Transport proposals in Green/FF programme for govt

OTK

Some details of this deal which is being discussed now, were on RTE's News at 1. Also some details are on ireland.com:

On transport, there would be multi-criteria analysis of all transport projects to take into account environmental factors on a whole project basis. A new National Transport Regulator would be appointed after the establishment of a Dublin Transport Authority. The Government would also expand and improve Luas services in Dublin, reopen the Western Railway Corridor from Ennis to Claremorris, open the Navan rail line and improve other named services around the country. It would also have feasibility studies into Luas-style light railways in Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford completed within two years.

More details will presumably leak out during the day.

This morning's Irish Times stated that the M3 'would go ahead' but other details of that report now seem mistaken. A lot of people expected at least a reroute or an agreement to examine a reroute.

The greens had formerly proposed WRC to Tralee and that seems to be gone. Depending on the timescale, Navan rail would be good.

No information yet about changes to planning legislation which, of course, is crucial to transport provision.

The change in cost-benefit analysis for transport projects could have a huge effect on the amount of money spent on public versus private transport.

The DTA has already been proposed twice by FF with zero action. Not sure what a national transport regulator would do. Oversee the NRA and CIE?

Chris_533976

How much of this will come to fruition is another matter.

MarkoP11

OTK wrote:

No information yet about changes to planning legislation which, of course, is crucial to transport provision.

A legislative change already took place and the Minister for Transport no longer has a hold on a Railway Works Order, a stated deadline of 18 weeks from close of the inquiry to sign off is on the statue and if such cannot be met An Bord Pleanala have to explain why.

The requirement for a public inquiry is also removed it is optional at the discretion of the board, the public display of the plans and written submissions etc are still there and required

BendiBus

Navan is in the programme.

But I see no specific commitment to the Interconnector. In fact no reference to T21.

E92

Most of the stuff thats been announced in relation to transport has already been announced by Fianna Fáil and the PDs bewfore the election, and probably will be announced a good few more times as well.

In fact the deal that Fianna Fail gave the Greens overall is very little. They 'say' they will do things that the Greens want. Puting up commissions to enquire about this and that is basically saying we're gonna do SFA for ages. Or most likely we wont do it.

OTK

So the programme for government has now been published. Here's the transport section:

