Metro, going, going, GONE

sligoliner

The offical announcement any day now. Nevermind, Dublin already has a metro, it's called the DART.

www.platform11.org/nometro.html

Borzoi

Interesting piece.

Questions:
The ugrade track through Phibsborough, has that been dropped in height to allow for DART overhead lines?

Likewise for the tunnel between Connolly and Hueston?


Comments:
On the proposed Lucan solution.
1) A 20min peak time service from Lucan station would seem very poor to me, especially if you've already caught a bus to the station.
2) Having the same train not stop at Connolly or Hueston seems like madness, the trains are avoiding the destination that are closest to the citycentre hub.

FinoBlad

agree with sligoliner, the DART isnt perfect but its good and should be expanded

star gazer

€10billion, no thanks, that is the cost of Public Private Partnership for the metro. Unfortunately planners in Dublin decided that the city should take up as much land as possible and so we have a city that is sprawled far and wide. To reach all the suburbs the metro would cost a massive amount and the cost of running it relative to other euro cities that are more compact (shorter distances, less stops).

Andrew Duffy

Arrow trains to start with, then electrify the line using ground level power rails in the future. The London Underground has several overground sections using power rails and there are very few incidences of idiots cooking themselves.

sligoliner

Yes the Midland line has been lowered and the Park Tunnel is already high enough.

the whole project is here:

http://www.platform11.org/dconnector.html

changing at Phibsborough or more likly in the short term Cabra, for Connolly is here:

http://www.platform11.org/crosstown.jpg

and some resent and encouranging comments about Irish Rail management and Platform11 singing from an increasingly similar hymn sheet here. Platform11 has learned to following:

November 2003: At the “Capital Punishment” conference organised by Fine Gael at the Citywest Hotel on congestion in Dublin, which Platform11 was speaking, along with Frank McDonald, The DTO and most of the other high profile transport players and commentators in Ireland, Tom Finn of Irish Rail presentation on the next round of projects for Dublin after the DASH2 project is complete includes:

The possibility direct curve from Heuston Station to the entrance of the Phoenix Park tunnel to allow trains from Platform 9 at Heuston to serve Cabra (new station) Drumcondra, Connolly, Tara Street and to terminate at new bay platform at Grand Canal Street. The Maynooth commuter trans will use the Midland line to serve Spencer Dock surface station.

New Stations for Dublin include:
Kildare Line – Adamstown, Kishogue, Fonthill Road, Park West
Maynooth Line – Porterstown, Phoenix Park, Palletstown
Dart – Grange Road
Phoenix Park/Midland Line – Cabra, Spencer Dock

The Northern line is also to be resignaled, the line quadrupled Park West and Adamstown and the line from Maynooth to Mullingar to be doubled and expanded at strategic locations using passing loops.

Most of these other development plans will be for trains which will be using either the Park Tunnel, Spencer Dock or the Midland line.

So in the space of one year we go from the tunnel being unsuited to passenger services, to a senior managers from Irish Rail thinking and talking along the same lines of Platform11’s d-Connector proposal. Not only that, but Tom Finn to his credit congratulated me on my prestation and told me it was “very good”.

from Thomas Sheridan, Chairman Platform11

"At this point, Platform11 and Irish Rail management are singing from an increasingly similar hymn sheet regarding the development of rail transport in Dublin and both of our presentation proved that DART is Dublin’s real metro and should be treated as such and it seems the Department of Finance also agrees now as John Henry’s Platform for Change proposal is receiving more and more criticism as the Metro project moves further into Celtic Tiger “didn’t we lose our minds there for a while” land – which Platform11 believe that the Metro is and was, all along.

One of the most satisfying developments since the arrival on the scene is that Irish Rail, though a combination of Platform11 selling the d-Connector coupled with the RPA poor project management of the LUAS, while horrifying us all at the prospect of them overseeing a Metro construction, all this has allowed Irish Rail to reclaim their stake in rail transport in Dublin and this is a good thing for the city of Dublin, the public finances, Platform11 (and rail transport in general in Ireland) and if Irish Rail handle this correctly (and after listening to Tom Finn yesterday, I believe they can) our national rail operator can step in and become the champion and biggest winner in solving the congestion problem in the city of Dublin while every other group was drawing maps and promoting "Rolls Royce" solutions for the city.

In recent Irish Rail plans the possibility direct curve from Heuston Station to the entrance of the Phoenix Park tunnel to allow trains from Platform 9 at Heuston to serve Cabra (new station) Drumcondra, Connolly, Tara Street and to terminate at new bay platform at Grand Canal Street. The Maynooth commuter trans will use the Midland line to serve Spencer Dock surface station.

New Stations for Dublin include:
Kildare Line – Adamstown, Kishogue, Fonthill Road, Park West
Maynooth Line – Porterstown, Phoenix Park, Palletstown
Dart – Grange Road
Phoenix Park/Midland Line – Cabra, Spencer Dock

The Northern line is also to be resignaled, the line quadrupled Park West and Adamstown and the line from Maynooth to Mullingar to be doubled and expanded at strategic locations using passing loops.

Most of these other development plans will be for trains which will be using either the Park Tunnel, Spencer Dock or the Midland line. "

FinoBlad

astonishing, is the tide turning in IE sligoliner or is it too early to tell?

John R

Originally posted by Andrew Duffy
Arrow trains to start with, then electrify the line using ground level power rails in the future. The London Underground has several overground sections using power rails and there are very few incidences of idiots cooking themselves.

As far as I know live rail systems are no longer allowed to be built, ths is certainly true in the UK but I believe it is a European law as well. Exceptions are allowed for additions to existing systems.

Besides using two different incompatible electrification systems in Dublin would be madness.

IMO further electrification at this point would be a huge waste of money for little gain, the performance advantage over diesel railcars is small and there are many more urgent projects requiring investement (such as those listed above).

Victor

Originally posted by sligoliner
November 2003: At the “Capital Punishment” conference organised by Fine Gael at the Citywest Hotel on congestion in Dublin

Why wasn't I invited? Or are you taking the p?

De Rebel

Originally posted by Victor
Why wasn't I invited? Or are you taking the p?

It took place on 1st Nov. See here on the FG website.

Victor

Originally posted by De Rebel
It took place on 1st Nov. See here on the FG website.

Was this the Sunday Business Post one?