[Article] 'Cut-price' plan for Metro link to airport

silverside

Irish Indendent Mon 8 Dec

Cut-price' plan for Metro link to airport comes off the rails

THE 'cut price' €2.4bn Metro plan foundered last night after Minister for Transport Seamus Brennan threw out the latest proposals.

Plans for an integrated link between Dublin city centre and the airport should have been brought to the Cabinet before Christmas.

But Mr Brennan has rejected the new design, which was redrawn by the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA).

He has told the RPA to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new design that integrates the Metro with Luas, the Dart, suburban and mainline rail systems.

He is digging in his heels and wants the Metro to provide a direct link with either Connolly or Tara St stations.

He claims the discarded plan does not link up with either the Luas or the Dart in a way that is acceptable.

The Metro starts off on the opposite side of St Stephen's Green to the Luas.

And the RPA's proposal for a "travelator" - a moving undergound walkway link running 500 metres between a Metro stop at D'Olier St and Tara St Rail station - has been flatly rejected by Mr Brennan.

He told the Metro planners that the security risks of having passengers travel on an underground link between the two railway systems is unacceptable.

Instead he wants a connection to existing rail lines.

The decision by the minister to reject the design means that the railway agency, already embroiled in controversy over the Red 'Mad' Cow Roundabout will have to redesign the Metro.

It's another major slap in the face for the Railway Procurement Agency as the minister has already rejected an earlier cost estimate of more than €4bn.

The agency came back with a revised cost of €2.4bn, but the replacement "cut-price Metro" meant that it would not go to either Connolly Station or Tara Station and involved the travelator system.

Instead, the proposal involved a route from the airport via Ballymun, Glasnevin, Dublin City University (where it goes underground), the Mater Hospital on Dorset St, O'Connell St, D'Olier St and St Stephen's Green.

A source said last night: "It has to be integrated. There is general agreement on 95pc of the route.

"The only sticking point is where it connects at the city centre."

Treacy Hogan
Environment Correspondent

Victor

Link http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/2111003?view=Eircomnet

Genghis

Sense prevails. I cannot imagine how anyone would seriously propose a third rail system that doesn't integrate with any on the mainlines, the dart, the arrow, or luas.

Victor

Originally posted by Genghis
Sense prevails. I cannot imagine how anyone would seriously propose a third rail system that doesn't integrate with any on the mainlines, the dart, the arrow, or luas.

It would integrate with Luas (directly Sandyford line, connection for Tallaght / Docks line).

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/2324445?view=Eircomnet

Metro link to airport opposed by Department of Finance
From:ireland.com
Saturday, 10th January, 2004

The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, is to bring to cabinet in the next two months his final proposals for a metro link between Dublin city centre and the airport.

He is expected to tell colleagues that the link can be built for less than €2.5 billion, and could be open to its first passengers by the end of 2009.

However the proposals could be seriously hampered by the fact that the project is feasible only as the first stage in a much more ambitious 20-year underground scheme, costing up to €20 billion.

The Department of Finance is still opposed to the project on the basis of a report it commissioned which suggests that a much cheaper alternative exists, the extension of the Dart to the airport, via a new spur line.

The minister has now received indicative costs from the Rail Procurement Agency (RPA) that the Metro link could be built for €2.4 billion, half the figure he was given last year.

This could be done through halving the time for the planning stage of the project from four to two years with new legislation to speed up the planning process.

Legislation to transfer underground property rights to the State is also being prepared.

The route of the proposed line has yet to be finalised however. It will run overground from the Airport, through Ballymun, going underground at Dublin City University in Ballymun.

The final plan is being drafted to include a route passing through Connolly Station, Tara Street and St Stephen's Green at the insistence of the minister.

According to sources in the Department of Transport, Mr Brennan remains confident he can convince colleagues of the merits of the project, and that it remains a realistic proposal.

Last year the plan was put in jeopardy following an initial report from the RPA that the airport link would cost up to €4.8 billion, and take at least seven years to build.

This included four years of planning.

Despite the latest figures, the proposal is still facing considerable opposition from the Department of Finance, which commissioned its own report on a rail link to the airport.

