[Article] Action, not talk presses for metro start

Victor

From Tramways & Urban Transit magazine www.lrta.org

Page 414 TRAMWAYS & URBAN TRANSIT wrote:

Action, not talk presses for metro start

An academic's claim that a metro for Dublin could be a waste of money has been soundly rebuffed by the country's transport minister. He wants to get on with the project instead of [re-starting] old debates.

Professor Austin Smyth has suggested the Irish capital's future public transport needs can be met by Luas light rail, bus and suburban rail services in analysis prepared for the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.

He said that the economic case for building two metro lines "has not been proven", and will involve substantially higher costs than equivalent Luas schemes. He also questions why larnrod Eireann's proposal for a spur off the Dublin-Belfast line was "not appraised as an alternative to metro" to serve the airport.

Putting his faith firmly in Luas, Professor Smyth argues that its expansion is likely to deliver 11 substantial economic benefits", and that Dublin's bus and rail network "should be planned together with a clear strategy for interchange". Instead of adding a metro as an entirely new element to the mix, he advocates an integrated suburban rail network similar to S-Bahn networks in the major German cities.

Transport Minister Martin Cullen says that the strategic case for Metro was established in 2001 in A Platform for Change, the Dublin Transportation Office's (DTO) long-term integrated transport strategy. An independent review has also shown there is a good economic case.

The idea of a heavy rail spur from the main line was rejected by both the DTO when it was preparing its long-term plans, and consultants hired by the Irish parliament's transport committee, which accepted the conclusion Dublin that neither bus nor rail was as good as the metro.

Mr Cullen has confirmed his strong belief that there has been enough debate over the past ten years, and energy should now be focussed [sic] on building the lines on time and on budget.

He said: "Future generations will not thank us if we miss this golden opportunity provided by our recent economic success. We have two choices - we can get on with the investment programme, or continue to debate how to tackle our congestion problems, leading to paralysis by analysis."

Sarsfield

He also questions why larnrod Eireann's proposal for a spur off the Dublin-Belfast line was "not appraised as an alternative to metro" to serve the airport.

Oh for the love of God :mad: The metro is not a railway to the airport. It's a major public transport development for a large swathe of North Dublin, which includes the airport as one (important) stop. It should also have knock on effects for the whole city by linking with other rail options throughout the city.

As soon as this line about "DART spur vs Metro" gets trotted out I immediately lose interest in what the person has to say. Because they're clearly talking ****e.

So did he have anything worthwhile to say after that line (where I stopped reading )?

DerekP11

Mr Cullen has confirmed his strong belief that there has been enough debate over the past ten years, and energy should now be focussed [sic] on building the lines on time and on budget.

He said: "Future generations will not thank us if we miss this golden opportunity provided by our recent economic success. We have two choices - we can get on with the investment programme, or continue to debate how to tackle our congestion problems, leading to paralysis by analysis."

That quote sums up our current Governments thinking. They are the same Government who are responsible for the fact that two Luas lines aren't linked. Did they not debate that in a fashion that lead to paralysis by analysis?? They are also the same Government who have based a "transport" plan on a country that has developed faster than Flu and in accoradance with a "Dublin" document that was outdated, before the printer got decent copy. (Platform for Change)

Thanks for posting that article. It made me laugh. Poor oul Martin Cullen. God love him. If he had brains........(you know the rest)