Metro North-South

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From today's Independent...

Metro rethink 'could save taxpayer €1bn'

By STEPHEN O'FARRELL
Monday May 11 2009
'Only 12 additional houses would be acquired'

REDRAWING the route for Metro North would reduce the cost by €1bn while streamlining public transport, says a top consultant.

The alternative route, unlike the €5bn Metro North plan, would connect to the Luas green line and provide the first north-south transport corridor through Dublin, running from beyond Swords all the way down to Sandyford.

The plan, designed by engineer Gerry Duggan who devised the existing Luas routes, will be put to a Bord Pleanala oral hearing on Metro North when it resumes next month.

Mr Duggan suggests that huge savings can be made by reducing the amount of tunnel boring required.

Known as 'Metro North-South', Mr Duggan's option would also carry more passengers than Metro North and solve the capacity problems of the Luas green line by using longer and wider trams.

Plans for the Luas BX interconnector to link the existing two lines could also be scrapped, while construction works on St Stephen's Green would be reduced from five years to a maximum three years.

Mr Duggan said adopting the Metro North-South proposal would add just one year to the current project's completion date. "It would make vital savings for the exchequer, by eliminating the need for the proposed Luas BX interconnector and reducing tunnelling costs," Mr Duggan told the Irish Independent.

"This can be achieved by reducing the amount of tunnelling required in the north city, by starting the tunnel in the grounds of Clonliffe College, Drumcondra rather than north of Ballymun, as proposed by the Rail Procurement Agency.

Limited

"Indeed, anyone who has ever sat in the upper stands in Croke Park and looked north over Hill 16 will be aware that the view is of virtually continuous parkland, which permits the construction of a Metro line from there to the airport with limited tunnelling.

"The line can be routed through parkland, undeveloped sites used for the construction of the Port Tunnel and along the extensive grass shoulder of the Swords Road, from Whitehall to Coolock Lane before crossing over the M1 into Santry Demesne under Northwood Ave and then over the M50, to join the RPA's proposed Metro North alignment to the airport and Swords.

"Only 12 additional houses would have to be acquired to complete Metro North-South, which is similar to the number acquired to develop the Luas Red Line and Iarnrod Eireann's Kildare line four-tracking project."

Mr Duggan's proposal also provides for Metro stops on each of the key orbital routes in the north city at Griffith Ave, Collins Ave and Oscar Traynor Rd/Coolock Lane.

By providing frequent shuttle buses along these routes a 'fishbone system' can be provided, as recently recommended by Veolia, the operator of the existing Luas services and a bidder for the Metro North project.

The metro would no longer run through the heart of Ballymun, but a station would be placed within walking distance of the area. Dublin City University's stop would also be moved slightly further away from the campus, from a distance of 300m to 600m.

It would also connect Beaumont Hospital and Clonshaugh Industrial Estate to the Metro and provide for pedestrian accessed stops at Northwood Ave, Shantalla Rd and Richmond Rd.

A Department of Transport spokeswoman said it would be inappropriate to comment on an alternative route while the planning hearing was ongoing.

- STEPHEN O'FARRELL

D.L.R.

This guy is responsible for the (dreadful) Red Line. What was the point of the whole route selection process? Clowns.

spacetweek

Sloppy journalism; the route he describes isn't new, it was one of the 3 MN routes presented - and rejected - at consultation. It would move MN away from where everyone lives just to save money. Shock horror - We're not trying to save money, we're trying to get something built that we desperately need. Quite frankly 1 billion is nothing when what's at stake is building the wrong thing, or the right thing.

petronius

Rerouting it maybe too late but it does make some sense moving it closer to the main Northern road, it would still serve the North Inner City, Drumcondra, St. Pats College, griffith Ave DCU Collins Ave., Santry, Northwood and get to the airport faster

The Metro North should continue on and join up with the Northern Line, allowing people from Lusk, Rush, Balbriggan, Drogheda, Dundalk, even Belfast to get the Train, then the metro, to the airport!

Chris_533976

Also the Luas linkup should be done regardless of MN. It will provide redundancy on a critical corridor (remember Stephens Green will be a much more major junction in the future) and save the time getting into the underground.

Luas linkup should be absolute transport priority along with Newlands and Arklow - Rathnew.

D.L.R.

Chris_533976 wrote: »

Also the Luas linkup should be done regardless of MN. It will provide redundancy on a critical corridor (remember Stephens Green will be a much more major junction in the future) and save the time getting into the underground.

Luas linkup should be absolute transport priority along with Newlands and Arklow - Rathnew.

Don't agree, happy to see BX canned. Less streetcars and more underground lines is what Dublin needs. Surface level is full.

johnnyc

will the metro north-south will the trains be automated with no drivers, just watching discovery science and they are on about the next generation metro

GerardKeating

johnnyc wrote: »

will the metro north-south will the trains be automated with no drivers, just watching discovery science and they are on about the next generation metro

Naw, Unions would never allow it.

Enbee

Thinking fifteen to twenty years into the future would there be much merit in extending the metro so it became a true cross city route? Perhaps an extension to Tallaght via Rathfarnham or via Rathgar-Templeogue?

Steviemak

GerardKeating wrote: »

Naw, Unions would never allow it.

No drivers, no union

deiseman21

Enbee wrote: »

Thinking fifteen to twenty years into the future would there be much merit in extending the metro so it became a true cross city route? Perhaps an extension to Tallaght via Rathfarnham or via Rathgar-Templeogue?

does the luas not already serve this route mostly or at least partially to the main population centre in tallaght

Enbee

It does serve Tallaght but I was looking at the network map and there's a bit of a gap in the rail coverage. The proposed Luas to Rathfarnham might be sufficient to plug it but the south side of the city could possibly do with more heavy rail. Maybe an extension of the Metro West across the southern burbs?

It's just a pity that the suburbs were developed as a sprawling mess with a low population density.

spacetweek

Enbee wrote: »

It does serve Tallaght but I was looking at the network map and there's a bit of a gap in the rail coverage. The proposed Luas to Rathfarnham might be sufficient to plug it but the south side of the city could possibly do with more heavy rail. Maybe an extension of the Metro West across the southern burbs?

It's just a pity that the suburbs were developed as a sprawling mess with a low population density.

Way ahead of ya man... this is in fact what's planned. Back in 1999 the Metro West was originally supposed to join Tallaght and Ranelagh via Templeogue, Terenure, and Harold's Cross. Of course it's more than 10 years away now.

Enbee

That's interesting although if the extension will run to Ranelagh wouldn't a better option be to construct the extension to St. Stephen's Green and make the Metro North-South a Swords to Tallaght line? That could happen by ... er ... 2025?