The report has advocated a spur from the Dart line as an alternative.

Mr Brennan is believed to have told Government colleagues on the cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure that the project is a feasible when considered as the first stage of a larger metro scheme. It would greatly increase public transport capacity in the city, while the Dart spur would have a limited impact.

However, according to Government sources there is still a considerable barrier to the project over the overall spending commitment. The feasibility of financing through public-private partnerships is still under consideration.

"It would just be the first of ten planned phases over a 20-year period, so the Government would be committing itself to a much greater spend than €2.4 billion, and a lot of debt, whatever way it's financed,"said the sources.

silverside

How would it get from connolly to tara street and onwards to stephens green?
Would it merge at phibsboro into the existing network and go across the loop line bridge? Would it tunnel under the liffey at O'connell bridge? Or would it cross the existing network at connolly before looping around via spencer dock and a new bridge/tunnel downstream?

Any leaks or inside info from the minister's office?

Victor

Originally posted by silverside
How would it get from connolly to tara street and onwards to stephens green?
Would it merge at phibsboro into the existing network and go across the loop line bridge? Would it tunnel under the liffey at O'connell bridge? Or would it cross the existing network at connolly before looping around via spencer dock and a new bridge/tunnel downstream?

It depends on what option is chosen. If a DART option is chosen it would likely link to the Northern line between Portmarnock and Baldoyle and follow the existing DARt line through Connolly and Tara St. with no decision on how to connect to Stephen's Green. It would be broad gauge like the esiting DART

A more direct route through Drumcondra would tunnel through the city centre and join with the Luas somewhere between Stephen's Green and South Ranelagh. This would be standard gauge like Luas to enable through-running to Sandyford and Cherrywood.

silverside

Thanks Victor

I am assuming that Minister Brennan gets his way and we go for the Metro (LUAS guage) option.

He has stated he wants an interchange with connolly / tara street. Now the obvious alignment would pass somewhere under the Mater hospital (phibsboro/drumcondra) before crossing the liffey at some point and rejoining the Dundrum line somewhere between Stephen's green and Ranelagh.

Not wanting to get too technical or drag this out - but how would this work in practice

A) Tunnel directly south under liffey crossing between 4 courts and O'connell bridge

Tunnel passing under connolly/tara street with escalators to link with dart.

C) Something else possibly looping around via spencer dock and pearse street.

Given that the RPA are currently working on draft 3 as per the minister's orders I am surprised that which of A) C) above they have in mind has not leaked.

Victor

Probably option b. Most connectivity at the least cost.

LFCFan

are any of these proposals for rails lines, metros etc etc gonna go through the Dublin 15/Lucan Areas? They are some of the most starved of any decent public transport yet are growing more rapidly than any other part of Dublin and they want to build a National Stadium out here. Surely they haven't forgotten about the area completly in their plans????

Also, why don't they get in some foreign planners to look at what can be done? It seems there is a high level of incompetance in Ireland when it comes to planning so why not bring some professional in. What about the people who are building or have built that new rail line in Australia that covers a massive area over rough terrain at the same price as the LUAS will cost?????

Victor

Originally posted by LFCFan
are any of these proposals for rails lines, metros etc etc gonna go through the Dublin 15/Lucan Areas? They are some of the most starved of any decent public transport yet are growing more rapidly than any other part of Dublin and they want to build a National Stadium out here. Surely they haven't forgotten about the area completly in their plans????

It is intended to fully upgrade the Maynooth line to DART standard and possibly connect the airport line with Abbottstown and Coolminem and on to Tallaght.

Originally posted by LFCFan
Also, why don't they get in some foreign planners to look at what can be done? It seems there is a high level of incompetance in Ireland when it comes to planning so why not bring some professional in.

They have brought people in - I spoke to an Australian guy. And the main contractor is Dutch.

Originally posted by LFCFan
What about the people who are building or have built that new rail line in Australia that covers a massive area over rough terrain at the same price as the LUAS will cost?????

It was across a flat desert, not rough terrain and they personnel would be less useful than say people with Tunnelling or urban construction experience.