Metro North and Interconnector - 2050 anyone?

BluntGuy

Despite the recent assurances that Metro North and Interconnector will progress forward in terms of planning and enabling this year, when it comes to actually forking out for this: will we actually get these bits of infrastructure built in the planned timeframe?

What do you think?

SeanW

Both are vital IMO so I hope neither will be cancelled, but it would be optimistic to say that they'll be finished on time. 2020 is a good guess.

Zebra3

They are badly badly needed infrastructure but given the current financial climate I cannot imagine too many provincial TDs being happy with the figures being banded around.

2020 if w're lucky.

Run_to_da_hills

Zebra3 wrote: »

They are badly badly needed infrastructure but given the current financial climate I cannot imagine too many provincial TDs being happy with the figures being banded around.

2020 if w're lucky.

It is in the interest of the Government to have these project running on time.
They cannot justify any urban congestion charge without them.

D.L.R.

Zebra3 wrote: »

They are badly badly needed infrastructure but given the current financial climate I cannot imagine too many provincial TDs being happy with the figures being banded around.

Denmark: Similar population, equally dominant capital city. No problem building a metro though.

Stockholm. Ditto.
Brussels.
Helsinki.
Amsterdam.
Vienna.
Same same same.

We should be expecting both these projects, and on time. They are already late as far as I'm concerned. Enough of this east-west crap. Ireland's biggest city - by a country mile - needs this stuff.

Zebra3

I fully agree that we need both these pieces of infrastructure asap, I'm just pointing out the parochial nature of Irish politics that I think will delay them.

Lennoxschips

If the willpower and prioritisation for it wasn't there during the Celtic Tiger then I don't see them ever getting built.

G_R

dublin is one of the only capital cities in Europe (if not THE only one:eek:) that hasnt got a proper rail network that connects the City Centre to the city's (and in our case the country's) biggest airport...

MN and the Inter. are essential for Dublin. When T2 is built in Dublin Airport the Airport will be able to handle about 35m passengers a year...are they expected to use the M1 and M50...are they not already clogged up enough???...:(

And other than the airport, if they are planning to go ahead with this "city of 100,000 people" in swords (which i don't think is a bad idea) it'll be essential to be able to get people from dublin to swords and vice versa...

the above are just some valid reasons for MN....im sure there is just as many and more good reasons for interconnecter...

and with the economy the way it is at the mo we should be able to get good value for money so i think we should borrow for both projects if the money isn't available because both projects are essential

spacetweek

Lennoxschips wrote: »

If the willpower and prioritisation for it wasn't there during the Celtic Tiger then I don't see them ever getting built.

Don't agree - if anything the priority it has now is far greater than what it had during the Tiger. Back then, with the money rolling in each year, it was easy to falsely believe that stuff like this wasn't necessary. Things aren't so easy now. You have to fight for investment and figure out how to attract it actively.

Poll is silly btw.

Typewriter

Statues make way for new Metro
Saturday November 08 2008

The Dublin city centre statues which are destined for clearance during the construction of Metro North will be taken down as early as the middle of next year.

The historical statues will be removed for preservation until the new city transport is complete in 2013.

The Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) is currently accepting bids for the position of a heritage works contractor, which will carry out the removals and allow for the roll-out of the tracks to begin.

NECESSARY

The contractor, who will be paid "the market rate" for the project, will carry out the necessary clearances for historical objects in places like St Stephen's Green.

"We've applied for a Railway Order and we should have that by the middle of next year," says a spokesman for the RPA.

"Once the shifting of statues and all the necessary work is carried out, then the Metro North will start in 2010."

The historically significant statues will be removed from the public eye while they are kept in safe storage.

The officer will demount and rebuild all the St Stephen's Green statues and memorials in temporary locations within the Victorian park.

Lord Ardilaun will find himself a new seat, along with the Robert Emmet Statue, Fusiliers Arch and the O'Donovan Rossa Memorial.

The African Rose Bowl, footrails, perimeter railings, perimeter granite footpath, granite bollards and metal bollards, and the Pulham rock, will also be removed.

The disused public toilet in the park will be demolished.

The Thomas Moore Statue on the College Green will also be put into storage, and some trees there will be removed.

reinstated

The Daniel O'Connell monument, Sir John Gray, William Smith O'Brien and Jim Larkin will also be demounted as part of the enabling works, but the new Heritage Works Officer will ensure that they are reinstated once the Metro is complete.

On Parnell Square, the stone walling and railings to the east boundary of the Rotunda will be put in storage.

Metro North will connect the Fingal County town of Swords and the townland of Belinstown to Dublin city centre.

- Geraldine Gittens

Herald.ie

BluntGuy

Well the budget did allow for enabling works to be carried out so this is hardly surprising.

But are they still seriously thinking that this will be done in 2013. Unless they start next year, that simply ISN'T... GOING... TO... HAPPEN.

strassenwolf

1-0 for the people who live along the DART line, or the LUAS lines, which includes many (if not most) of our transport planners.

They have managed to get through our richest era without having to build any of the T21 projects, which might have helped to open up the rest of the city to decent public transport.

This is good news for the people who live along the DART/LUAS lines, including the transport planners, as it means that their children will have a competitive advantage getting to work in the years to come.

Ten years of prosperity, but effectively nothing to show for it in terms of opening up the rest of the city to decent, rapid public transport.

Nice one, lads.

But probably not what the people who fought for our freedom envisaged.