TRANSPORT
Overall, it is our intention to implement a programme under Transport 21 of investment and service development which will:
• Cut travelling times
• Improve safety
• Deliver real commuting choice
• Reduce congestion
• Protect the environment
We are committed to the implementation of Transport 21 on time and on budget.
Public Transport
Recognising the importance of long-term planning in public transport investment, the Government will in 2011 commence
preparation of a successor to the 2006-2015 Transport 21 programme.
We will:
8
Substantially improve and expand Luas services in Dublin by:
• Joining the Green and Red Luas lines.
• Extending Luas to Docklands.
• Extending Luas to Citywest.
• Extending Luas to Cherrywood.
• Extending Luas to Lucan.
• Extending Luas from the City Centre to Liffey Junction (Broadstone/Cabra).
• Extending Luas to Rathfarnham subject to a feasibility study.
Improve rail services under Transport 21 by:
• Reopening the Western Rail Corridor from Ennis to Claremorris.
• Examining the feasibility of reopening the line from Claremorris to Sligo.
• Opening the Cork-Midleton rail service.
• Providing a commuter rail service between Galway and Athenry.
• Opening the Navan rail line.
• Explore the use of high speed trains on the Cork-Dublin route
• Build the interconnector between Docklands and Heuston stations. The interconnector will allow the integration
of all existing and new Dublin suburban rail lines and facilitate interchange between them. Given the
importance of this project to the delivery of a fully-integrated public transport network in our capital city, we
will immediately investigate ways of expediting this project.
• Opening Metro North, the first Metro for Dublin, from St Stephen's Green to Swords via Dublin Airport.
• Opening Metro West connecting Tallaght and Ballymun through Clondalkin, Liffey Valley and
Blanchardstown.
Improve bus services under Transport 21 by:
• Reforming bus licensing to facilitate the optimum provision of services by providing a level playing field for all
market participants.
• Continuing to develop QBCs in Dublin and the regional cities.
• Doubling the length of bus priority schemes to improve the quality, reliability and efficiency of the fleet of
buses serving the Greater Dublin Area (i.e. Dublin, Kildare, Meath, Wicklow).
• Introduce integrated ticketing and smart-card technologies, which will allow a differential pricing system to be
introduced.
We will plan and deliver strategies for the future development of integrated public transport. In co-operation with the relevant local
authorities, we will conduct integrated transport and land use plans in the Spatial Strategy hubs immediately taking into account both
current and future needs. We will conduct feasibility studies to be completed within two years into Luas-style light rail transit systems
in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
We will introduce a multi-criteria analysis of all transport projects to take into account environmental factors on
a whole project basis
The Government will continue to review our transport needs and where agreed will proceed with new transport
projects.
Following the ongoing review of the ‘Platform for Change’ plan for Dublin, we will review the potential to introduce further public
projects to complement th eexpanding network.
Dublin Transport Authority
Given the complexity and scale of the public transport plans for Dublin contained in Transport 21, the Government is committed to
expediting the establishment of the Dublin Transport Authority. In applying this policy nationally, the Government will introduce the
need for a National Transport Regulator in the context of the fundamental review of the entire economic regulatory regime which will
be established immediately.
We will establish and support the work of the Dublin Transport Authority (DTA), which will have overall responsibility for surface
transport in the Greater Dublin Area.
9
The principal functions of the proposed Authority relate to:
• Strategic Transport Planning;
• Procurement of Public Transport Infrastructure;
• Procurement of Public Transport Services;
• Regulation of Public Transport Fares, routes, and service levels;
• Delivery of integrated ticketing, integrated passenger information and integrated fares
• Ensuring effective traffic management.
A critical change to current arrangements is that current and capital Exchequer funds will be allocated by the DTA to the public
transport operators for the provision of public transport infrastructure and services.
Delivery of an Integrated Public Transport System
An Authority with the necessary powers to ensure delivery is critical to putting in place the integrated public transport system
envisioned under Transport 21. These powers of the DTA set out in the legislation can be summarised as follows:
• Responsibility for the allocation of Exchequer funds gives the DTA the power to ensure the delivery of priority transport
projects;
• The power of the DTA to contract for services allows the integration of services and infrastructure, and will, for example,
allow the DTA ensure that bus services are effectively integrated with the metro on its completion;
• The DTA is required to endeavour to deliver public transport infrastructure projects through existing agencies, but should
it consider it more efficient and expeditious to do so it can deliver a project itself. This mirrors the powers of the NRA
in respect of national roads and has been used successfully by the NRA in relation to PPP projects and national road
signposting;
• The DTA can issue a direction to a transport agency requiring it to deliver or take a particular action in delivering a
project. Should the transport agency refuse the DTA can “step-in” and take over the projects and all contracts will
transfer to the DTA. This power, which might only be used in extreme circumstances, ensures that where a recalcitrant
agency is not following the directions of the DTA, the Authority can ensure the delivery of a project in accordance with
its direction by doing the project itself; and
• The DTA also has a power of direction in relation to issues such as ensuring compliance by transport agencies with
integrated ticketing, integrated passenger information and integrated fares. Again the DTA can issue a direction
requiring a transport agency to take certain actions. If the agency refuses, the DTA is empowered to go to the High
Court and obtain a court order requiring the agency to abide by the direction. Where an agency continued to refuse to
abide by the direction, it would be in contempt of court, with it being open to the court to apply the relevant sanctions for
such contempt.
Roads
The development of a high-quality route network carries significant benefits for our competitiveness, balanced regional development
and the safety of our roads. In government we will complete:
• The five inter-urban motorways connecting Dublin to Belfast, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
• The Atlantic Road Corridor connecting Letterkenny and Waterford through Sligo, Charlestown, Tuam, Galway, Gort,
Ennis, Limerick, Mallow and Cork to motorway standard.
• The Border Road Corridor connecting Dundalk to Sligo via Enniskillen.
• High quality road corridors to the Border, the North West and the West connecting Mullingar and
Westport/Ballina/Sligo, Kells and Belturbet, as well as Ardee and Monaghan.
• The Eastcoast N11 dual carriageway to Rosslare.
• The Dublin to Letterkenny/Derry dual carriageway.
• We will prepare for the delivery of the Dublin Outer Orbital Route.
• We will ensure that the traffic blackspot of Claregalway is bypassed in 2012.
Once this essential network is completed, the primary task of the National Roads Authority will turn to maintenance of the network.
10
Road Safety
We will support the work of the Road Safety Authority and continue to promote safety education programmes such as extending the
Safe Routes Programme, introducing a National Cycle Route, and Dublin Coast Walk and Cycle Route in order to reduce road deaths.
• Extension of traffic calming measures around the country.

