable option for Ireland. The cost of panels is falling constantly, along with efficiency rising. Couple that with the rising efficiency of solar storage and it's clearly the best option for the future. The idea that you need constant blue skies for it to work is false.

The Switch by Chris Goodall is a good read on the developments in the industry.

Praetorian · 19-05-2017 7:15pm

Vital for me.

*Metro north (the good version). I'll accept the cheap version.
*Dart underground and quad track from Connolly to at least Howth junction
*60 kilo rail and faster running on the line all the way to Belfast, electrify as far as possible

and in no particular order,

* 6 lane m1 to at least to Balbriggan, but possibly to Drogheda
* More onshore, more offshore wind turbines. LOTS more solar
* Extend Luas xcity beyond Broombridge
* More Dublin trams
* Trams for Cork (sorry I can't see it being viable anywhere else)
* Lots more cycle lanes
* Lots more swimming pools in every town of x size. (North Co Dublin is an absolute joke)
*Electrify Dublin to Cork and try and even surpass 160kph if possible.

I'll be back when I think of more.

ED E · 21-05-2017 10:26pm

Conchir wrote: »

Solar is a completely viable option for Ireland. The cost of panels is falling constantly, along with efficiency rising. Couple that with the rising efficiency of solar storage and it's clearly the best option for the future. The idea that you need constant blue skies for it to work is false.

The Switch by Chris Goodall is a good read on the developments in the industry.

Ireland has a problem with system scale, with such a small number of generation sites we're very vulnerable to a single failure and thus dispatchable power is an issue.

Solar and Wind power are not dispatchable so most of what they generate has to redundantly generated by a coal/gas plant which is then creates waste.

Building large solar installations would be a poor choice, what we need is a scheme to really push householders to install panels along with solar thermal hot water systems.

Praetorian wrote: »

* Lots more cycle lanes

Please no, not yet. If you tell the councils to build cycle lanes they just paint streets ad nauseum without planning or space. Fix the current stock and have NTA draw up mandatory conditions first (such as proper on ramps not quater pipes).

Praetorian · 22-05-2017 8:03pm

ED E wrote: »

Ireland has a problem with system scale, with such a small number of generation sites we're very vulnerable to a single failure and thus dispatchable power is an issue.

Solar and Wind power are not dispatchable so most of what they generate has to redundantly generated by a coal/gas plant which is then creates waste.

Building large solar installations would be a poor choice, what we need is a scheme to really push householders to install panels along with solar thermal hot water systems.

Please no, not yet. If you tell the councils to build cycle lanes they just paint streets ad nauseum without planning or space. Fix the current stock and have NTA draw up mandatory conditions first (such as proper on ramps not quater pipes).

ED E, your probably right on the cycle lanes, but I'm happy the newer roads seem to often come with them these days, perhaps that at least should be mandatory. What can you do with old Irish cities and towns with thin streets and not enough space?

Consonata · 22-05-2017 8:08pm

Praetorian wrote: »

ED E, your probably right on the cycle lanes, but I'm happy the newer roads seem to often come with them these days, perhaps that at least should be mandatory. What can you do with old Irish cities and towns with thin streets and not enough space?

Old Irish Cities w/ thin streets shouldn't have private traffic on them :P

Better to reserve the road real estate there for buses + bikes

trellheim · 27-05-2017 11:26am

1. Nuclear power stations ( x2 , prob built by EDF )
2. Metro North
3. DU
4. M20 ( tolls at Croom and Blarney for vehicles )
5. Quad track from Connolly to Malahide
6. Tolls on cork south ring and the JLT
7. Tram system in Cork
8. Toll on M11/N11 end of M50

LeinsterDub · 27-05-2017 11:33am

trellheim wrote: »

1. Nuclear power

More expensive and troublesome than they are worth. By the time they were built renewable will have made them expensive white elephants

......... · 27-05-2017 11:34am

A coherent orbital motorway and train line that facilities , develops and serves all of Ireland, not just journeys to and from Dublin.

The current short sighted varcous veins network, modelled on the English 16th Century road network to and from the Pale, no longer serves our Modern country. It's not good for the long term future development of Dublin or Ireland.

trellheim · 27-05-2017 3:22pm

By the time they were built renewable will have made them expensive white elephants

Right .... you seriously believe we can meet our electricity demand from irish renewables ... we might get to 40% by 2020 if we're lucky and most of that is unpredictable Wind

Strip imported gas and coal out - 60%

Peat is not a sensible renewable - thats another 10% gone

Current stats has Wind at 19%

For national infrastructure 2xNuclears sensible option.

Unless you have some magic economics that says we dont have to import 60% of our power

What are your essential Irish Infrastructure projects, in order of need?

Comments