There was very little about spatial planning for housing other than this:

Set up a National Monitoring Committee to oversee the consistent implementation of the Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines.

The 'Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines' is an ironically named charter for unrestrained one-off housing introduced by the last government which promotes a pattern of housing that cannot be served by public transport. These guidelines were supported by all political parties other than the Greens who now, sadly, will also be supporting them.

The Greens seem to have gained very little in this area. I saw Ciaran Cuffe on TV last night admitting as much but pointing out that delivery is everything. If the T21 public transport projects were all built and completed approximately on time, that in itself would be a big deal. He pointed out that the Luas took 13 years from conception to completion.

aliveandkicking

OTK wrote:

Build the interconnector between Docklands and Heuston stations. The interconnector will allow the integration
of all existing and new Dublin suburban rail lines and facilitate interchange between them. Given the
importance of this project to the delivery of a fully-integrated public transport network in our capital city, we
will immediately investigate ways of expediting this project.

Now thats more like it

Chris_533976

Good news on the interconnector

All the road projects mentioned too.. seems like they're going DC the whole way from Waterford to Letterkenny.

Sneaky sods not specifically mentioning the M3

High quality road corridors to the Border, the North West and the West connecting Mullingar and
Westport/Ballina/Sligo, Kells and Belturbet, as well as Ardee and Monaghan.

Yes this could be quite interesting. Sounds pretty good, lets hope it all actually happens.

Mayo Exile

The Border Road Corridor connecting Dundalk to Sligo via Enniskillen.

I thought this had been abandoned. Seems to have been resurrected again.....

Slice

As someone who voted Greens I am quite disappointed to see there is in fact very little "Green" influence in the area of transport at all - it is still a very Fianna Fail-like list of promises that will only encourage an expansionist pattern of development over any concept of balanced development. For example, I am talking about another orbital motorway for Dublin; how many more do we need before someone realises there is something seriously wrong with a pattern of development where the only solution is to build more orbital motorways? I only hope that, much like the previous two programmes for government, most of these promises go unfulfilled

markf909

A critical change to current arrangements is that current and capital Exchequer funds will be allocated by the DTA to the public
transport operators for the provision of public transport infrastructure and services.

This is good, the unions reaction to this will however dictate how powerful the DTA can truly be.

The importance of the Interconnector being highlighted is also good news.

AlekSmart

Yes on the surface it looks good...BUT...If that "Multi-Criteria Analysis" procedure returns some multi-criterial answers then we may well need a consultant or two to define which of the Multiple Criteria we actually prioritize and impliment....

There is far too much coloured smoke belching out of this bottle methinks....

BendiBus

• Build the interconnector between Docklands and Heuston stations. The interconnector will allow the integration of all existing and new Dublin suburban rail lines and facilitate interchange between them. Given the importance of this project to the delivery of a fully-integrated public transport network in our capital city, we will immediately investigate ways of expediting this project.

Excellent news.

Transport21 Fan

Brilliant. Everything that should of been included, is - with special mention for the Interconnector.

The trainspotter agenda has been utterly cleansed from rail development/funding in Ireland once and for all. This for me was absolutely the most important cultural issue in rail lobbying so we did not go down the road of the UK investing in hobbies over transport. It is now completed.

Bye!

Skyhater

The Dublin to Letterkenny/Derry dual carriageway.

This is new..... There was aspirational speculation that the N2 would be upgraded to HQDC/Motorway, but I've never seen it in any document before.

This annoys me and continues to show that we are not planning with an overall plan in mind. If this was the policy a few years ago, the Carrickmacross, Castleblayney and Monghan By-passes would be built to HQDC standard!!!!

Chris_533976

Or maybe they'll spur off the M3 to get to Letterkenny etc. Would make the M3 much more 'useful' in the eyes of the haters too.

BendiBus

And not a dickie-bird about aviation?

invincibleirish

you know i consider myself a cynic, but even i got caught up in the election promises, i knew that a luas for cork was unlikely even if the greens came into power,however mr. boyle and the greens putting it into their manifesto was foolish when it was gonna be sacrificed at the negotiating table,mr. boyle (shud i say senator?) will have a tough task asking cork people to get him into dail eireann when thanks to some evening echo front pages their are many peeps in cork,at least in the circles i mix in, who seem convinced that a luas will happen soon.it can be argued that feasability studies etc. are the next step but i doubt it.especially if ciaran lynch is gonna be promising that luas if labour get into power!

Zoney

Transport21 Fan wrote:

The trainspotter agenda has been utterly cleansed from rail development/funding in Ireland once and for all.

We have never had a "trainspotter agenda". We've had failure to seriously invest in rail (money that has gone in has in the past been rather ad-hoc and inadequate), resulting in a creaking system with archaic elements that appeals to trainspotters (and that is fine, what else would you expect?) but there has not been some official agenda to have a heritage railway masquarading as a national network. Enough conspiracy theories. Even the WRC wasn't/isn't intended as that, however much some of its supporters may be trainspotters revelling in the archaic.

I'm still not convinced the Interconnector will happen - no more than I expect us to be able to get to Dublin airport in any sort of sane fashion by the end of this government. I hope I'm proved wrong.

I find your faith in Transport 21 quite strange - it's a wishlist that may not happen (why would one believe the politician's promises?) and is in some areas inadequate, too vague and not strategic enough.

Skyhater

Chris_533976 wrote:

Or maybe they'll spur off the M3 to get to Letterkenny etc. Would make the M3 much more 'useful' in the eyes of the haters too.

Or Spur off the M1 @ Dundalk towards Castleblayney (N53 I think), then north on the N2.
This could double as part of the Dundalk > Sligo rout!!!

Personally, I'd DC the entire N2 from Dublin (just a pity the only new by-pass that has been DC'ed is Ashbourne).
It would serve north Donegal, Derry, Tyrone, Monaghan, Parts of Armagh, Cavan, Louth and Meath!!!

But it is a lower priority.... Belfast, Galway, Limerick, Cork, Waterford, and Roslare MW's/DC's should be ahead of it

Prof_V

BendiBus wrote:

And not a dickie-bird about aviation?

Try the tourism section, pp15-16; admittedly there isn't much there.

strassenwolf

Given the importance of this project to the delivery of a fully-integrated public transport network in our capital city, we will immediately investigate ways of expediting this project.

I never understood the transport 21 approach to the interconnector project, given that on more than one occasion Martin Cullen used the stock phrase "the interconnector is the project on which it all hangs."

The Martin Cullen guide to hanging things, as illustrated with clothing:

Hold out your right arm in front of you and, using your left arm, place a neatly pressed pair of trousers over your right arm. Then place a tie over the trousers. At this stage everything should be reasonably uncrumpled. Then take a neatly pressed shirt and attempt, as far as is possible, to fold this over your right arm. As the top of your right arm will be in the way of one of the arms of the shirt, this may prove difficult and may lead to some crumpling. But it will all eventually be sorted. As the shirt is likely to fall off your arm at this stage, you should rapidly place your jacket over the shirt and try and hold everything together. Again, this will probably lead to some crumpling as your right arm will inhibit the shirt and the jacket from hanging properly. But it will all soon be in place.

It will probably be extremely necessary at this stage to very rapidly apply the coup de grace to the whole system, to stop everything falling all over the floor. The hanger! Quickly proceed to thread the hanger through the jacket, shirt, tie and trousers so that they should all soon be hanging properly.

Like so...

Or the normal guide to hanging things, again as illustrated with clothes:

You have your hanger in place at the beginning. You thread your trousers through the hanger, followed by the tie. You then hang your shirt over and around the hanger. All looking good so far.

At this stage some bright spark suggests that, as everything seems to be looking uncrumpled and in no danger of falling to the floor, it might be a good idea to postpone addition of the jacket. The logic is that, as its all working out so nicely, a waistcoat might work well with the trousers, tie, shirt and the proposed jacket.

After some consultation and an inquiry, it is agreed that a waistcoat, although not a critical part of the whole system, might indeed be a good addition to the ensemble. It could provide a good back-up service for the tie, and possibly the shirt, particularly during the peak hours.(Under the Cullen method the waistcoat would be unthinkable as the jacket would inevitably slide to the floor, due to the waistcoat's shiny back).

So on it goes to the uncrumpled trousers, tie and shirt. The delayed jacket can then be added to the whole uncrumpled system.

Chris_533976

That is the greatest comparison I have ever heard